# Is stating "Women can change their behavior to lessen their chance of sexual assault" misogynistic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 15, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-stating-women-can-change-their-behavior-to-lessen-their-chance-of-sexual-assault-misogynistic/837100 "2019-07-15T01:25:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-stating-women-can-change-their-behavior-to-lessen-their-chance-of-sexual-assault-misogynistic/837100/261 "2019-07-21T16:29:36Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > In the recent past, my statement that “If a woman just stayed at home, locked in her bedroom wearing a burka, it would significantly lower her chances of being assaulted” was deemed “racist and misogynistic” > > Can a factual statement be considered “racist and misogynistic”? That seems strange to me. It shouldn’t and I doubt it really seems that strange to you if you see and hear much of what passes for reasoned debate nowadays. Most people are followers and don’t think much so can’t I suppose really be blamed for their lame debating tactics imitating polemicists they admire, but accusing other people of ism/phobia/mys[y] as a way to gain advantage in an argument through supposed moral superiority is now pandemic. It’s done on just about every thread here where the tactic could possibly be used, and that’s typical of internet discussion and a good deal of real life public discussion. That said, since time immemorial it’s been judged non-tactful to state various facts in various contexts. That’s not new. And people might infer bad motives from untactful statements. That’s the kernel of validity in the tactic, where its based on ‘but I just _know_ the unstated thoughts which made you state that untactful fact’. That’s a leap but at least it’s possible the accuser is correct in a given situation (not saying this one necessarily). Where it’s ‘ruled’ that the fact itself is ist/phobic, that’s where it goes totally off the rails IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-stating-women-can-change-their-behavior-to-lessen-their-chance-of-sexual-assault-misogynistic/837100/262 "2019-07-21T16:44:17Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Baby, you been missing _out_. > (Please, not the face, not the face, I got my glasses on !) _hits **Kobal2** on the head_ or were you using it? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-stating-women-can-change-their-behavior-to-lessen-their-chance-of-sexual-assault-misogynistic/837100/263 "2019-07-21T17:49:06Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Am I asking for advice? Of course I’m not. It was clearly a rhetorical question. How could you possibly interpret it as anything else? > > I’m genuinely perplexed how you could possibly think that I was asking for advice on not getting assaulted on the tube. I mean, do you not think I know a little more about that you do? Even if you don’t remember my username, ergo my location, nothing about my post said “I am new to using public transport.” I actually would like to know if Shodan feels that women who go on public transport are being unwise, and that given the hard realities of society, he feels like public transport is unsafe for women. I wonder if he raised his daughters to not pursue any career where they would have to work in a big city or take public transport, out of safety concerns. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-stating-women-can-change-their-behavior-to-lessen-their-chance-of-sexual-assault-misogynistic/837100/264 "2019-07-21T23:12:20Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Where it’s ‘ruled’ that the fact itself is ist/phobic, that’s where it goes totally off the rails IMO. I haven’t seen anyone in this thread doing that. What a number of people in this thread have done is point out that the supposed “fact” isn’t a fact. It is indeed “reasoned debate” to point out where assumptions are incorrect; even, and possibly especially, when those assumptions are common. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-stating-women-can-change-their-behavior-to-lessen-their-chance-of-sexual-assault-misogynistic/837100.md?page=13)