Comments on: Feminist Fracas

By: Merinne

Merinne — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:11:29 +0000

The problem is not the message of the poster (I think we can all agree 'don't take unbooked cabs' is good advice). It is the repulsive voyeurism of using the woman's imagined terrified pleading and screaming face. This is exploitative and irresponsible. When my friend (who was once raped, but has been coping well) saw one, she broke down and had to come home on the tube in floods of tears,surrounded by strangers. If she'd seen a NORMAL advisory poster, would this have happened? I doubt it.

By: Hercules

Hercules — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:33:35 +0000

I'm afraid that we've only hit the tip of the iceberg. Remember those adverts on T.V. where the popo urge us not to leave house doors unlocked or windows open when we leave the house as this would make life easier for burglars? Clearly they are making it seem as though burglary is the victim's fault and not the burglar's. Well I encourage the die hard feminists to address this issue – maybe you should vandalise those posters as well. Oh – and also, go and argue with the police about those posters that encourage young teenagers to stop advertising expensive iPods and phones when in high crime zones; so what if this actually saves lives in the long run?

All i'm saying is that if you're going to be immature, naive and have a hissy fit over a poster that is actually having a positive effect on safety in society, then please be consistent with your stupidity.

Regards
Someone with a regular brain.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:03:13 +0000

There are lots of ways to avoid being raped. Wear a burka. Don't get sent to prison. 98% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone who knows the victim – so get a chaperone next time you go on a date (or don't leave your drink unattended). I wonder why TFL isn't beating these drums. Could it be because what TFL are really interested in is collecting taxes from minicabs? Could it be that TFL are putting up sickening posters of what amounts to rape porn, in a cold-blooded effort to scare us into paying taxes more diligently? I saw several of these posters in London and found them deeply distasteful. Yes, they should be defaced. But they should be defaced by libertarians, not by feminists.

By: Elena

Elena — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:20:27 +0000

'try and advertise rape as something minicab drivers should not do'????? hm, ingenious!
this will then lead to minicab drivers protesting against the fact that they are being depicted as rapists…honestly, this pc farce has to stop!
feminists, get a life. or get laid,, which amounts to the same, really.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:57:50 +0000

I totally agree. Those posters are awful!

By: Wizard

Wizard — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:51:45 +0000

Just as you wouldn't walk down a dark, wooded area alone at night, you shouldn't get an illegal minicab either. It's perfectly possible to say 'some things are dangerous and more likely to lead to rape' without meaning 'the woman deserves it/is responsible'. These feminists need to get a grip and realise that women are also going to have to protect themselves.

By: Ray Filar

Ray Filar — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:52:06 +0000

As this article says, there were two points at hand. A: the overuse of the mailing list, and B: the discussion about what the posters achieve. As I said on the CFS facebook group, I agree that overuse of the mailing list is annoying, and it won't happen again.

The main issue is the posters, and I think it's worth reiterating that there are feminist opinions both for and against the advertising campaign. Arguably, in a kind of 'ends justifies the means' way, it's good to support anything that stops any woman from being raped. I think the contention of those of us who supported the idea of some action (proposed action mostly focused on subverting the posters to illustrate the idea of the culpability of the rapist, rather than ripping them down) was that the point can and should be equally well made in a different manner.

It might well be possible to have concurrent campaigns that simultaneously highlight the dangers of taking unbooked minicabs and address the issue of rape as something that illegal minicab drivers should not do. Yes, women need to take responsibility for their own safety, but at the same time, men shouldn't just be allowed to rape those women who for whatever reason do not. It is logically consistent with these posters that any woman taking an unbooked minicab has failed to take responsibility for her own actions and therefore is in some way blameworthy for her subsequent rape. Rape is one of the only crimes in which world over, more stigma often attaches to the survivor than the perpetrator – problems of victim blame are very real here. I think that both advertising campaigns and social policy should tackle the people committing the crime.

Whatever your opinion on this, it's also the case that feminism is a broad field in which there are a huge array of valid viewpoints. Whether you are for or against the posters, if you care about and would be interested in discussing issues pertaining to gender equality, CFS is for you. No commitment to activism is entailed by joining the society, and you can be as involved or uninvolved as you like. Contact me to join the mailing list (on which there will be a distinct lack of future bombardment).

By: TB1

TB1 — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:15:13 +0000

'Related Articles: 'Slippery Nipples''.

Ha.

By: ATV

ATV — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:27:57 +0000

why does someone called Colin give a shit?

seriously feminist people – get real

By: dawg

dawg — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:33:40 +0000

I am all for equality but seriously, some activists just go too far. It is a fact that taking unlicensed minicabs and the unfortunate consequences that come with it is still happening. This poster is just trying to raise awareness of this situation.

Of course it is portraying the image the ALL women are generally vulnerable and fragile non-streetwise beings, which isn’t ‘progressive’ i agree, but what else could you do to make an equally effective poster. Put a man in there? It is simply displaying the situation in a very effective way. There is a proportion of women who will really benefit from this.