Through a Rapist's Eyes - Email Hoax

Story:

“Through A Rapist’s Eyes” (Pls Take Time To Read This. it may save a life.) Click Share Button to share it on your Wall.

It seems that a lot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a situation. Everyone should read this especially each and every girl in this world.

Thought This Was Good Info To Pass Along…

Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing. Read more..

Analysis:

The article claims to talk about an interview with rapists in prison, explaining the crime of rape attempt through a rapist’s eyes. It says that rapists choose a woman based on various features of her, like hairstyle and clothing, mentioning most common locations of women abduction for rape attempts, and finally suggests women some safety guidelines to avoid and handle any such abductions for rape attempt. The background of the story appears to be a hoax, although there are ‘few’ facts mentioned in it.

Origin of the Story

The origin of this message is in fact a mass e-mail that is circulating since 2001, in various versions. This “Self-defense” email was written by an employee at the St. Louis office of the public relations firm Weber Shandwick, who was among a group enrolled in a self-defense class taught by St. Louis instructor David Portnoy, who claims to have trained with actors Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Actual Facts

Most of the information in this message is not accurate and has misled many women. In fact this is a dangerous email that creates an impression that a women is being followed by strangers, and is prone to rape. Based on our research, the credibility of Mr. David Portnoy can certainly be challenged. He in fact demanded $1,000 from Denver Post to be interviewed regarding this issue, and did not supply his resume or the name of the prison. As mentioned in the message, the man carries and sells Pepper Spray where ever he goes and gives lectures, which seems to his sole purpose.

According to police detectives and rape crisis counselors who have read this message, the “Self-defense” e-mail combines misinformation with notions which are bizarre and not accurate.

Let us analyze each and every point in detail:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

This is not a fact. Rape attempt is not associated with the hair style or clothing of a woman. Rapists generally chose easy targets, taking advantage of the window of opportunity. In rare cases involving sick rapists, it can happen that they might be attracted to certain display traits in women that remind them of their abuse in the past.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

This is not a complete fact. It is not always clothing that rapists look for in women. Some rape criminals do carry stuff like rope, plaster and others to help their purpose, and this ‘may’ include scissors as well.

3) They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

This is a fact. Rapists or any other criminals in general grab the opportunity of women who are preoccupied with something and are not alert.

4) The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.
5) Number two is office parking lots/garages.
6] Number three is public restrooms.

This is a fact to a certain extent. Crimes like kidnap and rape do happen in parking lots, in and around cars and in public restrooms. However, majority of rape cases also take place in home of a woman, or that of a friend or an acquaintance.

7) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

This is a fact. Women have to be alert, brave and act according to their intuition at the first place, this can avoid harmful consequences.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

This is a fact only to a certain extent. If you indicate that you are going to fight, then chances are that the rapists will avoid you. But the sick ones can get into sexual assault at any cost.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
10) Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

Again, this is only a possibility. These criminals can also target soft looking women with umbrellas or similar objects.

To conclude, the aspects mentioned in the message do not appear to come through a rapist’s eyes. The message need not be shared, as it will only create unnecessary fear among women. However, it is important for women to be careful and follow certain safety guidelines to avoid any such possible abducts for rape. Mentioned below are few safety measures women should follow:

- When in public places, women should be alert and pay attention to what is happening around.
- Think ahead about getting back to your home. Be well prepared whenever you are away from home and coordinate your plans taking help of trusted friends.
- If you feel threatened by someone or something, you should not get scared or become embarrassed, you should in fact ask for help or leave the risky place.
- Avoid excessive use of alcohol and drugs, especially in public and unknown places.
- When attacked by someone, you should trust your intuition and quickly do whatever it takes to fend off the attacker. You can fight for your life. In fact in many countries like India and United States, attacking, and in extreme conditions, even killing of a person under circumstances of sexual assault is considered as a Justifiable Homicide. Refer. Of course, local laws may vary in certain countries.

It is also a good idea for women to be learned about self defense techniques in such situations. The video above shows and explains one such way to deal with a rapist who has fallen over a women. The set of videos listed here describe self defense standing techniques in attempt of sexual assault or abduction.