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Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!cdanderson
From: cdanderson@watarts.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Self Defense
Message-ID: <2116@watarts.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 18:36:39 EST
Article-I.D.: watarts.2116
Posted: Thu Feb 23 18:36:39 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Feb-84 06:50:53 EST
References: <311@houxu.UUCP> hlexa.1314
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a

         Unfortunately, courses in self-defense can harm a person. If, for 
example, you have just taken a few-week course (and some are offered in just
a few hours) you may come to believe that it is possible to ward off an 
attacker and tend to walk in places or times that, before, you would not
have.

       As such, perhaps the best things to be taught in such courses (and some
do) are that this one course will not make one invincible and that quick,
full-force retaliation is required if one takes this course of action.
       Problems still arise however as keeping people segregated or always on
the alert are harmful and that if retaliation is not successful, the amount of 
force used by the rapist will likely increase. Remember, rape is not an act of
sex but one of violence/domination in which sex is involved.
      Unfortunately, self-defense courses "may" also swing the focus of anti-
rape activities towards arming everyone instead of reeducating the actual or
potential rapist so that rape is not a considered action.
       Take the courses, but be aware of their limitations and remember
that they are not the answer. As well, be wary of rip-off courses designed
primarily to capitalize on the fear of being assaulted.

                      Cameron Anderson
                      watarts!cdanderson

  Six years of competitive wrestling but never invulnerable!