I wrote a letter to The Post a few weeks ago about my disgust toward the conversations emerging from the “Blurred Lines” debate, defending my fellow Ohio University students and expressing hope that any debate arose from ignorance rather than the belief that rape is actually tolerable.
I know that it is hard for many people to understand how far reaching the effects of sexual assault are — including the continued failure of our students to understand what consent entails.
In my last letter, I emphasized that we should not come together as a community to celebrate the message of “Blurred Lines” and thought it was obvious that most people would agree with me on that point.
I don’t have that much faith in OU students anymore. Many students watched rape happen, right in front of them on Court Street on Saturday night. They were confronted with it and many did not recognize it.
Some people interfered; others took videos and posted them online. The Twitter commentary surrounding this is horrendous. Your opinions of this woman are irrelevant — what many OU students witnessed is rape — no matter what is said or thought about her.
Thinking she had it coming because she was so drunk is inexcusable. I want to make something perfectly clear to The Post’s readers for the second time this semester: Consent cannot be given when the individual is intoxicated. At no point has a woman had enough to drink that her right to not be raped is waived. This mentality is inexcusable, and I am very disappointed that this is still a stance any OU student takes.
This woman could have been your sister, your best friend or your girlfriend. If this happened to a woman you love and care about, you would seek justice for her. She is a member of your community, and therefore you should love and care about her. Do not tell her this is her fault, or that it is somehow up for debate because of intoxication. Tell her that you can only try to understand, and that you want to help. We are supposed to have each other’s backs. Stop treating the women on this campus with such a despicable lack of respect.
I tried giving our student body the benefit of the doubt last time. I tried to explain their behavior, but this is intolerable. OU students need to get with the program immediately. The time to understand this should have already happened, and it baffles me that some of my peers can be so ignorant.
Sarah Shanks is a senior studying art in the Honors Tutorial College.
