iPerverts

One of my favourite things to do is listen to my iPod while walking in the city. Music is a big part of my life and so is walking since I don't have a car. Now the authorities are telling me that I should not do one of my favourite things, because it increases the likelihood that I will be assaulted. This recommendation comes after a young woman was recently followed home from a skytrain station and assualted while wearing her iPod - the argument being that she could not hear that anyone was following her due to the fact that she was wearing her iPod at the time. Vancouver Police have recommended that women should talk on their cellphones while they are walking alone so as to fend off potential assailants.

I say a big FUCK YOU to that... just because you aren't doing your jobs of keeping perverts off the streets we have walk without the joy of skipping along to our favourite songs? What the hell else are iPods for? I do yoga so I can't listen to it while I work out... so now I've just got a paperweight. Sweet! And in order to protect myself I should glue my cellphone to my face? Doesn't that cause cancer? Either that or a horrendous phone bill. Maybe Vancouver Police would like to pick up that tab for me.

Is saying that a woman is more likely to get assaulted while wearing an iPod just as ridiculous as saying she is more likely to get raped if she wears a mini skirt? I guess it's not quite the same, since a mini skirt doesn't hinder someone's ability to hear what's going on around them... but it still pisses me off because it puts the onus on the woman. Does that woman who was assaulted now feel guilty that it was her fault because she wore her iPod? I bet she can't help but feel that way.

Now they're handing out hot pink whistles to women at skytrain stations in Surrey so they can whistle for help. That's a little more realistic I think. Plus neon is all the rage right now! But come on... how many pervs are actually roaming the streets these days? Maybe they should be kept in confinement a little longer rather than being let back out into the world when they are still considered high risk.