The Obama Administration is finally getting behind an issue 100% of Americans agree on: stopping sexual assaults.
The White House recently tweeted out this frightening statistic:
“FACT: 1 in 5 women is sexually assaulted while in college. RT if you agree that's unacceptable →”
Now, I have to admit I did not retweet that so does that mean I think sexual assault is acceptable? Either that or I think that stat is BS.
Before I go any further, I want to let you know that I know challenging this makes me anti-woman. So I would like to throw out a heartfelt disclaimer.
The correct number of sexual assaults should be zero. No amount of sexual assault is acceptable. Sexual assault is a serious issue. More, can, and should be done to stop sexual assault. I am not saying women aren’t taken advantage of at college. I am not saying we shouldn’t provide the tools to help eradicate sexual abuse. Sexual assault bad. No sexual assault good. Sex good (sometimes). Unwanted sex bad (always). Again, the correct number of sexual assaults is zero. I never, ever, never, want there to be a sexual assault ever, ever again.
This ‘1 in 5’ stat is being repeated everywhere.
Where are they getting this number from?
The White House gets the “1 in 5” number from two studies. The Campus Sexual Assault Study conducted for the Justice Department found that “ Nineteen percent of the women reported experiencing completed or attempted sexual assault since entering college..."
First of all, this study is not representative of all colleges, but of only two. It was an online survey that the authors themselves admitted had low response rates.
And while the majority of those assaulted were drunk or high when the incident took place, 62% of these victims DID NOT consider the incident to be rape. What’s going on here is that the president is saying these women were raped, and these women are saying they weren’t. Who do you believe?
The other study the White House looked at was the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.
The study states that 18% of women in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives.
But, how do you figure out if someone’s been raped? One way would be to ask the person if they have been raped. But, why do that when you can ask misleading questions and try and figure it out for yourself!
The study asked questions like: “When you were drunk, high, drugged, or passed out and unable to consent, how many people ever had sex with you?”
It’s incoherent wording like that that makes this confusing.
Newsflash, but it is possible to have consensual sex while drunk or high. Watch any beer commercial. What you will see is a bunch of hot women and good looking dudes drinking beer with the strong insinuation they will soon be hooking up.
Yes, it’s true. You lose your inhibitions when you drink alcohol. It’s also why you drink alcohol. If you eliminate sex while drunk or high you eliminate half the sex in the country.
But this survey was designed in a way to massively inflate the number of victims.
Here is an example of how the study defines sexual assault: “being pressured in ways that included being worn down by someone who repeatedly asks for sex or showed they were unhappy; feeling pressured by being lied to, being told promises that were untrue, having someone threaten to end a relationship or spread rumors; and sexual pressure due to someone using their influence or authority.”
To see Jeffy act these scenarios act, watch the below. Viewer discretion is seriously advised.
Are those things annoying? Yes. But is convincing someone to sleep with you because you’re sad the equivalent of sexual assault? That’s just absurd.
Now, you have an idea as to how these numbers can be misleading. But, is it even possible that the statistic the White House has been using is close to accurate? We’ll cover that in part 2.