Comments on: It’s not just celebrities who need bodyguards http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/HSC/?p=96 Debates and challenges in the UK sector Sun, 31 Mar 2013 21:53:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Chris_Kubiak http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/HSC/?p=96&cpage=1#comment-411 Chris_Kubiak Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:18:53 +0000 http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/HSC/?p=96#comment-411 I agree. Just as disability is as much about the nature of society as individual capacity. My daughter's comment put the bodyguard image in my mind which I found provoked thoughts on what a short term solution for this problem could mean in practical terms. It's depressing too. After all, maybe we haven't come that far and attitude change will take a long, long time. I agree. Just as disability is as much about the nature of society as individual capacity. My daughter’s comment put the bodyguard image in my mind which I found provoked thoughts on what a short term solution for this problem could mean in practical terms. It’s depressing too. After all, maybe we haven’t come that far and attitude change will take a long, long time.

]]> By: Sara MacKian http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/HSC/?p=96&cpage=1#comment-410 Sara MacKian Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:08:04 +0000 http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/HSC/?p=96#comment-410 An interesting and very loving idea indeed. But this solution puts the responsibility on the individual to protect themselves. Rather than saying society needs to change its attitudes, and it is everyone's responsibility to do this. I'm reminded of the criticism some women get who are attacked in sparsely populated places. Such as a woman travelling home alone on a train who was raped. And the question was posed - 'what was she doing there alone anyway?' (i.e. 'wasn't she asking for trouble?'). We might equally ask - 'what gave the man the belief he had the right to abuse another human being?' But that would mean questioning the mindset of society, and accepting we all have a responsibility, rather than placing the burden of responsibility on the victim. An interesting and very loving idea indeed. But this solution puts the responsibility on the individual to protect themselves. Rather than saying society needs to change its attitudes, and it is everyone’s responsibility to do this.

I’m reminded of the criticism some women get who are attacked in sparsely populated places. Such as a woman travelling home alone on a train who was raped. And the question was posed – ‘what was she doing there alone anyway?’ (i.e. ‘wasn’t she asking for trouble?’). We might equally ask – ‘what gave the man the belief he had the right to abuse another human being?’

But that would mean questioning the mindset of society, and accepting we all have a responsibility, rather than placing the burden of responsibility on the victim.

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