Pepper the Pigs
pepperthepigs.com
pepperthepigs.com
a) If you've never sprayed it before, how do you know how far it goes, the spray pattern, how much pressure it takes to depress the button, how long it lasts?
b) pepper spray is indiscriminate - it will get on you, and if you're not ready for that, it's very possible that you will find yourself completely helpless, eyes burning, coughing, gasping for breath - all while being attacked.
This is why law enforcement and the military, before they leave "basic training", are exposed to a wide variety of agents they expect to meet in the field, including pepper spray (I went through pepper spray training. Very eye opening {or closing!} to say the least).
If you are carrying pepper spray, you owe it to yourself to get proper training that includes being sprayed with it in the face and how to still defend yourself while under the effects. Otherwise, it's just a potentially deadly talisman.
http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/pepper-spray-reaction.htm http://www.safariland.com/blog/post/OC-Spray-Training-To-Be-...
Really, just hope you get tazed instead. Hurts a little more but it's over so much quicker. Or, if possible, avoid physical confrontations with the police.
Personally, I like pigs (the animal). I don't eat them because of that. Maybe try a different name.
Generally speaking, cultural norms rarely change overnight or through some collective and conscious agreement or referendum. Among other things, the combined effect of individual actions can spark cultural change.
I don't know if the link is legit or the most efficient organization to do this, but pepper spray can certainly be a single vector among many to effect wider change.
In any case it seems very naive to me to think the problem could be solved in such a way. I certainly don't think it is because of pepper spray that we presumably have less rape incidents in the western world.
I wonder if a girl who used one successfully could be charged with assault. That would be a sad irony.
It was certainly an idea that got the doctor on the international news, but I'm skeptical that it's going to be effective in practice. (But if there is evidence that people can dig up that it is, I'm open to the idea; I mean that I am skeptical in the true sense of being open to evidence, not as a deceptive way of saying I'll never believe.)
On the purely practical front: you will never get enough woman wear them. The most you could hope for is enough woman wearing them so that they have a deterrent effect on would-be rapists. But if enough people hear about them, and the rapists know to expect them, what's to stop the rapist from simply removing it? I would also expect that if the condom functioned as expected, it would mostly just serve to enrage the rapist and make it more likely for him to escalate the level of violence.
On a more emotional level: the woman still gets raped. What's more, she has to ritually insert an object that only works if she does get raped. I can't imagine that being good for one's psyche.
Which is not to say we shouldn't search for interesting solutions wherever we can find them. But I'm very skeptical that some gadget is going to solve this problem.
Protesting and agitating for social change is probably the most effective route that's available right now. And these women are kind of amazing, though vigilanteism always raises tough questions: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/02/26/meet-the-wo...
I wouldn't want to risk bloodshed from a rapist. Risk of HIV infection is already high, but made much higher with blood around.
Rape-aXe is an idea that's {at least a decade old} EDIT been around since at least 2005. There's a reason why it's not being produced nor sold.
I really don't subscribe to the ideology of "we have to do something, no matter if it even does harm". I think that is one of the worst things humans do on a regular basis. Actionism - is that a word in English?
I don't think eating chocolate helps against cancer, but that doesn't imply that I know what helps against cancer.
I simply don't know enough about India to know where to even start. I suppose improved women's rights, reliable police and stuff like that would help. Perhaps even a media campaign telling people it is not OK to rape will do some good.
This is specifically what I was expected when I added that it shouldn't be decades away from implementation in many parts of the country. Women are getting raped today. They need protection today. Maybe the balance doesn't work out in the West, maybe it doesn't even work out in India, but I doubt the harm is going to be so extensive that it isn't at least worth a try.
Some people seem to be reacting as if we're equipping these women with live grenades or something. It's not. It's pepper spray... and we're talking a rape here. We've got some... "moral currency" to spend here before we're up to an outcome that is as bad as doing nothing.
Also, it seems a very aggressive stance, also with the wording about pigs. I worry that what we will see now in India (maybe it has been like that before) is a lot of acts of arbitrary law, people killing other people just because of a rumor. So in general I don't think pouring more oil into the fire is the best idea.
Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for rapists at all. They can be roasted in a bath of pepper spray for all I care.
You're nearly guaranteed to be impacted to some degree by using pepper spray, BUT it will also be very effective in changing the course of a bad situation - it will provide a chance to get away.
1) The additional sense of security may lead people carrying pepper spray to take more risks, to travel through more dangerous places, etc. (risk compensation, a la bicycle helmets)
2) Few people who carry pepper spray have received appropriate training in its use, and even those who are appropriately trained will take a not-insignificant amount of time to retrieve and effectively deploy it;
3) The person using pepper spray is almost certainly going to fall victim to the pepper spray themselves, hindering their escape from the attacker;
4) The use of pepper spray is likely to anger an attacker, leading to an escalation in violence; even if the attacker has difficulty seeing as a result of the spray, they may still inflict an awful lot of harm on their victim;
5) In the worst case scenario, in fumbling to retrieve and deploy pepper spray, it may be snatched by the attacker and used against the victim.
The question is pepper spray vs. no pepper spray, I think for the rest of your drawbacks it's pretty clear that having a deterrent available is an improvement over not having one.
There's quite a lot of literature about this, and I guess you could ask any cop what they think about it too.
You carry pepper spray, you figure you've got things covered if you happen to be attacked, so you're prepared to accept a slightly increased risk of being attacked as a trade-off for other benefits (e.g. saving money on a taxi home, or time by taking a shortcut down an alleyway)
People caution against it for self defense because it's effectively worthless against someone who's after you with actual lethal intentions who is wielding a gun or knife; several seconds is plenty of time to close a 20ft gap when sprinting and still stab you a half dozen times before the spray really kicks in (and you can still blindly stab at someone), or get off a few rounds before their eyes shut from the pepper spray.
Pepper spray is also not mechanically disabling, which is a concern for self defense in lethal situations. Adrenaline does crazy things and people can continue doing things through immense amounts of pain. Tazers are physically disabling by overriding your muscle control. Batons can breaks bones and can mechanically stop someone from continuing; guns and knives can mechanically stop an attacker. It doesn't matter how much adrenaline you have in you, you can't run, swing a knife, or aim a gun if the required muscle to do so is missing, detached, or not listening to the brain. Pepper spray is simply a pain deterrent, nothing more.
Keep cool man.
A. I understand that this is an inspired act sparked by the very recent events in India...but more explanation needs to be visible in order to make this organization seem legit. I'm not talking about showing us your registration and non-profit organization permit, I mean "Kickstarter Pitch" level: I'm just giving my money to who now (listing a few organizations isn't enough, I need names of reps to at least be assured you're just not misappropriating their name)? How is it being spent? What is the purchasing price that you're using? What are your plans for transparency (i.e. a weekly/monthly report on how many sprays have been given out).
I realize that last bit may be hard because you're not at that volume-of-action yet...but this could be slightly mitigated by either securing a decent donation from a group/benefactor or the organizers themselves making the initial sizable donation. Yes I guess that sounds a bit entitled ("why can't you build the distribution site AND purchase the supplies") but if your call to action is going to berate people for just sitting around on Facebook...well, you kind of put yourself in the position to set an example, right?
B) The "Buy a pepper spray" graph just reeks of "white knight syndrome":
> A can costs Rs. 400. Have enough money to buy one? Do it. If you are a dude, buy one for your sister, your partner and every girl you care about (which should be every girl you know).
What if you are not a "dude"? Just hope that, as a female, someone will purchase pepper sprays for your sister, partner, etc.? Also, not all affected by the rape problem are girls. Some of them, including the victim at the most currently famous case, are women. And that last sentence parenthetical is just patronizing and redundant: if I am the type of dude who would buy pepper spray for the women in my life, I don't need to be told that I should care about women, or any fellow human being, for that matter.
Not trying to be overly harsh here. Congrats on you for stepping it up and trying something out. But if there's resolvable problems (IMO, of course), might as well think about them now and help the success of your noble mission.
There is literally nothing in the passage you quote that implies women can't buy themselves pepper spray. "Have enough money to buy one? Do it." implies everyone, regardless of gender, should be buying cans to use or distribute. The parenthetical bit is a little weird, but I assume they mean that it's not just your close friends and family, no women should ever be raped.
There are issues with the site, and I think you raise some valid points. But this is just jumping to conclusions, and it muddies the issue a bit.
You're right that it doesn't say that women can't buy it for themselves. But 80% of that phrase is exhorting men to be chivalrous and empower women...the "hey you guys, be a MAN and help out your girls" just feels off in this context. That's all.
In a culture where men have more authority and power than women, part of the responsibility for giving women back control of their lives and bodies rests with the men who currently wield social status. I think encouraging men to support their female friends and relatives is arguably more important and effective than the actual pepper spray, because that's what will create positive social change.