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Battling Rape Culture With Flamethrowers And Tit Stickers

By Kristy Puchko | Horror | July 24, 2017 |

By Kristy Puchko | Horror | July 24, 2017 |


When faced with the seemingly insurmountable problem of widespread sexual assault, inventors have come up with a variety of clever and tragically practical tools, like drinking straws and coasters that change color when they detect a date rape drug. The latest innovations in battling sexual assault are flame throwers and tit stickers. Seriously.

First up, The Verge shared this video about a special sticker and phone app combo that alerts a wearer’s friends if their bra is grabbed without consent.

The system itself seems a bit convoluted and flawed. For one, not all sexual assault victims have breasts or wear bras. For another, alerting friends to a bra being grabbed doesn’t guarantee they’ll be in a position to help. It’s unclear what 911 would do with the information that you know your friend’s bra was grabbed, but you’re not there to witness it. And frankly, it’s depressing to imagine that on top of padding and underwires and all the other discomforts of bras, women might now have to work in a metallic sticker and even a panic button.

Next we turn to China, where the battle against sexual assault has turned fiery. Literally. Men’s Health reports “Anti-Pervert” flamethrowers are now for sale there, ranging from $13 to $40, and reaching up to 3,300 degrees and 20 feet.

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There’s a debate about the legality of this device, which is like pepper spray, except with the ability to scar and potentially set someone on fire. But unless you’re battling back the apocalypse, spraying 20 feet of flames seems pretty extreme. Frankly, I wouldn’t want something with that ability bumbling around in my purse. I’ve stabbed myself with a stray safety pin. And I can’t really imagine how practical this device might be.

Nonetheless, all of the above tools carry with them some of the same controversy. Some activists believe that devices like these put the onus on the victim to avoid rape, as if rape is inevitable so you better do something to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. They argue the focus should be on urging/teaching men (who most often commit sexual assaults) to just not commit rape. Which makes sense. But with an alleged sexual predator in the White House, it seems the battle against rape culture has a long way to go. So we can’t blame someone from walking softly but carrying a big flamethrower.

Sorry, that’s a lot of downer news. Um. Here’s a puppy pick-me-up.