I can't believe some of the stuff that has been said on this forum, some of which equal the comments of the cleric and the judge! For example look out for Boaz_David's comment about the attitude of young men in the bible to explain a "modern phenomenon" as he calls it, or that he's just "telling it like it is". This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that the article says is prevalent but which no one pays attention to unless you are from some controversial minority group. I think that's the central point of the article.

BOAZ_David if you are saying that the fact your stuff was stolen was YOUR fault, then you are making excuses for the thief! Don't play word games. Talk about biased and unclear thinking.

Marg, As a member of a so called 'controversial minority group' let me assure you that while media coverage suggests otherwise, we hardly ever get listened too. They hear us but don't listen. I think this phenomena is happenning here as well (as you have pointed out in reference to 'telling like it is' --- which is more like "I'm telling how I want to tell it like it is"

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Dear Boaz, David

Actually, the people most likely to be the victims of violent crime are also the people most likely to be the perpetrators of it; namely young men. It always astonishes me how careful parents are of their teenage daughters and how cavalier they are about their sons, when every statistic indicates it is boys who are most vulnerable and most likely to be beaten, bashed and subjected to violent gang related attacks.
On the provocative clothing issue, I think men need to take responsibility for their own thoughts, feelings, urgings and actions, if they are ever to fully qualify for the term "adult" in all its meanings. The argument reminds me of an incident related by Golda Mier in her memoirs. In the early days of Tel Aviv a serial rapist was on the loose and the Israeli cabinet got together to discuss what they should do. Golda was the only woman in the cabinet and she listened as a man suggested a curfew, that to protect women and girls they should all be compelled to be inside by 9pm. Golda piped up with the following," Good idea, but as its a man doing the raping, perhaps the curfew should compell all men to be off the streets by 9pm." As you can imagine, there was a deathly hush around the table then everyone agreed that perhaps a curfew was not the way to go, after all. Same perspective (or lack thereof) here, it seems to me.

In Part 1 http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20040217.shtml and Part 2
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20040224.shtml Dennis Prager offers a number of reasons why women are dressing more provocatively

eg
“In Part One, I offered two reasons for the increasing exposure of young women's bodies. One was the loss of female roles and identity, leading many young women to announce they are females in the only way left to them -- by showing their body. The other was the near-extinction of the concept of femininity, including the demise of feminine dress.”

He also relates how dress is often used by women to attract men, but dressing for sex and dressing for love are both different, and if women want love and respect, they should be dressing more modestly.

However fashion is also in the equation. To sell new clothes, magazines continuously create new “images” that women try and copy through buying and wearing the “latest” clothes. The whole system degenerates when 8 year old girls start to mimic the fashions of older women by “buying into sexy”.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/money/sexy/graydon.html

I really can’t imagine fathers buying sexually provocative clothes for their young daughters, so maybe mothers and older women should be thinking about being better role models for daughters and younger girls, by being feminine without the need for so much sexually provocative dress.

As a father myself, I encourage my son to respect women as autonomous human beings with rights of their own. I encourage my daughter to believe in herself and to be proud of who she is. Maybe men could provide better role models for their sons to aspire to rather than encouraging them to 'get a leg over' anything in a skirt.

Sexuality is to be celebrated and not used as another tool to keep women 'in their place'.

I am responsible for my own reactions to a woman's appearance. Sure I think sometimes what a woman wears may be inappropriate but that doesn't give any pathetic little man the right to rape or abuse her.

If you judge a woman on appearance alone then you can't really claim to be an adult... or a real man.

Enaj, brilliantly said! and same to you Ambo. And for crying out loud Timkins! Men have just gotta be more adult about the way they view women's (and young people in general's) sexuality. If a woman dressing provocatively messes up your radar about the messages she's sending, maybe it's the receiver, not the transmitter. Venus to Mars! A woman doesn't lose her sense of self worth by dressing provocatively, but by being treated like a piece of meat inadvertently because some guys are busy reacting to the visual stimulus and not reacting to that person/woman as an equal because she has a)big tits b)something else that turns them on. or even c) available by walking in a deserted area late at night. As a woman, i should have the right to go about my business without being a target because i'm alone, (and can't afford to hire a chaperone and shouldn't have to!) or i happen to be wearing something that may be a turn on. Because some male happens to be there at my wrong time is not my fault regardless of what I may/or may not be wearing.