A report given to a high-level advisory group in Saudi Arabia claims that allowing women in the kingdom to drive could encourage premarital sex, a rights activist said Saturday.
That is absurd. It would lead to shopping, no doubt. But sex? No. Walking does that:
Supporters of the global SlutWalk movement against sexual violence held a rally Sunday in Singapore, attracting dozens to a rare protest in the strictly policed city-state.
Protesting against sexual violence is great. I can even undestand the idea that women should have the right to dress how they like without "justifying" sexual assault. But isn't calling it "SlutWalk" just a bit much? Yes, I know, women should be free to choose to be sluts without giving up their right to say "no." But at what level should common sense kick in over maximum rights? I have the perfect right to walk through downtown Detroit at 3 a.m., loudly sorting and counting my wad of $100 bills. Would I do it? Do I look stupid? Do I dress in an expensive suit to do it? And say it is a "OnepercentWalk?"
At some point, responsibility has to kick in. I read in some sci fi book many years ago the idea that the opposite of freedom isn't slavery--it is responsibility. There is some truth to that, as anyone who has gone from single college student to spouse and parent can verify. Responsibility constrains your actions in large and small matters every day. Although it is not nearly a perfect fit, since it would, taken to extremes, argue for the morality of slavery with the slaveholder being less free than the slave because they have the responsibility to own the slave.
But in a free society, having the right to do something doesn't mean it is wise to do something. Or at least do it very often. Reducing the concept of civil rights to the practical expression that you have the right to be an obvious slut devalues the concept of civil rights and will erode all of them over time. Self restraint is necessary for maximum freedom because otherwise we need rules to control what otherwise might be acceptable levels of destructive behavior (and it would only have to be perceived as destructive by those making the rules). Or is it victory when every public place has security cameras and police presence so that a woman dressed in slutty clothing (or a well-dressed man counting cash) can walk alone at 3:00 a.m.?
You can argue that dressing like a slut and being proud of it will make sexual assault more rare. But you can argue that driving will lead to more premarital sex, too.
I just wish the SlutWalk people would choose to defend their rights in a more responsibile manner that doesn't cheapen the very idea of rights. Moderation, people. Everything in moderation.
