COLUMN: A little wiser
There lies imbedded in the feeble, ignorant minds of many the common misconception that women are weak. I pity such people who sincerely, yet falsely, believe this untruth. Some call them sexist, others say they are pigs, I choose to call them ignorant.
From the time we are little children running around in the sprinklers, we are taught that men are the stronger gender. While the latter statement may be true in the physical sense, it does not validate the theory that women are dependent upon men for protection.
When young, we have the comfort of knowing daddy will protect us and keep us safe. This knowledge has picked me up several times when I’ve been down and has allowed me to feel safe and secure. But as we all know, children grow up. Daddy won’t and can’t always be around to protect us.
A wise and noble woman by the name of Susan B. Anthony summed it up when she declared: “Woman must not depend on the protection of man but must be taught to defend herself.”
I agree 100 percent with this statement and whole-heartedly contend the notion that women are weak.
This is one reason why RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) appealed to me so much. No woman should be without some knowledge of how to protect and defend herself. It absolutely astonished me to discover that one in every three women is sexually assaulted in her lifetime. Can you believe that? It’s outrageous; it’s absolutely terrifying, and I do not intend to be the one.
RAD taught me preventative measures to being victimized and provided me with the techniques and tools necessary to defend myself in any given situation.
The most rewarding aspect of RAD was participating in the “final simulation.” The odds were against me three-to-one, and I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive and nervous. I wondered if I really had the power to defend myself against a sexual assailant.
Sure, I had learned the techniques, but I was outnumbered. It was also intimidating to know the police officers’ physical strength significantly superseded my own.
But I also knew the RAD program was designed with the factor in mind that the attacker would most likely be physically stronger than the victim. The techniques I learned are not dependent upon physical strength, but rather on speed and the element of surprise. Perhaps the key factor is confidence in self.
As I entered the ring to fight my assailants, I felt the adrenaline flow through my veins and the little hairs on the back of my neck prick up.
The police officers taunted me, much as a sexual assailant would. Then came the moment I had prepared for the past seven weeks, the attack.
I’ll admit, for a split second I didn’t know what to do. But then my training kicked into gear and I began to fight back. I fought for not only myself, but for all the women in the world. I fought for loved ones close to me who have been sexually assaulted or abused, who have had to experience this true-to-life ordeal in their own lives and face the emotionally devastating effects of being victimized and/or raped.
And you know what? I did it. I survived. I lived through the closest thing to being sexually assaulted I hope I will ever encounter. I proved to myself that I have the power to survive such an attack and I am capable of defending myself. I am not weak. No, far from it. I am proud to declare I am a woman, for women are indeed strong.
Alicia Wiser, is a sophomore in family and human development. Comments can be sent to aliciaw@cc.usu.edu