Appearance Must Not Dictate our Decisions

Some people say that dressing a certain way makes you responsible for a sexual assault. That’s like saying this flower pulled it’s own pedals off because it was so pretty it caught my attention. What about the saying that, “You shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover”? Why can’t we agree that, that proverbial statement applies to sexual predators as well? Why does a victim have to receive so much ridicule when she did nothing inherently wrong? I like to skateboard. Many people consider skateboarding a crime. I have to deal with security guards and cops trying to kick me out or give me a ticket. I know the risk I take when i’m trying to get a trick on private property. Imagine a cop came up to me and my excuse was, “Oh but you don’t get it officer! They made those ledges perfect for skating so you have to let me off the hook!”. That would never convince anyone. So why does the same argument work when it comes to Sexual Assault by Implicit Bias. As a University we must learn that, appearance must not dictate our decisions.