Scared Little Girls

I received a chain email this morning from a friend (who shall remain nameless because she is a good person who apparently just takes things at face value and doesn't really deserve my or your condemnation) that kind of set me off.

The email told the basic scare story of how we (especially women) are NEVER safe. This story detailed a supposed true event at a mall where a woman was almost abducted after a nicely dressed stranger helped her fix a flat. The stranger was of course a male.

Just in case you aren't aware, there is a Web site—snopes.com—whose purpose is to clarify or debunk urban myths of this nature. So next time you get an email about syringes in phone booths or whatever, go there and check it out.

My friend's email pissed me off for two reasons. One, that despite my friend's niceness, someone would be so unaware as to blindly send this sort of thing on as fact or as a "just in case." Still waiting on that check from Microsoft, aren't we?

Secondly, I just can't freakin' stand that people continue to push this idea that women are never safe. Damn it! If you want to get technical, probably none of us are ever safe. Regardless of your belief in predestination, we can't know what is going to happen to us or when. Yes one shouldn't go down a dark alley in a bad neighborhood at night alone. DUH—that goes for men, women and Chuck Norris. But I refuse to walk around feeling like I have the word victim tattooed on my forehead because I have boobs.

I am a strong, capable woman and I can take care of myself. I am not stupid or unaware or naive. Something tells me I am not the only female possessing these qualities in the United States, much less the world. So, please, my fellow females—don't fall for this bullshit. There isn't a boogey man around every corner waiting to get you. And men, don't be thinking that women are just one flat tire away from falling apart, abduction or disaster. Give us some credit.

And for any of you that forward emails like the one I received without first verifying the information? FOR SHAME!