Whattayagonnado?

I swear. I really do. Someone needs to tell me why, WHY, women insist on being stupid. Yeah, in an ideal world, women would be able to walk around, completely oblivious to their surroundings and never be harmed. Yeah, women shouldn't be blamed for the violence done against them, ever. But my god, women have to take some responsibility for their own safety, they really must. You can't avoid all dangerous situations, but you really shouldn't go out looking for them.

It's really hard to sit and listen to not one, but *two*, highly intelligent, highly educated women blithely talk about running through the most dangerous part of town by themselves. "Yeah, I often go running at 3 a.m. Oh, yeah, I go through the switchyards on the the way to the Rail to Trail. Yeah, I know it's dangerous, but I figure I can outrun anyone who tries to grab me." Ever outrun a bullet? Not going to happen.

Even in the light of day, no one should ever be spending time alone in the railway switchyards. Even taking away the main danger--the groups of men and boys that hang out in the switchyards drinking and doing drugs--it's an incredibly stupid idea to run along the tracks there. There is no way out except by reaching the other end of the yard, the tracks run through a valley that you can't realistically climb out of. If you sprain your ankle, the only thing you can do is turn around and hobble back or go forward to the opening at the other end. Have fun dragging your broken leg a mile, okay?

It's just not a smart idea. I'm not sure it's always incredibly smart to run by yourself on the Rail to Trail, it's not unheard of for women to be assaulted along there. But at least there are houses nearby, at least other people come by fairly frequently. If you have a heart attack, someone will (eventually) find you. In the switchyards? Kiss yourself goodbye, baby. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And these women know that, and they still do it, and that makes them vastly more stupid in my book.