So I'm looking forward to finally meeting you this weekend!

- Me too! Where should we meet?

Where do you live? I'll pick you up and we can go back to my place.

- Actually, let's meet downtown. There's a bar I like on college street - or is there somewhere you'd prefer to grab a drink or a coffee?

- It's no problem, I can pick you up and we can hang out at my house. I mix a mean martini.

- I'd really rather meet downtown in a bar or something. That would be a lot more comfortable for me for our first meeting.

- ...

- Wow, I think it's pretty messed up that you're just default assuming I'm a creepy rapist or something.

Sigh.

Sometimes, in my head, we have a conversation about this. It goes like this:

That's a really tone-deaf and unfortunate thing to say.

One thing I have to think about, even though I'd rather not, even when I just want to have a date with someone who seems pretty cool, is risk.

Risk is an equation that we have to calculate all the time! Risk is balancing the likelihood that something will happen against the severity of consequences or outcomes if it does happen.

Then you have to decide what your risk threshold is - how risky something has to seem before it's not acceptable to you.

Here's an example risk calculation!

I'm going to wade through this group of angry ducks! What could possibly go wrong?

Well... they'll probably quack a lot and peck me (likelihood of something negative happening- HIGH)

But I’m not going to get anything more than some light peck-bruising on my shins (consequences - MILD)

HIGH LIKELIHOOD + MILD CONSEQUENCES = eh, why not.

Yup, that sure was a lot of pecking.

Here are the elements of the date you just proposed:

A man I don't know well

Who now knows where I live

Meeting alone in an isolated space away from other people

To a space that he knows and controls

To have drinks that I will not be preparing and may not know the contents of

In an area of town that may not be easy for me to leave

What is the likelihood that something bad will happen?

Probably low! You will likely be a perfectly reasonable person.

But if you're not...the potential outcomes are bad to severe:

Having a creepy guy creep on me without easy options for me to end the date early...

Harassment and stalking now that you know where I live...

An escalated risk of violence or retaliation due to lack of public observation if I have to extract myself from unwanted advances...

Sexual or physical assault...

Case study!

After being walked home on a first date:

Hey! That was fun!

Want to get together again on Friday?

Sorry, I have project work to do that night. Let's aim for Sunday.

...

'Project work'? Who was that guy in your apartment all Friday evening then?

----

In the unlikely event that you do assault me, here's what I will get when I try to speak up about it to authorities or others:

Why did you go home alone with him?

Did you watch him make the drinks or did you just take whatever he gave you?

That's what you get for meeting strangers from the internet.

He brought you to his house. What did you expect?

It's just your word against his...

So you're (insistently) asking me to meet under circumstances that pose increased risk. Even though the likelihood of you harming me is low, the consequences of the possibility that you will are significant...

...and the social and legal support I would attempt to access to address those consequences are diminished and compromised because of judgement around my decision to meet you despite the risks.

It's important to remember that society very often places the responsibility for preventing harassment, stalking, assault and abuse on women, femmefolk, and other groups who are likely to experience sexual/intimate violence or assault.

We're expected to perform risk calculations comprehensively and accurately all the time, and we're expected to always choose correctly and prudently. We are expected to constantly take actions to reduce the likelihood that we may be harmed by others and reduce the severity of the harm we endure.

Don't walk home alone

Don't let strangers walk you home

Carry pepper spray

You made him mad by fighting back

Why didn't you fight back harder?

Don't act confrontational

Don't act like a pushover

Don't draw attention to yourself

Dress appropriately

You should have let him down easier

When we fail to successfully do all the things we're supposed to and get harmed, we're very likely to hear

Well, you were kind of asking for it...

But we don't get this kind of reaction in other circumstances!

Driving is pretty risky! It's totally possible every time you drive that you may be involved in a collision or accident, which can range from minor car damage to multiple deaths. We all know someone who has been involved in a moderate or serious car accident.

It's absolutely possible that I will be hit by someone who is driving recklessly. But that's a risk many of us accept every day, and I'm unlikely to have to shoulder a lot of the responsibility and blame for that accident.

How come I have to shoulder the responsibility and blame when someone rapes me? If it's ok for me to accept the risk of being on the road during a rainstorm, why isn't it ok for me to accept the risk of going on a date with a stranger?

My need for an environment and context in meeting you that feels safer for me is not a reflection on you as a person but is based on my actual, lived experiences of evaluating risk and experiencing unsafe situations, and a constant awareness of a social support structure that will blame me for allowing myself to become the victim of a crime.

So I'd very much prefer to meet in a space that is accessible and comfortable for both of us and I'd be happy to negotiate a meeting space that tries to meet both our wishes.

----

That's the conversation I think about having. …but it's not actually my job to fucking educate you. You're already being an asshole about this.

So never mind.

Yeah, you're right. Let's not bother.