Its something my Dad used to say whenever I bemoaned the unfairness of it all. The point was that you have to accept where you are in order to get to where you want and nobody's going to do it for you. You've got to get there on your own.

In this context, I think it's been made pretty clear that asking men to stop their violence against us will never work. They just don't care and they benefit from it.

Again, the fearing us as much as we fear them was their words. That's what imprisoned serial rapists have said time and time again.

I don't see learning to defend yourself as embracing violence. It's not the same. No one is saying go out and attack and rape men. The point is, they need to fear some kind of consequence.

I'll repeat again, guns are no where near the only option or the only means of defending oneself.

It's better than continuing to live our whole lives under stochastic terror, waiting to be murdered or raped. It's better than being so passive you orphan your children rather than respond the violence enacted upon you.

I'm tired of being expected to absorb the violence of men. Aren't you?