Date rape drug test just glosses over the problem
New date rape drug test perpetuates societal belief that women are alone in the fight against rape culture.
January 15, 2015
by Libby Hyde
Since the age of 16, most girls are taught never to leave their drinks unattended when they are in public. Since STA’s freshman PE class, I have heard that is never safe to stop watching your drink, for fear that certain drugs may be put in it, such as date rape drugs.
Undergraduate students at North Carolina State University have created a nail polish that can be used to detect whether or not drinks have been laced with common date rape drugs such as Rohypnol or Xanax. The individual wearing the nail polish simply stirs his or her drink with their finger, and if the drink has been tainted with drugs, the nail polish will change color.
This certainly seems like a promising step forward to making it safer for individuals who would normally be susceptible to such crimes.
This is still not enough.
The bottom line is that people, especially women, feel they have to protect themselves from date rape by testing their drink every time they take a sip.
This new invention is inherently geared toward women, perpetuating the stigma that is a woman’s responsibility to protect herself from date rape or unsafe situations. Shouldn’t the solution be to combat the problem of rape, rather than solving it by making women feel they have to test their drinks for fear of drugs?
Women are often encouraged that they can protect themselves from rape and sexual assault if they refrain from wearing provocative clothes and only ever travel in numbers.
Should we be solving the problem at a more basic level? Creating a nail polish that tests for drugs does not solve the problem that drugs are still being used to take away basic human dignity. It merely sustains the fear that women are alone in their efforts to protect themselves from such injustice.
Grace • Jan 15, 2015 at 12:38 pm
First of all, this is a good article and raises some interesting points. It has legitimacy and brings to light an uncomfortable subject but one that must be addressed.
However, while I appreciate your sentiments, I feel your criticism of the new nail polish is unfounded and cynical. By the logic you propose- that rather than solving problems at the basic level, the invention instead “sustains the fear that women are alone in their efforts to protect themselves” and “[perpetuates] the stigma that it is a woman’s responsibility to protect herself from date rape or unsafe situations”- the only solution is an idealistic society.
Let’s be real: rape exists. War exists. Poverty exists. Unfortunately, many awful things both in and out of an individual’s control exists. Based on this article, rape whistles, bomb shelters, and welfare should be seen as “perpetuating the stigma” that the victim must take responsibility.
I believe the the date rape drug test does more good than harm and, rather than glossing over the problem, is a brilliant mechanisms by which the problem may be stopped. Anything that keeps a potential victim safe is good in my eyes.
Let’s, as a society, stop being so skeptical of inventions that allow security, are meant for protection, and spare many from harm. Instead of questioning the nail polish, bring up the topic of rape through another platform. Right now, this seems akin to someone writing “security cameras just gloss over the problem of theft- why is it the store’s responsibility to protect their merchandise? Really security cameras only play into the system of theft, merely ‘sustaining the fear’ that shops have of being stolen from.”
I completely understand that your main criticism is of a society that does not put enough interest or focus on how rapists are the perpetrators, thus must be held accountable, I just don’t see how a product meant to save people from this situation can be harmful in any way.