Godlessness, Safety Nail Polish and 'Rape Culture'

By Gina Miller
RenewAmerica.com

Listen to an audio version of this column

By now you may have heard about the new nail polish, called Undercover Colors, developed by four young scientists at North Carolina State University. It was designed to be used by women to detect whether or not certain "date rape" drugs are in their drinks. The girl simply swirls her polished fingernail in the drink, and if the color of the polish changes, then it means someone has slipped her a mickey. It sounds like a handy tool for our Godless, sex-obsessed, "modern" culture, right? Well, not if we forget to factor in the lunacy of "political correctness."

While doing yard work on Wednesday, I had Rush Limbaugh on my portable radio. He mentioned this story and said that the feminazis are in an uproar over it. In case you're unfamiliar with Rush's word, feminazi, that's his term of endearment for men-hating, radical feminists. He explained why they're irked about the new nail polish (that's not even on the market yet), which, as usual, is a lot of complaining about men and the terrible burdens women are expected to carry to hopefully avoid getting raped. Naturally, Rush's analysis of the silliness of the feminazi ire was spot-on.

Then on Thursday, I came across a Huffington Post column that may have been part of what inspired Rush's monologue. Written by Sophia Kerby, "What 'Undercover Colors' Gets All Wrong About Date Rape" is a typical feminist missive, misguidedly taking the nail polish's developers to task.

She writes:

Thanks to four male college students from North Carolina State University, you may soon be able to add a new accessory to your outfit and tool in combating date rape: nail polish.

... While I applaud their efforts to prevent sexual assault among college students, after reading their product description, it's pretty clear that these male students know little rape culture and even less about plausible solutions.

I read the product description, and it in no way broadcasts her assertions. Of course, she simply must point out that the young scientists are "male college students," as if the fact that they're male automatically detracts from the credibility of their invention. Then she goes off the rails when she claims,"... it's pretty clear that these male students know little rape culture and even less about plausible solutions." Putting aside the obvious contradiction to reality here – that these guys clearly did recognize the need for such a product and then labored to create it – how many of us "know rape culture" or even want to? How do you become knowledgeable of "rape culture"? By "rape culture," I assume she means the prevalence of rape, rather than a culture that embraces rape. Is it not enough to study the statistics? Is it not enough to be bombarded with countless media stories lamenting it, endless politicians denouncing it and numerous public service announcements promoting awareness of it? It would seem to me that if these young men truly knew "little rape culture," then it would not have occurred to them to develop this product.

To defend her assertions, Ms. Kerby points out that not all sexual assaults happen at bars but on college campuses, as well. I would contend that almost none of them happen at bars, but at other locations after the bar. She notes that alcohol is just part of the problem. Alcoholic drinks are available everywhere, not just bars, and wherever a girl is, her nail polish is there with her. As a criticism of the "male" developers, her argument is a dud.

So, what does Ms. Kerby consider "plausible solutions"? She gives three main points: stop blaming the victim, educate men on how not to rape, and hold colleges accountable for how they deal with sexual assaults on campus.

Why do you suppose that there might be a "blame the victim" mentality today? Do women ever bear any responsibility for putting themselves in potentially dangerous places and situations, like drunken frat parties? Do they bear no responsibility for the outrageous "fashions" they choose to wear nowadays, clothing that makes them look like prostitutes and porn "stars," clothing that arguably feeds the "rape culture"? Yes, we know that a man who sexually assaults a woman is always wrong, but why is it considered just fine for a woman to present herself in a hyper-sexual, sleazy way and then expect men to treat her with the dignity and honor she imagines she deserves? The disconnect from reason is palpable.

To many on the Left, the answer to most problems is "education," but what young man doesn't already know that it's wrong to sexually assault another person? Who is unclear that "no" means "no"? There again, can it be argued that a woman dressed like a strumpet, yet saying "no" to unwanted sexual advances, sends a mixed message? Yes, I know it's outrageous, but this is what our Godless culture has wrought. There are a lot of bad people out there, and no amount of "education," telling them it's wrong (they already know this), will change their evil hearts.

Another favorite tactic of the Left is to hold the powers-that-be responsible for the protection and safety of the people. Colleges can only do so much to protect their students from danger, but Ms. Kerby expects colleges to be held accountable and to enact policy changes that will better punish rapists. For this to happen, a man must be convicted in a court of law to legally be considered a rapist. What about false accusations? What about accusations with no convictions? Should a man be punished only on being accused of rape? How far does Ms. Kerby believe colleges (whose main function is supposed to be schooling) should go in becoming anti-rape squads? She seems to acknowledge the difficulty in this as she writes:

While such policy changes will put more of the burden on the perpetrator, such disciplinary hearings have led to wildly inappropriate questions for survivors and light punishments for perpetrators found guilty of assault, such as expulsion after graduation (who knew that was even a thing). Policy changes need to not only hold the perpetrators accountable, but the school's handing [sic] of these hearings as well.

She concludes her column with this:

It's pretty terrible that in 2014, that these kinds of products even need to exist, but the reality is that they do exist. Instead of funneling money into making gadgets that help prevent women from being raped, let's talk about solutions to shifting rape culture where consent, on both sides, is seen as the norm.

Yes, it is indeed a shame that there is a "need" for a product like this nail polish, and for a morally diseased culture such as ours, there is nothing to criticize about these young scientists' ingenious invention. But, there will be no shifting of any rape culture by throwing money at more "rape culture awareness," or telling young men that it's wrong to rape, or holding colleges accountable, or not "blaming the victim." Our nation has turned its back on God. We have kicked Him out of our schools and out of the public square. We have raised several generations of Godless, self-centered, sex-obsessed kids, and the truth is that there can be no positive transformation of any sick culture without the saving power of the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ to change people's hearts of stone into new hearts of flesh.

© Gina Miller