I get that point, and of course all manner of silliness is within people’s rights. However, there are causes worth pursuing and causes that are downright quixotic. When you think of all the nobel pursuits that have historically been denied women, such as education, career advancement, voting, governing, etc., drinking to excess just doesn’t fit as the banner to take up.

The first amendment protects a well reasoned criticism of the current administration, AND someone who wants to wrap themselves in green trach bags and run down the street yelling nonsense syllables with their hair on fire. Which of the two represents a more worthy cause to get behind?

It’s my opinion that drunk people, male or female, are at the mercy of sober people by their own choice, for the amusement and/or enrichment of the sober people. Entire industries exist simply to fleece the drunk, and I say, more power to them. ANYONE who chooses to impair their own brain is asking to lose in the game of life.

Everyone has a right to do stupid things, but not a right have society eliminate consequences. The Darwin Awards are full of men who learned this lesson about drinking the hard way and with great finality.

Oh, and given your “within the law” qualifier, apparently you missed that part about Texas. Almost every jurisdiction in the USA has a law prohibiting public intoxication, even if they don’t all enforce them. Thus, we’re not talking about “within the law.”

After reading this discussion on Feministe, it should be readily apparent that what most fem [...]

Somehow I doubt many of the people I’m trying to convince will agree with this, but: there’s a real cost to foregoing occasionally heavy drinking

I agree. It appears that if you don’t drink and have lots of promiscuous sex, you might very well end up a bitter, judgmental asshole who thinks women should be blamed for their own rapes because they’re shallow and intellectually vacuous. It makes me want to have a beer right now just to be safe.

Interesting that most of humanity got through 90+% of humnan history bearing that burdensome cost.

Never taken an anthropology class, huh?

Saying, as some commentators have, that we ought to blame the victim, not because she has done anything wrong, but simply to discourage such behavior in others in the future, gets things rather backwards: shame, I think, ought to be saved for those behaviors we wish to discourage *because* they are morally questionable, since it of necessity incorporates elements of moral condemnation. Behaviors that are merely risky, like living in a high-crime neighborhood, having a nightlife, and the like, should be more or less immune

Except that most serious moral codes assign some degree of moral liability to drinking, and even more to drunkeness.

Somehow I doubt many of the people I’m trying to convince will agree with this, but: there’s a real cost to foregoing occasionally heavy drinking

I think that perception is listed by AA as one of the warning signs of adrinking problem. You’re implying that sobriety is some sort of terrible burden.

and yes, to foregoing sexual encounters with persons one has just met

Interesting that most of humanity got through 90+% of humnan history bearing that burdensome cost. It’s astounding what frivolous things you think are necessities of life. OK, sure if someone wants to stagger through life drunk and promiscuous. they do have a right, but somehow, I think there are nobler rights to enshrine. Notice that in Texas, they’ve started aggressively enforcing public intoxication laws, and so far, the sky hasn’t fallen.
That’s what I find so sad about this – all these enlightened feminists pouring so much of their energy into defending the right to pursue shallow and intellectually vaccuous pastimes. Sort of like the ACLU failing to defend political dissidents because they’re too busy rushing to protect Larry Flynt I mean, in the end, is this what feminists need to fight for – not equal career opportunities, but equal rights to burn out one’s brain on booze? Ironic when you consider that Prohibition was the first major result of women’s suffrage. You’ve come a long way, baby,.indeed!

To all you guys-who-don’t-get-it trolling here, who claimed to be anti-rape but then turned around and condemned unarmed “drunken sluts”, I sincerely hope you never become one yourself. Especially not in the gay part of town. And definitely not in a leather bar. And above all, NOT while yelling homophobic slurs at the top of your capacious lungs. Because if you do, I can’t as a feminist be held responsible for what happens to you in an unguarded moment of extreme stupidity.

I realize you guys aren’t all that popular with the ladies, but you should know this: You’re bringing it on yourselves with your hectoring and your judgmental attitudes, not to mention your habit of building straw(wo)men based on what you THINK a feminist is. You may want to get out a little more and actually meet some before you prattle on any further. You may also want to learn some basic manners first (such as NOT snapping your fingers and telling a woman who’s already admirably clear-headed to “focus” on you. Only an asshole does that.)

Failing that, though, you can always wear burqas, so we can see you coming and know to avoid you. Because heaven knows, we law-abiding ladies don’t want to be tempted by your daring attire (and your big mouths) into emptying a pitcher of beer over your asinine heads.

One parenthetical statement about how evil rapists are at the beginning of a post doesn’t make up for the next five paragraphs discussing the victim’s behavior.

That’s true. But it’s a common way of arguing, just like antisemits who start with “My great-greatgrandmother was jewish…” and then start off with their baiting. Disgusting behaviour.