Pointless expression

Sometimes people waste their time, thinking they are somehow "making a difference".
Case in point, the page of a fellow blogger http://fight-rape.blogspot.com/ which does appear somewhat neglected, if not abandoned completely, but still has enough *ahem* "content" to get a feel for.
What content you ask? Just links to news articles about violence, mostly against women, and a related mini-rant or one liner bitch about how awful it is, how the punishment meted out isnt strong enough and how the police/government/dubya arent doing enough to stop this kind of thing.
On the surface I agree with her about some of it, the things human beings do to each other are awful, and the punishments they get for it are often enough not even close to what they deserve.
But she misses two very important things with her attempt at "fighting rape", or even propogandizing against rape/senseless violence.
First of all linking to news articles and complaining about what they have to say is not proactive. It does nothing to educate and inform the reader beyond what their morning AIM pop-up or their half-hour wake-up with CNN has already done. Angry, un-focused, opinion they can get on their own from these pieces.
Now taking the information in the articles, offering commentary and some thoughtful, well directed, ideas and suggestions on A: avoiding/preventing the incident in the first place and/or B: how to deal with the aftermath, would be much better. Providing links to resources who offer or sponsor self defense classes for women, awareness training, related books and websites, would be an even better use of the blog-space, and of the writers effort, and actually might make a difference.
Inviting public commentary, through use of the comments field, and engaging in thoughtful, realistic, exchange on the issues at hand, would again be even better.

The other thing she does wrong is she looks to others to solve the problems she "writes" about, links to and fusses over. She throws accusations at law enforcement, the media, and the general powers that be, demanding that they do something to fix the problem.
She forgets that it is not "their problem" in the first place. The police, the medics, the court systems, are not there to prevent it from happening, they are there to clean up the aftermath and punish those responsible, if they are caught. Supposedly the punishment serves as a deterrent against the crime, but it should be obvious to any rational thoughtful mind that it doesnt work that way.
We, each and every one of us, are individually responsible for our own well being. It is our job to make sure we get up on time, feed ourselves breakfast, get to work or school on time, do the work asked of us to earn our paychecks, buy our groceries, avoid getting in car accidents on the way home, and yes, to keep ourselves safe in a very unsafe world.
Pointing fingers, demanding someone else fix our problems, is rejection of everything mankind has ever been, and the essential quality that has brought us so far (not that this point in civilization should be considered a pinnacle, far from it) - Self Reliance. It is also rejecting one of the key components of reality, we are, personally and individually, responsible for ourselves. Everything about ourselves, from our cleanliness to our personal safety.
We are free human beings - we think, we use tools, we create, and yes we destroy, but we have done it on our own for thousands upon thousands of years. It is only in this modern society that we are taught to look to others, to our supposed "betters" in the "powers that be", for our own care, feeding and protection.
Unfortunately despite how taught we are to do this, and how many people (like my fellow blogger in question) actually do this, it still doesnt work like that. The powers that be will exploit that when they can, and ignore it when it is not in their benefit to pay attention to the needs and demands of the people. We have pushed them to the heights they are at, separated them from, and declared they are better than, the citizenry, and have put our well being in their hands. It is the mistake that will ruin this republic. It is the mistake that lets women and girls all over the country be raped and killed.
And still we have people writing like the "fight-rape" blogger does... Pointlessly, without a single realistic thought about the problem, or solutions to the problem.
You can yell, scream, point at the awfulness in the world and bitch with the underlying theme of "Why wont someone else do something about this!" or you can actually make a difference. She is not making a difference.

In direct opposition to the previous "case study" we have the following blog; http://survivalskills.blogs.com/
In this case we have someone who is making the writing effort to actually educate and empower people to better their lives, and yes, to make it through hard situations alive/in good health. It is a positive effort, supplying true knowledge and suggestions, outside resources, and allowing for interaction with the people reading it.
It is actually trying to make a difference, in a fashion that actually could.
Bravo.

And yes, I plan on making a difference to, with this very entry. I have a solution for the problem of rape. A solution that if fully embraced and taken on by the world (or at least the country), would make rape a problem primarily of the past.
If every would-be rapist got a .38 slug in the brain, a pencil in the throat or a knife in the heart before he/she could complete his/her attempt at rape, within a year rape would become a very uncommon problem.
You want to be safe from rape? Buy a gun, buy a knife, learn to use them and make the commitment to never be anywhere without them, to never be in a position to be taken advantage of and overpowered.
If you cant make that commitment to your own safety, and especially to your own childrens safety, than you are not serious about safety.
You wear your seatbelt, your buy a car with airbags, you lock your doors at night, you dont pet strange dogs or play with snakes, and take measures to keep them out of your yard - so why dont you make the same efforts, and take the same precautions against the human animal, the human threat?
No amount of feel-good law making, positive thinking, smiling, or humming happy mantra's will ever change the fact that the world is a hard, cold, discomforting and uncomfortable place. It always has been and it always will be, modern convenience is not a barrier to the harshness that has always characterized life, and survival, on this rock, it is simply a mask over it.

But, its your choice as to how you live your life. You can be fat dumb and happy, until something very very bad happens to you. Or you can be prepared, aware and happy, while you successfully avoid or handle anything bad that tries to happen to you.
But you cant have it both ways - and in the end the responsibility is Your Own, no one elses.

911 = Government Sponsored Dial A Prayer. :)