Guess who fucking told u so

[grue]

is it unreasonable for me to suggest that all women arm themselves?

I say kind of, for two big reasons

the first is that arming yourself =/= being able to defend yourself, the linear causation between one and the other is a big myth that I believe is fueled by fiction works. sometimes being armed is a good thing, but some other times it results in an escalation of violence. I'm sure there was a study recently on how having a gun increases the probability of getting shot. assaulters may overpower you before you can reach your weapon and then use your own weapon against you, for example, or react even more violently from having a weapon branded at them

self-defense, on the other hand, is nothing but a net positive, I'm of the opinion that everyone should be taught self-defense in school

the second, and more important notion, is that these women weren't being harassed out of being phyisically incapable of defending themselves, but because there was a power imbalance between them and the attacker that made any reaction by them moot. they can't retaliate because they have lawyers, they can't tell anyone because they hold your career in their hands and even if you come out despite all of this, their fanbase and network of bootlickers will make sure to discredit you at every turn. it's this sense of impunity that was creating the breeding ground for abusers to thrive, not women's theoretical capacity to defend themselves

there's no ammount of arming yourself that can protect you against this, which is why I think it's the state's responsibility to build mechanisms for victims to safely protect themselves, like a bureau for sexual harassment claims, which will monitor possible retaliations and career impediments arising from denouncing harassment. something like that.