Time to recognise the 'me' in blame

This article was published in The Sydney Morning Herald 10 October 2010

You know, I've been around some regrettable incidents. Some my fault, some the fault of others, some a combination of the two. For example: 1. Nearly dying in a glacial lake (the guide should have known first aid, I shouldn't have jumped in the lake, even to impress some guy.) 2. Falling from a motorbike in Thailand (the bike's brakes should have worked, there shouldn't have been three of us on the bike.) 3. Trying to flee a bloke's hotel room by climbing out a window (the bloke should have acknowledged my rejection of his advances, I shouldn't have been drunk in a room with a stranger.)

Accepting your contribution to any situation is vital not only to ensure the incident doesn't recur, but hopefully to prevent it in the first place. So, while media commentator and former AFL star Peter "Spida" Everitt has been rightly ridiculed for his Twitter posting about an alleged sexual assault, he's inadvertently done females a favour by tweeting: "Girls!! When will you learn! At 3am when you are blind drunk & you decide to go home with a guy ITS NOT FOR A CUP OF MILO!"

Obviously men must learn that no means no, but comments by some women that females can and should be free to abnegate personal responsibility, and instead rely on a drunk man to behave responsibly in a potential sexual scenario, enfeeble all females and negate the fundamental right women have battled for throughout history: to take responsibility for our own lives!