Uproar Greets Sarah Silverman's Rape Prevention Tips

On Saturday, Sarah Silverman retweeted a list of rape prevention tips aimed not at potential rape victims but at potential rapists—and there's been quite a bit of backlash, the Telegraph reports. The 10 tips include:

• "When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone."
• "When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not rape her."
• "Use the Buddy System! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times."

They were first posted on a blog from the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 2011, but they didn't go viral until Silverman reposted them along with the comment, "These are great- send to all the men in ur life." Reaction has ranged from anger:

• Sample: "it's extremely offensive. It implies that it's common for men to think about ways to rape girls, when that's nonsense"

To semi-support:

• Sample: "this is cool, but what about male rape victims?"

To full-fledged support:

• Sample: "Happy that this has become a thing. Instead of teaching defence, teach how NOT to sexually assault!"

To those defending Silverman against the haters:

• Sample: "I'm so ashamed of men who think this is saying 'all men' the point is women shouldn't be in charge of stopping rape"

(More Sarah Silverman stories.)