Spiked Drink – now there’s a way you can tell
SAB has come up with a coaster that detects whether or not you are holding a spiked drink. The coaster has a finger sized tab where you can drop a bit of your drink with your finger. If the tab turns blue then you know that your drink has been spiked. And, if you are in a vulnerable situation there is even a help line on the coaster that you can call.
Women are at a statistically higher risk than men for rape and sexual assault. This spiked drink detector coaster could potentially save anyone from a horrible situation. On the surface this seems like a smart innovation and in the interest of public safety. But, with the emphasis of responsibility consistently placed on women to outsmart rapists it only feeds into the problematic state of rape culture in South Africa.
Responsibility placed firmly on women
Being sensible while you are out in the world is a given. However most messages conveyed socially and in the media when the conversation turns to rape, is one of how women need to “do this” and “do that” in order to be safe.
Rape and sexual assault awareness programs and initiatives fail to address the actual problems with rape culture and what has led us as a society to a place where the occurrence of rape is widespread, joked about, and shrugged at. Instead, women are offered gimmicks and ‘how-to guides’ on avoiding assault. Being savvy is vital but it is just one aspect of the problems we face with rape.
The advert is a cringe worthy corn-fest. It opens with a scene of a woman pushing a small boy on a swing while the narrator explains to you why her son doesn’t know who his father is. The woman was “violently raped” after she drank a spiked drink while out partying a few years ago. Now she gets to play in the park with a child that reminds her of her trauma.
We don’t need any more crime porn narratives about how women are brutalized. We need to turn the conversation around and place a much needed emphasis on how a drunk, high, wasted, or passed out female is not deserving of rape due to her irresponsibility. No one wants a spiked drink, and anyone would gladly make use of a blue tab if it can help them be safer. But, no one should ever find themselves falling victim to rapists just because they forgot to put their finger on the tab of a SAB approved PR campaign coaster.
SAB spiked drink awareness video:
