“Euphemistic safe spaces are an attempt at treating the resulting problems, but not systematically treating root causes.”
Officials in Berlin announced that they are creating special safe zones in the downtown area. Women who feel harassed or uncomfortable may go to these safe zones staffed by the Red Cross. Hundreds of thousands of party goers are expected to converge on the site and officials have billed this as a way to keep women safe.
What it doesn’t do is acknowledge the underlying political realities. Several years ago several hundred German women were groped and assaulted by large groups of young men. The police failed to reveal that this was a large group of Muslim young men and recent immigrants. The attacks on women and Cologne and the need for a safe space in Berlin are dangerous reminders of unchecked immigration.
Of course, liberals are trying to make it racist to suggest it, but at least a portion of immigrants are radical and have values towards women incompatible with Western values. Because Germany accepted large numbers of immigrants rather quickly they have legitimate problems over assimilation.
Extra security sometimes has the unintended side effect of making people feel less safe. For example, when I see a security guard at a location I have two concurrent thoughts. Security guards are there to provide security so I feel better, but then I wonder about the type of neighborhood I’m in when the libraries and book stores need armed guards. I would rather feel safe without needing visible security protection.
I imagine that women want to feel safe across the entire city and country, not just in designated areas on holidays. Just like the armed guards in libraries, I doubt women feel safer hearing about protected zones. They must instead wonder what kind of country they live in when public events are marred by mass rape.
It’s not popular or politically correct to admit it in some circles, but safe spaces in Germany, along with the mass rape of young girls in England, there is at least a small segment of immigrants that treat women badly, (not to mention might be sympathetic to radical terrorists), that must be acknowledged and dealt with by authorities.
Euphemistic safe spaces are an attempt at treating the resulting problems, but not systematically treating root causes. Until the latter happens, women will find that safe spaces don’t make them feel safe.
