Woman Compares Getting A Wallet Stolen To Rape To Prove A Great Point

What if people discussed a stolen wallet the same way they talk about rape?

It sounds bizarre, but the extended metaphor became the Twitter project of The New Yorker Web producer Caitlin Kelly.

After days of reading discussions about rape allegations made against comedian Bill Cosby and crimes committed on several college campuses, Kelly saw her window to speak.

On November 19, she began tweeting about the idiocy of our dialogue. And, based on the response Kelly received from her Twitter followers, she hit a very interesting nerve.

She told the Huffington Post the idea came "probably somewhere out of frustration at all of the recent horrible stories about rape and seeing so many people doubt victims, almost as a reflex, in ways that people who are victims other crimes rarely seem to face."

Would police, administrators and family members wonder if you asked to get your wallet stolen?

Were you flashing money around, seeming a little "easy"? And although some of the same questions would be asked in the case of either crime, Kelly has a point about the way dialogue gets twisted to automatically blame the victim.

Scroll down to see Kelly's thought-provoking Twitter rant.

Kelly began tweeting about a stolen wallet as if it were rape.

"I think that guy I know stole my wallet." Well, do you have proof? Were you drinking that night? What were you wearing when this happened? — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

But he seems like such a nice guy. Plus, he already has already has a wallet. Why would he need YOUR wallet? — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

Are you sure that you didn't just GIVE him your wallet, and now you're embarrassed about it? Maybe there was just some miscommunication. — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

Have you lost wallets before? Just curious, just trying to get a better sense of what's going on here. He has such a bright future. — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

You know, there are other ways of giving people money besides having them steal your wallet. Did you think about that? — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

Nobody is going to want to hang out with the girl who cried stolen wallet. You should really think hard about what you're saying here. — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

All guys want wallets, it's just in their nature. Maybe you shouldn't have had a wallet in the first place. — Caitlin Kelly (@atotalmonet) November 20, 2014

And her followers responded.

.@atotalmonet You probably were showing a little too much wallet. If you'd covered up that wallet, he wouldn't have taken it. — M.S. Bellows, Jr. (@msbellows) November 20, 2014

@atotalmonet Did you struggle to keep your wallet? Why didn't you just bite his fingers off? — Don Drennon (@dondrennon) November 20, 2014

@atotalmonet Sorry, can't form an opinion on this without knowing the ethnicity of all those involved. — Peter Huestis (@RealSparklePony) November 20, 2014

@atotalmonet I honestly don't know how women muster the strength to deal with so much bullshit every day. It is disgusting. — George Wishart (@GWBiscuit) November 20, 2014

@atotalmonet THANK YOU. — M.S. Bellows, Jr. (@msbellows) November 20, 2014

Citations: If People Talked About Stolen Wallets The Way People Talk About Rape (Huffington Post)