In light of all the allegations coming out about the “cab” company, Uber, all customers, but women especially, would be well served to take precautions before accepting a ride. Uber’s allegedly abusive and creepy drivers have been in the news a lot lately. Most recently, sexual assault allegations have sprung up in Boston, where Uber driver Alejandro Done was charged with rape.
In India, a woman says she was raped by an Uber driver as well, causing Uber cabs to be banned in Delhi. India is now eyeing an all-woman cab company to solve the problem of assault on women (because, you know, men cannot be inconvenienced by bearing the burden of responsibility to not rape.) There are also plenty of accusations of lower-grade sexual harassment by male drivers on female passengers as well.
In addition to Uber growing a rather rapey reputation, the company itself has been accused of being deeply sexist, with few women in top positions of authority there and the men in those positions joking about women in a sophomoric manner. For example, one of the company’s top execs commented that he calls the company “Boober” because his position there got him a lot of dates. Gross.
Then there was the whole France shakeup, where Uber was going to begin offering rides in cars driven by “hot women.” When journalist Sarah Lacy called out Uber about the upcoming service in a blog post, Uber exec Emil Michael hatched a plan to “dig up dirt” on Lacy in retaliation for her practicing free speech. He said he would like to expose her in the press and reveal embarrassing details about her personal life. He announced this at a dinner table with some of the top journalists in the business including Arianna Huffington. Uhm, duh.
When the news hit that Michael was hatching such a dastardly plan, all hell broke loose. A scathing expose appeared in Buzzfeed about the incident, and Lacy went back on her blog to rip Michael a new one and reveal Uber as even more of a sexist institution than anyone thought previously. Michael wrote Lacy a letter of apology which she posted under her article, but it seemed like too little, too late. The image of Uber as a sexist company that devalues women has already been cemented in many people’s minds, and some are beginning to ask whether the ideals at the top are causing a trickle-down effect, resulting in the assault and rape allegations. In light of these allegations, here are the best ways to survive a ride on Uber.
Learn karate: Learning karate can come in handy if an Uber driver tries to turn the ride into a “boober” experience for himself. A quick chop to the windpipe, in self-defense, of course, will have him gasping for air and sorry he was such a rat.
Get a stun gun: If it is legal in your state to use a stun gun for self-defense, get one before getting into an Uber car. Make sure to check with your local police first and let them know you intend to use it should the need arise.
Mace his face: If mace is legal to carry in your state, mace the driver’s face if you have to, for self-defense. It is best to try this tactic at a red light, though.
Hand out pamphlets or books on not raping: When you first get into an Uber car, give the driver a pamphlet or a book on not raping. Some advocates for rape prevention think that a two-pronged approach is best for preventing rape: teaching women self-defense and putting the onus on men to not rape. What better place to start than to teach Uber cab drivers to refrain from rape? One book that might be of interest: The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help, by Jackson Katz. These rape prevention tips from canyourelate.com are also excellent.
When in doubt, wait it out: If an Uber car arrives and you do not like the look of the driver, do not get in the cab. Wait for a real cab or call a friend to pick you up. Go with your gut-it always knows.
Of course, these tips are provided in a half-serious, half tongue-in-cheek manner to illustrate the vast absurdity of having to even have this discussion. Uber says it will address safety concerns in 2015. That is too long to wait to prevent rape and sexual assault of women. Uber must begin performing extensive background checks immediately and provide all the training services and benefits of a real cab company rather than letting any old Tom, Dick and Harry off the street drive people around.
Uber also needs to put women in positions of power in the company to oversee the safety efforts and to run the day to day operations. Fire the idiots who denigrated women and intimidated Sarah Lacy. Let go of the bro culture and stop being a******* for once. Maybe then, a professional, respectful aura will trickle down instead of one that promotes abuse.
By: Madison Cheyenne