Photo of Mollie Tibbetts.

The recent murder of Mollie Tibbetts has sparked a nationwide conversation in the United States over harassment of female runners and harassment in general.

For readers unaware, Tibbets, a 20 year-old student at the University of Iowa went missing while on a run July 18. After a prolonged investigation law enforcement found both her body and the man they believe to be her murderer.

The suspect, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, has admitted to following her on her jog and harassing her, and getting angry with her but claims to not remember what happened next. The murder has thrust a spotlight on the issue of harassment of women runners.

In the wake of Tibbets’ murder, many commentators chose to focus on the fact that she was running alone at night. Several commentators claim that by running alone and at night she supposedly exacerbated her own vulnerability and advised other runners to learn from the murder and not run alone or at night.

Unequivocally, these criticisms – though perhaps well-intentioned – are reprehensible for several reasons. Most notably because it at least implicitly places part of the blame for the crime on the victim and for others’ conduct. It bears an uneasy resemblance to other forms of victim-blaming that, sadly, are endemic to harassment cases. Additionally, these criticisms are misplaced in believing harassment will not occur under different conditions.

According to findings of a survey conducted by the magazine Runner’s World, a staggering 43 percent of female runners report at least sometimes experiencing harassment on runs. For women runners under thirty, the percentage is even higher, with 58 percent of women reporting that they experience it frequently.

The issue of harassment is one that female runners are forced to consider every time they contemplate going for a jog. Many runners have reported that they either alter their routines or sometimes even quit running because it is such an uncomfortable experience. Even those who continue to run say they are usually hyper-aware of the possibility of harassment. Thus even when it does not occur, harassment robs them of their sense of safety and makes them feel constantly on edge and vulnerable.

Data from the same survey reports harassment fears have inspired an overwhelming majority of female runners to make some change to their usual running practices – whether it be by restricting their running to daylight hours, running with a cell phone, changing running routes or even quitting running outside. Harassment has produced a culture of fear that robs the majority of female runners of their peace of mind when running freely outside.

Running is not an isolated area, it is only one facet of a larger societal problem. It is a problem found in the workplace, in colleges, in high schools and across the breadth and depth of American society. It is embedded in American society and is pervasive: sexual harassment.

Recent findings by the nonprofit Stop Street Harassment has found a staggering 81 percent of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime. Clearly, this high percentage is unequivocally unacceptable and requires swift and sweeping action to redress. Stiffer legal penalties, a more educated society and a constantly improving awareness of this issue are all stepping stones to a dismantling this culture of fear.

Today, in the U.S., women do not feel safe. That, in and of itself, is a fundamental problem that needs addressing. No one should be subject to pervasive fear and paranoia particularly not due to fear of harassment. Nor should the impetus be on potential victims to always be hyper-aware of the danger.

Yet, in the days following Tibbets’ death, commentators spoke up about what individuals could do to diminish the risk that they may face of harassment and not on the issue of harassment itself.  That is unacceptable. The onus for change does not, and should not, be on potential victims but on harassers and the society that enables them.

The fact that this culture exists, the fact that runners in America must live with this perpetual fear of harassment should call the country to action to dismantle the culture of fear and to strike against harassers and the aspects of American culture that enables them.

Complete and absolute elimination of harassment is a noble goal to strive for. Logically and realistically, it is one highly unlikely to be achieved, but by seeking vigorously and working constantly towards elimination, sweeping reduction can be achieved. Waging total war against harassment in all forms, against this culture of fear and those aspects of society that enable it is the path to a better future.

It is a goal impossible to reach but that will constantly push the nation forward – push the country to always improving on this issue on which for far too long it has been far too lax.

Hopeful signs of change are present. Awareness of sexual harassment and activism to stop it continues to grow. The Time’s Up and Me Too movements stand as powerful indicators of an increasing determination of the American people to focus on this often overlooked issue and to finally do more to address and combat harassment.

Photo courtesy of Powesheik Country sheriff’s office.

Photo of Mollie Tibbetts.

Hours after the announcement of the death of Mollie Tibbetts, politicians began to politicize the horrible event. Unfortunately, this has become the normal response in the U.S. to any tragedy.

Tibbetts, a 20 year-old college student, was missing for thirty-five days before the man arrested for her disappearance, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, led authorities to her body. When news broke that Rivera was not in the U.S. legally, Republicans used it as a calling card for renewed debate over stricter immigration laws.

Iowa’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, sent out a statement that evening.

“We are angry that a broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community, and we will do all we can bring justice to Mollie’s killer,” said Reynolds.

U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst gave a joint statement that same night saying that Tibbetts’ death could have been prevented by a stronger immigration policy.

“Too many Iowans have been lost at the hands of criminals who broke our immigration laws. We cannot allow these tragedies to continue,” the statement said.

These statements took place just hours after Tibbetts’ death was announced. But here in the US, this is not a new occurrence. For example, mass shootings are immediately followed by renewed gun control debates.

Just hours after the shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, former Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, took to Twitter. She not only offered her sympathy to the victims but also wasted no time in calling for renewed gun control laws. In her tweet she directly attacks the National Rifle Association (NRA) stating that the policies of the NRA would result in more innocent lives being lost.

Due to politicization, tragedies seem to only draw the left and the right further apart, while the faith citizens hold in national institutions continues to dwindle. Politicization rejects the basic concepts of healthy civil discourse. It divides people into distinct groups who are unable to communicate with one another.

A political agenda is constantly present, meaning that people will disagree on simple facts because the one who said it is either on the left or the right. Political polarization has worn away the preexisting norms of politics that made the nation governable.

Politicization is not something we need from our leaders. It has become almost second nature for those on both the left and right to advocate calls to action to advance partition policies. Ultimately, these calls produce no real solution and fall into oblivion in a matter of weeks.

It’s important to understand what people mean when they accuse a politician of politicizing a tragedy. In today’s climate, it seems that it only pertains to a politician if you do not agree with the agenda and policies being pushed by the tragedy. For instance, Republicans do not believe that politicians are politicizing Mollie Tibbetts’ death whereas Democrats do. It’s about conflicting ideologies.

Perhaps it is because of social media and fast paced news outlets that tragedies are politicized. People do not want to wait for information and the facts of a tragedy before releasing their opinion and understanding of the event. They speculate and make egregious claims about an entire group of people based upon one individual and limited information.

Unfortunately, tragedies like the death of Mollie Tibbetts happen far too frequently. However, the divisive nature of politicization needs to have a limit. When a tragedy occurs one side always claims that those who disagree do not care as much about those impacted by the incident.

Republicans, in this case, claim that Democrats do not care about the protection of American citizens and only desire to protect illegal immigrants. On the other side, Democrats portray Republicans, in the politicization of mass shootings, as a heartless group that cares more about owning AR-15s than about the lives of children.

Just because someone has different beliefs than you does not mean that they are less empathetic to victims.

The last tragedy that took place before extreme politicization was 9/11. When this event occurred, American flags flew off the shelves because they were being flown across the country. People went to New York to help those in need. Americans came together to help one another.

Now, when something as common as murder occurs, the entire nation goes into a frenzy to promote their political agenda. It is no longer about helping those in need, it is about shaming all who disagree with your particular ideology, while pushing for an agenda out of pure emotion and a lacking factual basis.

Your first reaction to a tragedy should be how you can help the victims and the survivors. It should not be to place blame upon an entire group because they have a differing ideology.

It is easy to get carried away by the emotions of a tragedy like the death of Mollie Tibbetts. It is a horrible incident that should not have happened – it makes you feel saddened and helpless. However, it is not an invitation for you to advance your political agenda.

Photo courtesy of Powshiek County Sheriff’s Office.