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First Amy Dickinson told an advice-seeking reader that she was a "victim of [her] own awful judgment" for getting drunk then getting raped. Now the advice columnist for the Chicago Tribune wants us to feel bad for her.

Dickinson has been bombarded with outrage from readers since her Ask Amy column ran Nov. 27, but she'd largely stepped back from responding until an email from one reader apparently hit too close to the mark.

Washington City Paper's The Sexist got hold of two emails -- one written to Dickinson and the columnist's response.

Said the reader: "If the lady who wrote to you asking for help never gave consent and thus had sex against her will (see 1) OR if she was too incapacitated by alcohol to legally consent (see 2), she most certainly was raped and she should know that the law is on her side, even if you aren't."

Dickinson's response? "... how dare you call me a rape apologist. I see you are a student or affiliated in some way with [law school]? I would expect someone from [law school] to be more educated, careful, respectful and circumspect. I'm not sure why I would expect that, but I'll adjust. Meanwhile, I don't pass inanities along to people who write in to my column. I figure this young person has suffered enough indignity."

Well, Ms. Dickinson, we'd expect someone handing out advice in a national forum to be more educated, careful, respectful and circumspect. Especially when talking about rape.

As she obviously needs a refresher, a rape apologist is anyone who buys into the myth that rapists can be provoked into raping based on what the victim does or not do. It's blaming the victim, pure and simple, which is what you did in paragraph three of your "advice" wherein you stated, "Getting drunk at a frat house is a hazardous choice for anyone to make because of the risk (some might say a likelihood) that you will engage in unwise or unwanted sexual contact."

"Unwanted sexual contact" is a gussied up way of saying "rape," correct? And you noted that getting drunk at a frat house is directly linked to it?

Sounds like a rape apology to us.

And although Dickinson finally responded on Tuesday in her column to one of her disturbed readers, her excuse that "I certainly didn't intend to offend or blame her for what happened," doesn't hold water.

Why? Because she had to throw a zinger in there: "I hope she will do everything possible to stay safe in the future."

Because it couldn't possibly be anyone's fault but the girl's, right?

Think Dickinson got it wrong? Sign the Tell Amy Dickinson to Correct Her Rape Victim Blaming Advice Column petition.

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