Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Kaplan, Claire (cnk2r)" <>]

I'll check our local Wild Wings and see if this is on their menu.  I suggest 
that if we can't find out if this is a national thing, at least we call all 
check with our local restaurant, if there is one nearby.
Claire

-----Original Message-----
From: McAloon-Kitrick, Lorelei 
[mailto:]
 
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 1:37 PM
To: 

Subject: Wild Wings Cafe offers "Roofie Bomb" drink 

Hello,
 

A former student named Erin Lederer has asked me to lend support for an email 
campaign she has started towards Wild Wing Café. It seems they have a drink 
on their menu called "Roofie Bomb." Erin has already emailed Wild Wings Cafe 
(her email below) to let them know that the name of this drink is exploitive, 
offensive and supportive of violence against women.

 

As you can see by the student's email to me, she is looking for suggestions 
for on how to take her initiative a step further. I have passed on the email 
to the Women's and Gender Studies minors and associated faculty here at UNCC, 
as well as a few agencies dealing with violence against women in the 
community asking them to contact Wild Wings Cafe via email 
().
  I've also suggested a facebook page, "Remove the Roofie Bomb" and Erin 
plans to send the info to feminist blogs. Any other ideas would really be 
appreciated.

 

It does my heart good to see this kind of activism from former students. Any 
ideas to help Erin get this awful drink name off the menu would be very much 
appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

  

Lorelei Kitrick, M.A., MSW | Women's and Gender Studies Program
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Barnard 208
9201 University City Blvd.| Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: 704-687-6205

<mailto:>
  

________________________________

From: Lederer, Erin
Sent: Fri 12/4/2009 2:56 PM
To: McAloon-Kitrick, Lorelei
Subject: Please help me!!!


Lorelei, 
 
I need your help with something. 
 
I was recently at Wild Wing Cafe when I discovered they had a drink on their 
drink menu titled a "roofie bomb". Out of my disgust, I e-mailed them. I will 
include the e-mail in the body of this message. I have spoken out about this 
to many people, but my network is small. Can you help me create awareness 
about this disgusting use of language by telling everyone you know and urging 
them to speak out about it? I am only one person, I need the help from my 
fellow feminists and sisters. I know you teach Domestic Violence and I 
thought this would be an interesting example to talk about in your class. 
 
I told you a while back that you helped me become the feminist and activist I 
am now. This is a prime example of how. Before your DV class, I may not have 
even noticed or been bothered by the drink, but you have given me the tools 
to speak out and create change. 
 
I plan on taking a picture of the drink menu and posting it on 
feministing.com along with my e-mail. 
 
 
 
Email to Wild Wing Cafe: 
 
"To Whom It May Concern, 

I first want to start this letter by explaining my "relationship" with your 
establishment, Wild Wing Café. Before attending college I lived in Winston 
Salem, NC, a city with absolutely nothing to do. A Wild Wing Café was opened 
in a shopping center not far from where I lived and it finally gave my 
friends and me a place to hang out. I loved the Winston Salem Wild Wing Café. 
My friends and I would frequent there AT LEAST once a week, if not two or 
three, and spend at least $30.00 each visit. I later moved to Charlotte where 
there was no Wild Wing Café near me. About a year or so ago, your company 
opened a new Wild Wing Café in the University area of Charlotte and I was 
tickled silly. Due to my busy schedule, I was not able to visit the new 
location until about a month ago. Regardless, it's safe to say I was a big 
supporter and promoter of your establishment. 

Here's where it gets bad.  As I said, I went to the Charlotte University Wild 
Wing Café about a month ago. I had never looked at your drink menu (I usually 
just drink beer) prior to my last visit, but I was waiting for my food and 
bored so I flipped through it. I came across a drink offered in your menu 
that absolutely disgusted me and left me feeling angry and sick to my 
stomach: a "Roofie Bomb". 

I am extremely disgusted at your company's decision to name a drink a "roofie 
bomb". I'm saddened to no end because rape and violence against women is such 
a serious issue that we, as a society, should be trying to stop NOT condone. 
I'm sure you have a sister, a mother, a female friend, or (depending on your 
sexual preference) a girlfriend. How would you feel if someone tried to take 
advantage of someone you love by slipping them a roofie and attempting to 
rape them? I can't imagine how I would feel if I was a rape victim and I read 
your drink menu. It's the subtle messages, such as naming a drink a "roofie 
bomb", that make sexual violence a little more accepted in our society. One 
in every six women will be a victim of rape or sexual assault. I don't know 
about you, but that's a scary number to me. Even worse, college women are 
four times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault and your University 
Area establishment is only a few miles from UNC-Charlotte.

You are knowingly promoting rape and date rape drugs. Is that really the 
image you want your establishment to have?  You are normalizing something 
that greatly affects our society every day. A "roofie bomb" might sound 
innocent, but what is it really saying about Wild Wing Café's views on rape 
and date rape? Rape is not a joke, but your drink is making it one and 
downplaying the seriousness of the issue. Your choice of language, as small 
as it may be, has HUGE implications for our society.

I ask you as a human and as my sister or brother to remove the drink from 
your menu. Until that is done, you can guarantee that I will NEVER pay 
another penny to and Wild Wing Café nor will I promote your company ever 
again. I may be one person, but as a college student I have a huge network 
and I will not go silently. I will continue to express my disgust to anyone 
who will listen. Please, make the right choice.

 

Erin Lederer"