‘cuddle up’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Got a story in our inbox today that is terrifying, weird, and also strangely humorous all at once. There’s a dude wandering around Georgetown, knocking on the doors of group houses, occasionally with a case of beer in his hand, saying he’s there to visit one of the roommates, and then heading in the bedroom of one of the female occupants to get on top of her, and in some cases, attempts to rape her. They call him the “Georgetown Cuddler,” and as the City Paper’s Sexist blog notes, this creep really needs a new nickname.

While the whole “I’m here to see your roommate” schtick seems to be a new development, it indicates a guy who thinks he can count on ballsiness combining with the tendency of group house occupants to stay out of each others’ business as far as who is coming and going in and out of the house. This technique, at least, is easy to thwart- not with a weapon, or bars on your windows, but a little something your mom would call manners. No, I’m serious.

Some guy shows up your house, says he’s there to see your roommate?  WHY WOULD YOU LET THIS STRANGER INTO YOUR HOUSE?  Why not engage in a little social grace? “Oh, hi, I’m Tiffany. Your name is?  And who are you here to see? Stay right here, I’ll go call her…”

Seriously. This attacker is wearing normal-guy clothes and counting on being not-that-memorable, because you’ve long since forgotten about that dude who came to see your roommate by the time you know anything is wrong. So make it a point to know who is coming in and out of your house, and he won’t be able to count on that.

Tiffany Bridge

Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.

Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.