http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/troubling-stories-of-street-harassment
I thought that this group of testimonials does a good job of showing just how many women are affected by street harassment. I think it's something that very few people talk about anymore, because we have become so conditioned to it. In class we discussed this topic and every woman without fail had been subject to this problem. I personally can not stand it, and I hate that it sometimes has the effect that the cat-caller desires, which is to get my attention and cause me to be afraid, ashamed, etc. No where else in our society would this kind of misconduct be acceptable. It bothers me when people diminish the issue, because just like in the testimonials it can sometimes escalate, which is what keeps me from making retorts to their remarks. It seems less pressing an issue in comparison to some of the societal structures oppressing women, but I think that it is a daily reminder of how men vocalize their privilege, and feel entitled to harass women.
As someone who rides the MetroLink daily, I am frequently a victim of cat-callers. Speaking up or ignoring the cat-callers proves to be such a catch 22 because if you ignore them, you let them win, but if you speak up, you can risk even more verbal harassment, if not something even further. I always want to ask cat-callers if their remarks have ever gotten them a girlfriend or a generally positive remark right back. I also frequently wonder when cat-calling became appropriate and such a societal norm.
ReplyDeleteIt absolutely makes me mad when comments are passed while a women is walking from one place to another. I dont understand why its necessary to comment on how a girl looks or how she is walking. It is just disgusting!
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