Street Harassment

[emmelinemay]

It's still happening, but as I now have Obvious Headphones, I can pretend it isn't happening, and ignore it most of the time.

Here's what I wrote last year
(link is to the tagged entries, so scroll down past this one!)

Someone on 2wheelsbetter linked me to an article I thought fit quite well along with those rants, so those of you that were interested in those (which was broadly split between the women that understood, and the men that got offended and said BUT I'M NOT LIKE THAT to which I'd reply read this)

"Why do you think it's OK to harass women?" I said calmly, loudly. The man froze, then a look of fear washed over his features. He shrank like a worm. "What?" he snivelled, his eyes sliding to the floor. "I didn't say anything bad ..."

"It doesn't matter what you said, I didn't say that you could speak to me. It's not OK to whisper in a woman's ear when she's going about her business.


There are also some 'but WOMEN DO IT TOO' and yes, but 'I'M NOT LIKE THAT' comments to the article there too. I sincerely hope I don't have to explain to anyone reading why this makes me cross.

from one of the comments:
It would be great if, instead of claiming we're making a fuss about nothing, the decent men out there accepted that this *is* a problem for a lot of women and make it clear when they see it happening that they don't think harassing women is funny or acceptable.

Comments

[gothicfreakgrrl.livejournal.com]

On Friday night at KoRn, when I was in the mosh-pit, I was "casually groped" no less than THREE times. One guy grabbed my bum, so I hit him around the head (we were in a mosh pit, I could get away with it). One dragged his hand across my stomach, I lost him in the crowd.
Then, when I was up on Matt's shoulders, some twat grabbed my bum again. Matt and I turned as one to shout, but were faced with shouting a two scared looking guys trying to implicate the other. I was up on my boyfriend's shoulders for goodness sake - what logiv allows anyone to think that is an appropriate time to be touching someone's arse!?!
(Not that there ever really IS an appropriate time to touch someone's arse).
It is SO frustrating to me to think that guys will happily treat me as "one of them" in a mosh pit, and yet some of them still think it is a great opportunity to cop a feel.

[redlaurie.livejournal.com]

That is indeed frustrating! A couple of months ago (coincidentally the same night as the Reclaim the Streets for women), I was frontally groped(in the bathing suit area!) at an anarcho/peace punk gig of all places- I couldn't flippin' believe it!

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

WTF?

I guess it goes to show, there are wankers in every subculture!

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

that guys will happily treat me as "one of them" in a mosh pit, and yet some of them still think it is a great opportunity to cop a feel.


Such a good point. The same with men who get aggressive when you turn away their, for want of a better word, 'advances'. You're a woman then up tot he point when you turn them down, and then you're not, and it's ok to intimidate and threaten you.

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

That happened to me at a NIN concert years ago. I clocked the guy. He was thrown out of the pit. All was well. ;)

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

Hah, me too! NIN at the Brixton Academy. It was witnessed, unbeknown to me, by a male friend of mine. He later told me I was terrifying when I was angry. ;-) But he totally agreed with me punching him.

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

Whoa, how weird is that? What is it about Trent Reznor that brings the gropes?!

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

Well, he is Teh Sex, he obviously does weird things to guys too! ;-)