ihollaback.org
Only the emotionally immature, sociopaths, the emotionally maladjusted, perverts and social deviants think they are entitled by an open society - or a closed one as the case may be - to harass other people. And when the matter of women and girls being the focal point of unsought and unwanted male attention is concerned, it is all the more nauseating that some males feel their open pursuit of female attention in public is amusing and an entitlement.Women are entitled to feel safe, wherever they happen to be. Yet, women and girls present as targets to men whose lack of respect for women - and whose conscience is untroubled by the obvious disturbance they cause to women going about their business in public, being hooted at, called, jeered at, whistled and invited to have 'fun' - preoccupies their juvenile minds.
Women should not be obliged to look fearfully, furtively around them to attempt to assess a situation when they venture out alone at night. They should not have to fear for their safety, their security and their very lives. Yet this is the reality that women live with. That women live with spousal abuse that occasionally escalates to psychotic and deadly attacks is enough of a problem for society.
But anonymous attacks on their well-being from passing sources, walking by, accosting women in public through verbal improprieties or physical gestures represent a general assault on decent society, not only the women to whom they are aimed. Women deserve better. But this universal assault on women's sovereignty of themselves is fairly universal.
From catcalls emanating from passing cars on the street, to groping on crowded public transit systems, and assaults on poorly-illuminated night-time streets, women's safety and peace of mind remains in the morbid territory of constant vigilance and fear. So it's time that women began to fight back, in a sense.
With an initiative by women in New York to post descriptions of such occurrences as warning to other women. And to possibly - however remotely that possibility - embarrass the oafish men that insult and assault women in public.
Women are invited through the website, ihollaback.org, to post photographs of those men who enjoy tormenting them in public, using iPhone and apps, texting or through email.
And now, thanks to an Ottawa woman, Julie Lalonde, a bilingual site has been launched for the Ottawa area.
"Men will go by in cars, hanging out the window, yelling and honking or whistling. I've even been barked at. It's unbelievably common, especially in the summer. We write these things off and keep walking ... We're socialized not to do anything about it."Now it's past time to socialize and alert men that these insulting and inappropriate actions are intolerable to women, and it's time to do something about their prevalence.
Labels: Security, Sexism, Social-Cultural Deviations
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, April 05, 2011
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