This Lesbian Breaks Downs Exactly Why Catcalling Sucks So Much

[theHandpuppet]

This Lesbian Breaks Downs Exactly Why Catcalling Sucks So Much
By Jenny Block
08/23/2014

I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. "The folks over at The Onion are so funny!" I thought to myself as I read "Hey, ladies -- catcalls are flattering! Deal with it."

Then my stomach sank. It wasn't The Onion at all. It was the New York Post. And it wasn't a joke. It was a shamefully sad commentary written by a very misguided young woman.

She delights in the catcalls she receives, happy to be out of college and into this "brave new world, where guys tell it like they see it."

What she considers truth telling is actually shitty old objectification of women. They are telling it not as they see it but as they want it to be. They want your existence to be about them. You exist for them. Your beauty is for their consumption, to appease their desire. You are fuckable to them. Congratulations....

MORE at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-block/catcalling-sucks-especially-for-lesbians_b_5699431.html

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Power and Control.

Kicking.

Thank you.

~ Lmsp

[GeoWilliam750]

2. I am stealing your graphic

[theHandpuppet]

3. Excellent, isn't it

Should be distributed far & wide!!

[GeoWilliam750]

4. I am watching much of it occur in my office daily

And am finding - as usual - that whistleblowers are punished the worst of all.

The good are punished and the bad rewarded. Gives a bit of insight into what women and minorities endure on a daily basis for a far wider range of wrongs than this old white guy experiences.

[MadrasT]

5. Now this right here is what I am talkin' about...

I know what some of you are going to say: I'm getting all radical-feminist on you. Maybe. But I'm about to get all radical-lesbian on you too. I don't want men to look at me like I'm roast beef, because I'm not on the menu.

(emphasis mine)

The presumption that every female in the world is somehow automatically part of the buffet because "vagina" pisses me the fuck off.

[Lunacee_2013]

6. I hate seeing other women do this to themselves.

Sadly, there are a lot of young girls/women who think this. I had a friend (female) who once saw me get cat-called and said that she wished guys would do that to her. She was over weight and we all know how heavier people are viewed in our culture, especially women, so she felt unattractive and thought that the wolf whistles really were compliments. So we talked about it and I asked her if she really thought screaming "nice t and a!" at a total stranger was a compliment. Of course she replied "no" and then asked why do they do it then. One word: Power.

Now, I'm not saying that telling a woman that you like her nails or dress or something not demeaning is about power and dominance, that would actually be a compliment in the right setting (read: not at work), but yelling sexually harassing shit at someone who's just walking down the sidewalk while you race by is about overpowering, demeaning, and ultimately dehumanizing that person.

[theHandpuppet]

7. Thought some folks would appreciate this website

It's called "Cards Against Harassment": http://www.cardsagainstharassment.com/

[freshwest]

8. Off topic, maybe. But I always love one of the things lesbians have told me.

That their lack of interest in men means they don't feel constrained by the emotional investment hetero women have. So they can look at it more objectively, they say.

It was a revelation when I first heard that perspective and it makes perfect sense. No need to negotiate a relationship with a man.

As far as catcalling goes, my retort was to tell them to fuck off every single time. I can't imagine talking, arguing or trying to change them.

There's no reason to be polite or give them any time. That's not my job in life, since they don't know their job is to act like people. They're jerks. That's all they'll ever be.

Forget 'em.