Woman receives rape threats after recording sexual harassment walking New York streets

[Scarletohello]

Bloody hell!

Article and video here


www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/29/woman-records-10-hours-of-harassment-walking-through-new-york

[Scarletohello]

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/29/woman-records-10-hours-of-harassment-walking-through-new-york

[PumpkinGordino]

i am honestly not surprised

[cruikshank]

I saw the video, thought 'That sucks but I am not surprised' and now that I know she's been threatened I suppose I'm also not surprised. But it is still completely unacceptable. We should be able to walk (or teeter, or stagger, or whatever) along a street without being harassed. We should also be able to share our experiences of being harassed without being threatened with violence. Now that I've typed it out, it makes perfect sense, but I know that this is sadly not the case, for any woman, anywhere.

I have, in the course of my life from pre-pubescent teen to the woman I am now, been flashed at, groped, propositioned, verbally abused, threatened etc. Just because I have left the house. I would say that is true for pretty much every woman.

We need a revolution!

[ZombiePuffinsAreREAL]

Honestly, I am going to set myself up as a feminist fortune teller, because I watched that video and thought, she's going to get threatened for doing this. I'm so sad I was correct.

[Scarletohello]

I think what struck me the most was the fact that the guys felt affronted when she didn't respond to their comments or advances, the arrogance of it! And the guy silently walking alongside her... Chilling.

[WhoElsa]

How can anyone watch that and not get it? They really do think they have a right to talk to her, a right to her body and a right to be politely responded to.

[Notmymonkeys]

What is wrong with some people? Seriously, what is wrong with them???

Do they get off on making those kinds of threats? Why????

[Scarletohello]

Interesting comments under the article too. Although many men are genuinely shocked, there are some who are saying things like this:

What if you never get to see her again? This is your only chance, even if it's a tiny one, go for it, the worst she can say is piss off.


Lucky cow. Oh! To be young and beautiful again


Guys find attractive girl attractive and try to talk to her, shocker!

I'm not saying it doesn't come across as creepy or scary for women but what you are seeing here is perfectly natural and is as old as time. These guys mean no harm.

Yeah they need to up their game from the scatter gun approach but I once got a girls number sat at the lights in my mates car so it does work sometimes.


She's in incredible shape, striding along in skintight clothes showing off an amazing derriere attracting the guys behind, and a pert bouncing rack to hypnotise the gents in front.The major problem appears to be, she's walking through the set of Taxi Driver. Get a load of the pimp sounding guy in purple robes, what a throwback!


So complimenting a woman in public is now harassment is it? Perhaps they should criminalise it, along with 'looking at an attractive woman in a lewd way'. There was nothing aggressive or threatening about any of those comments they were perfectly innocuous.

As a man, I thought most of these guys were just being friendly

[PumpkinGordino]

off-topic, but "lewd" is such a grim word

[whatdoesittake48]

My mil told me that most of the men were just being nice and people get upset about things too much these days.
i got a little mouthy about a woman's right to walk down the street without a single comment. Men can...
my husband had to change the subject as it upset me. She also thought that all theseaallegations of inappropriate behaviour by radio djs was just something that happened back then. No need to get so upset about it.
I think was her birthday and i kinda got v upset at her. Oh dear. When will i learn?
she isn't even very old. It's like the feminism of the 70 s past her by...

[ZombiePuffinsAreREAL]

David Futrelle has a blog post about some of the reactions. There are some sincerely fucked up men in the world.

[BellaSolanum]

Depressingly predictable, you can't get through to idiots like that, all they see is women as objects and despise them for daring to ask to be treated as people.

[Scarletohello]

Whatever you do don't read it in the Daily Mail. The comments underneath are appalling.

Think this may have backfired on her...

[ZombiePuffinsAreREAL]

I think any woman sticking her head above the parapet is screwed now. I don't think this has backfired on her anymore than her standing on a stage and telling the story. Men (as a class) don't want to hear that they are harming women by their thoughtless actions. It makes them look less than the heroes they believe themselves to be, so they hit out.

[LaundryFairy]

DH has watched the video and can't believe men can behave this way - he thinks it clearly is harassment, not to mention some pretty pathetic attempts to chat women up using the Joey Tribiani school of charm ('how you doin'?)

[HappyHalloweenMotherFucker]

Imagine our surprise !

[Scarletohello]

I think for me it's all the comments like, oh can't a bloke give a woman a compliment or say hello to her any more without it being considered harassment? They may sound reasonable but they just don't get it!

[goodasitgets]

I just don't have the words it makes me so, so angry. And if you retaliate they get more shitty, stay silent you get "not talking, too good for me" etc etc
It's like "STFU and leave me be"

[HappyHalloweenMotherFucker]

Yes, it's so hard to find the words isn't it. Instead of just screaming and screaming until you are sick

[Scarletohello]

And this victim blaming ( from the blog quoted above)...

"Several others suggested that the woman in the sexual harassment video brought it on herself by dressing like a harlot … in a t-shirt and jeans.

“In other words,” cailcorishev wrote,

clothes that show off every curve of her body to greatest effect, so that everyone who sees her can tell from a mile away just how large and perky her goodies are. If her great-grandmother could see her, she’d be scandalized that she’s going outside practically naked."

[LaundryFairy]

I agree, Scarlett. Cause they're not just saying hello, are they - they are pleading innocent friendliness when it is nothing of the sort. A good question to ask is 'do you behave the same way towards men? If the answer is no, then your behaviour is probably sexist.'

[LaundryFairy]

Caitlin Moran put it very well : "i have one rule of thumb that allows me to judge...whether some sexist bullshit is afoot...are the men doing it? Are the men worrying about this as well? Is this taking up the men's time?" Well, men aren't being constantly cat called and commented on. Men aren't worried about it. It isn't taking up men's time. Ergo, it is sexist bullshit!

[PumpkinGordino]

"I think any woman sticking her head above the parapet is screwed now"

Yes puffin

You could say that now for most women who want to do this kind of consciousness-raising activity, they're basically in a position of "so what am I going to do this time that is put me on the receiving end of rape and death threats?". The answer is that it takes so very little, it's basically a given of being a woman with a moderate internet presence (if that)

[scallopsrgreat]

I don't think this has backfired on her. I think it's proved her point, in a horrible scary way. The point being is that men approaching women unsolicited isn't as innocent or as unharmful as these commenters would have you believe. Because as soon as you challenge the status quo and up the ante look what happens.

Compliments? Friendly? My arse! Male entitlement and privilege in all its glory.