To think it ridiculous that wolf-whistling could become a criminal offence?

[Grag]

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/mar/08/sexist-comments-to-become-criminal-offence

This is stupid IMO. I don't want to live in a society where men are afraid to approach or talk to women for fear of being arrested.

It's good to see that plenty of Guardian readers agree that it is ridiculous.

It's scary to me that we seem to be becoming a more and more repressive country as regards to human contact and communication. I don't understand the purpose of it.

Jamie

Nope, and they were covered up! I was wearing jeans, not tight, a round neck short sleeve T and trainers.

I wish I could bloody do it properly. Mine is more of a mouse whistle. I think we should all learn a good loud wolf whistle for hailing cabs, exclamations of surprise and boosting the ego of a partner who has just made an effort to get poshed up for the evening. I try and do it whenever DH is looking good because he and I are having a rare evening out and he always makes an effort. And I just sound asthmatic.

Whenever I get wolf whistled I like it - it usually only happens if I happen to have a particularly confident walk and just reinforces how gorgeous I feel that day. Like being in a glossy fantasy commercial. What I hate is when I'm not in that mood and am preoccupied and random male strangers say "Cheer up!" Then they can sod off.

I think its great

Whistling is not an approach.

Saying Hi is an approach.

High time the climate began to change so that wolf whistling, shouting "cheer up love" etc, and "Oi fat arse," were seen as unacceptable sexual aggression.

I always hated this, and used to cringe walking past any building site - I think that was the point really - to make a young girl feel vulnerable.

Sadly, now that I've got the confidence to shout back, "fuck off dickhead", they don't happen any more .

I am referring to the legislation not the whistling btw.Mind you the last tme we had a conversation about this on here it went tits up (pardon the pun) very quickly

I guess my parrots have had it then...

If Mumsnet had been around in the eighties, the OP and some of this thread's contributors would have been swallowing every morsel of Maggie propoganda and regurgitating with threads titled:

"Apparently it's now offensive to:

• ask for white coffee
• write on a 'whiteboard'
• say 'manhole cover'
• call a group think a 'brainstorm'
• call a colleague 'love' 'dear' or a 'girl'
• give a 'lady' a compliment

AIBU to think this is PC gorn mad?"

and sit back and wait for equally stupid frothers to believe this garbage. 'Red Ken' would have got a few mentions, the word count of 'loony' would have gone into orbit and there would have been a few posts insisting that the only people getting housing were 'one-eyed, black lesbians'....or summit.

How times haven't changed. People are still this stupid.......

But the story is in the Guardian...

So what?

The Guardian is not above trivialising and sensationalising an issue that's of greater importance than wolf-whistling, but even then, you obviously haven't read the article properly and read the quote from woman who helped craft this - Baroness Scotland. You've just read the opener and then Julia Gray's quote about her wishes that this would go further.

If you want to read the facts, see this but I won't promise it's a riveting read, although it will show you what this is really about and the serious intent behind it.

Personally, I'd be profoundly grateful if my daughters and sons didn't have to put up with the inane comments I had to endure as a young woman, or choose a different route home so that they didn't have to walk past a building site.

Since when did wolf-whistling equate to men approaching or talking to women?

"It shows a man who's confident and not afraid to show interest though,"

Really? I always assumed it was men lacking in confidence (as they tend to do it in packs) and have never thought of it as showing genuine interest.

Do we really think the world would be a worse place for men not whistling at women or shouting out at them?

Thought not.

absolutely way too many laws about stupid things.

a wolf whistle or a phwoarh, might be slightly intimidating at times, or it might be flattering, or it might mean absolutely nothing.

Whatever, its not important enough or serious enough to have a law around it.

way too many stupid laws

"slightly intimidating"

These things are all part of a wider social context of men dominating women. Each little thing may seem trivial, but it can't be divorced from its wider context.

Here's an example: do women routinely do these things to men? No, they don't. That's the difference.

Here's another: I was walking to a hospital to have a D&C because my ten week-old foetus had died. A builder shouted out: "Cheer up, love, it might never happen."
Of course he could not have known my circumstances, but would he have said this to a man? Not likely. Did he he do this because I was a woman and it was part of the wider context of being able to intrude on women? Very likely.

The question remains, would any woman's life be damaged by never having a a strange man give his uninvited views?

By the way, if I could travel back in time, I'd take a baseball bat to him. Just saying.

Do we really think the world would be a worse place for men not whistling at women or shouting out at them?

I think it would be a far worse world if every public expression that some people didn't like was a criminal offence.

So whistling at women and shouting out at them is OK?

Try this in any other walk of life: work, your neighbours, you boss. Not OK.

I would prefer this not to be a criminal offence, but if it stops the fuckers, gets then to think for one minute, then go for it.

So whistling at women and shouting out at them is OK?

Yes, by and large I think it is, and it's a lot better than the option of making it a criminal offence. The unintended consequences of that would be far more scary.

Okaaay.

"The unintended consequences...are far more scary".

This removes the act of will from men. What didn't they intend to do? Ooh, they can't help whistling.

If they can't help it they must be prevented.

Why do they do it? For same reason dogs licks their genitals. Because they can.

Any heckling is unnaceptable in my opinion. Also, where does it stop, a quick whistle or a big drunken group of men. I am not against the wolf whistling per se but I cannot believe that it should be acceptable for anyone to feel intimidated and threatened. I don't think the objectification of women is a subject that the rolling of eyes and term political correctness should be applied.

YABU to sensationalise and focus on a silly aspect of a collection of laws which are working towards gender equality by not tolerating violence against women and verbal abuse.

Why are so many people arguing to protect the 'right' for a man on the street to shout 'get your tits out love' at a woman? Because that is what you are arguing for .

Very bizarre.

Anyone with half a brain can surely understand that these laws (there are a whole bunch of them to do with domestic violence, forced marriage, forced abortion, honour killings, genital mutilation, etc) are being put in place in an effort to move society forward in terms of female equality.

Women have the right to walk down the street and not have their bodies commented on in a sexually aggressive manner or to have to put up with unwanted sexual attention.

If you are the sort of woman who finds this sort of thing flattering (?!) well tough - there are lots of young women, abused women, vulnerable women and sensible women who do not want to be heckled in a sexual manner as they are going about their daily non-sexual business.

Anyone with half a brain can surely understand that these laws (there are a whole bunch of them to do with domestic violence, forced marriage, forced abortion, honour killings, genital mutilation, etc) are being put in place in an effort to move society forward in terms of female equality.

Anyone with half a brain would surely understand that those things are a mile away from wolf whistling. Do you really think police and court time should be filled with arse-cracked builders and nervous nellies who can't take the odd loud whistle?