I must also say that sometimes people who create unease on trains are not all men! I was once on a train where a girl was bullied by other girls and another time when two young girls were upsetting passengers, throwing paper at a guy, being rude etc. No one did anything, everyone was just waiting to get off at their stop. To my shame, I did nothing either. Public transport can be very like this. So in one sense I think weird things do happen on trains.... but....
I think hating women, or feeling very negatively towards women, is a lot more common than many of us might realise. What is very sad is that some women feel this way, about themselves, their bodies, and about other women.
Society is built around the default that male is normal. So female is abnormal. That's how patriarchy works.
What's sad is that when women are treated very badly they sometimes wonder if it is their fault, what did they do to provoke it.
IMHO the reality of life means anyone is able to treat others badly. So men can treat any women badly, if they choose to, they can say or do mean things, to women they are in relationship with or to strangers. Of course woman can do it too. Of course it does not mean it is right or fair or correct to do so. Of course some things will be punishable by law. The reality is men do these things a lot more than women do. Prisons are full of men who create havoc in society - women, not so much! That's all part of patriarchy.
So when women ask why a man treated them badly or did something - maybe there just is no reason. They wanted to do it and they thought they could get away with it.
Which is why reporting it is important. I think throwing a rude note at a person is a bit like shouting an abusive message. It's not right.
But I do understand if people do not report stuff. I am 50 now but when I was in my teens a few things happened, very minor, and it never occurred to me to even tell anyone. Did I report the man who tried to kiss me when I was babysitting (at 16) for his employee's children. No I didn't. I was glad to get him out of the house and relieved nothing further happened. Did I report the customer who kept touching my bum when I was a waitress, in front of his wife? No.
We are kind of conditioned to think when these things happen that it is somehow our fault. bridie69 you said I wasn't even wearing a low cut top not that that would excuse. And you were right. Whatever top you were wearing it was not an excuse and not a reason. He just did it.
If you report him you can know that maybe you've just registered that it is not OK. Maybe he will do something else another time and someone else will report it. Maybe he will be caught. But anyway, you are OK.