I have had a conversation with a male friend recently. It went a bit like this:
Me: 'Men don't realise that they can scare, worry and intimidate women just by their presence sometimes.'
Him: 'think I do. I do things like cross the street if I'm walking behind a woman at night.
'Well yes. That's good, but I think even in less obviously dangerous situations. I don't think men know how their 'help' can come across.'
I gave the example of how I went to the petrol station to pump up my tyres. I do this often. I in no way look like I don't know what I'm doing. Yet a man decided to come over to offer his assistance.
'Well that's good, isn't it?'
'Not really, no. I found it massively patronising, when I think it highly unlikely he would have offered to help a bloke in the same situation - even if he didn't seem to know what he was doing. Then I felt I had to placate and offer gratitude so that I didn't piss him off and risk him turning aggressive.
These incidents happen all the time in various situations. Women accepting 'help' from men that they don't want or need for fear of repercussions if they refuse.'
'Well I would offer help, but I wouldn't get aggressive if you said no. Why would you assume that?'
'Experience - but also, by offering help to strangers, how do they know you are 'one of the good guys' and not one of the 'fuck off, ugly bitch, I was only being nice' arseholes? They can't, so don't put women in that situation and leave them alone unless they ask for your help.'
'Right. Ok. Don't help? That doesn't sound right. What about if I saw a woman who had broken down on the side of the road. Should I stop and help?'
'Would you do it for a man?'
'Depends on the situation, but probably not because he's not as vulnerable. There is a reason why the AA come to single females faster. They are more vulnerable.'
'But that's the point. I would find that quite uncomfortable exactly because I'm more vulnerable. I have roadside assistance, I would be in that position again of having a strange (quite large) man giving me attention I haven't asked for that would make me feel doubly vulnerable. Even more so at night or when there is no one else around.'
'But I'm not like that and if they wanted to be left alone, I'd just go.'
'But how would a woman know that?'
'I would still rather stop and help than leave her vulnerable, though.'
Ok...
Am I being over-sensitive and do other women feel like me, or is he seeing himself as 'the good guy' potentially causing women more discomfort?
Something about the 'nice guy' thing slightly gives me the creeps and I can't articulate quite why.
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Self styled 'good men'
93 replies
lifeissweet · 12/11/2021 14:29
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