Men are pushing women over in the street - as a trend

[IwantToRetire]

Experts fear that new types of misogyny and harassment – including spitting and pushing women over – are taking hold in the UK as they move offline

This type of targeted shoulder barging has a name: butsukari otoko. The term, which originated on the streets of Japan in 2018, describes a type of violence against women that is done in a crowded public space, most commonly train stations.

It could at first appear accidental, but it is actually intentional; it is gendered (men doing it to women), and done for misogynistic reasons.

Researchers fear it is gaining traction in the UK, spreading from online videos to real-life encounters. “It’s come out of a subculture that existed years ago in Japan,” says Megan Hughes, a researcher at the Alan Turing Institute’s Centre for Emerging Technology and Security, which tracks online extremism. “It is something that’s been around for a long time, and people are now recognising it and are speaking out, but it’s a really difficult thing to track.

“They are sometimes subtle collisions, which are designed to appear accidental. They’re making victims second-guess intent or motive, and that then makes it really difficult for people wanting to report a crime. So it’s really hard for us to monitor.”

Street harassment isn’t new, but many believe it’s getting worse. A poll by Zencity, which surveyed 1600 women, found that 69 per cent said they had first or secondhand experience of women being ill-treated within the last 12 months; 75 per cent of women surveyed said violence and harassment was a serious problem and asked whether it had got worse in the last five years – 42 per cent agreed, and 30 per cent thought it was the same.

Article continues at https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/men-pushing-over-women-street-trend-3845874?srsltid=AfmBOoq29csw2CYnH2QwNMgW8lX9zoYcwXTwbx8cTQP2Fr1LzvR33aT5

And https://archive.is/GMI7T

It’s crass because you are asking a stranger on the internet to tell you whether they have experienced male violence. You don’t think that’s potentially hugely distressing? And if I have, believe me, I wouldn’t need you to point out the impact of male physicality . But you seem determined to miss the point of my posts . You’ll just have to believe me when I say I feel I’m experienced enough thanks.

I think it is relevant, @Sidebeforeself, when a conversation turns to women being 'as violent as men'. Several high-profile female fighters have given interviews describing their shock on being hit full-force by trans opponents. You may have experienced being hit very hard by women, but it's nothing like the explosive power of a male assault.

Weak men can hit much harder than strong women (I do have the stats, but can't be arsed to find them). Its not only size and strength: their muscles work differently, giving them lightning speed and more powerful follow-through. Unless you're involved in mixed-sex contact sports, your only experience of this will be if men have assaulted you.

This is an exhausting sort of argument. Several things can be true at once.

Yes, @Sidebeforeself , it is awful that a woman threatened to push you under a train, and that must have been terrifying, and I'm sorry you experienced that.

It is also true that men are (taken as a group) much more of a physical threat to other people than women (taken as a group) are. They are bigger (on average) and stronger, and their punching and grip strength lies right outside the women's range. They are also more aggressive (taken as a group).

If others are pointing out to you that man are more dangerous to women, this does not negate or somehow disrespect your experience. Both things are true. You had a nasty experience with a horrible woman, and men can do a lot more damage to a woman when it comes to physical assault.

I’m leaving this thread cos it’s not doing my mental health any good. I feel people are not getting my point. I never said men were not more powerful physically etc. but I really can’t explain it anymore

Exactly.
Add to that that it's widely claimed (don't know whether it's been proven beyond doubt) that men have better visual and spatial cognition abilities than women, and it's very hard to believe these incidents are accidental. Like you say, there'd be an apology, or at least surprise on the part of the man, if they were.

A few years ago at a concert merch stall an older man repeatedly slammed his whole body into me to try and shove me away and out of the queue. Luckily one of the girls serving saw and immediately served me next, she also called security but the guy disappeared. The next day I had bruises on my hip, arm and upper thigh from his actions.

Horrible, my own mum is of an age where a bad fall could be game over for her so the thought of horrible men doing this to women is just so awful.

I witnessed a queue-related assault like this in Primark some years ago. Much further ahead of me a man in his 40s/50s repeatedly slammed his shoulder into a couple of young Chinese people (one female, one male). I don't think he said anything to them, just stood there and kept doing it. I assume at least part of his motivation was racism.

FGS ‘mental health’

You mean you’re getting frustrated / upset / angry / whatever. That’s not the same as ‘mental health’.

I’m a runner and because I have felt so unsafe at times, I now carry a defensive weapon that is absolutely not legal (police issue) but is the only thing that makes me feel better and isn’t bulky.

If I ever had cause to use it, you’d just know I’d be in more trouble than my attacker.

I've played patriarchy chicken a few times and had some quite hard shoulder barges when I didn't jump out of the way of men. There was one time it went well, though. About 15 years ago me and DH were walking along a pavement and came around a corner to be met face to face by a lad on a bike and another walking alongside him. The lad on the bike was facing me and I unthinkingly held out the jacket I was carrying, just as a matador would in a bullring, causing him to falter and crash into the wall, with his mate laughing at him. It was very satisfying.

Sadly it's not a new thing. I once had a man shove his whole body into mine as I walked through London, probably about 20 years ago. He literally just tried to barge me out of the way. Sadly for him, my jacket had hook-and-eye closures and several caught on his jumper. So he was forced to stand there while I unhooked my jacket and told him exactly what I thought of him!

I never have an issue with patriarchy chicken but then I have a firm stride and bitchy resting face coupled with a dead-eyed stare so everyone gets out of my way

All joking aside, someone was telling me recently that there's been issues at her grandson's school with primary age boys telling female teachers that they won't be told what to do by a woman. PRIMARY AGE KIDS. And at a 'naice' school too, not an inner-city sink.

Latterly, I got the Alpha male nonsense from secondary school pupils. Sad to hear that it’s reached primary.

Love the jumper story, @SidewaysOtter ! Big man barging women out of the way, to little boy being told off by his mum, instantly.

All joking aside, someone was telling me recently that there's been issues at her grandson's school with primary age boys telling female teachers that they won't be told what to do by a woman. PRIMARY AGE KIDS. And at a 'naice' school too, not an inner-city sink.

I would tell them to bugger off out of my classroom and teach themselves. Well, I wouldn't, but I'd be forever on the verge of it, which is one reason why I'd never be a teacher.

I did have cyclist appear to aim at me on Westminster Bridge earlier in the summer. I gave him a right bollocking. He disappeared quickly once he clocked my DH (former rugby prop forward).

@SidewaysOtter I do think you should be able to simply say “OK”. But then they get expelled. It’s unacceptable that teachers are expected to put up with this stain on society.

This is interesting. I’ve said this on another thread but I went to one of the Oasis gigs at Wembley recently.

I’m an average sized, 5ft6 woman and my partner is a big bloke, ex army, total teddy bear type but I suppose to a stranger looks as though he can handle himself.

A few times both inside and outside the gig men barged into me, I think not realising I was with DP (it was really busy) then would do a massive double take when they realised I was with him and would start apologising profusely to me. Like literally almost begging me not to be upset by it.

It was really odd as it wasn’t like DP was squaring up to him, they were just barging into me as obviously they felt it was their right to do, then clocked who I was with and immediately backtracked.

DP went to the toilet a few times and when he wasn’t there I got barged into multiple times and it was noticeable that when he was back it was like there was a magic force field around me.

And to say, I’m no stranger to gigs and did plenty in the 90s including Oasis first time around and never got slammed into back then despite being in my late teens/20s

Oh and like you @stargirl1701my DP is also a former rugby prop forward. So fucking irritating to have this experience of them feeling it’s ok until they clock the big bloke.

Oh yes, I can absolutely guarantee that when my much taller DP is with me that no men will do anything untoward to me in his presence. It's only when I'm alone that the knuckleheads chance their luck 🙄

Sadly all these posts about how being out with a man only proves what is going on.

Not just that men hate women, but that in reality they are pathetic cowards and are quite happy to inflict violence on someone who is more than likely physically weaker than them, to indicate how much they despise them. But dont do this what a man is around.

As the world goes rapidly backwards no doubt we will soon be told as women we shouldn't go out alone.

Or is it that they just think this is the ultimate insult to male status.

Women are going out on their own. ie rejecting the male role of escort and protector.

Nothing worse than uppity women to get men enraged.

As the world goes rapidly backwards no doubt we will soon be told as women we shouldn't go out alone.
I do think this is part of it. The idea that ensuring we are unsafe out and about without a male minder will take away both our confidence and our freedom. I have no doubt at all that at least two sections of society who find these things offensive are actively making us unsafe for that purpose.

You got it backwards, chuck. It’s the men and the TRAs who are bashing women. Not vice versa.

It's worrying, especially if any of these idiots are targeting older or more vulnerable women. Not just for me (awaiting a knee replacement op) but more so for my frail 89 year old mum who walks with a stick. She'd probably never recover if she went over.

Just out of interest I searched on Google and found this on Etsy, might have to invest, though would probably look ridiculous on 60 year old me. If someone could design one with longer spikes I think they'd be on to a real money maker.