this is ladies night: trouble posting on our blog

10.20.2008

trouble posting on our blog

some of you are having trouble posting responses... below each post there is a "comment" button - if you press that you can share your stories or opinions about what has happened to you... here is one response which is quite interesting from lbora:

LBora said...

It seems to be a trend that no matter how your dressed that a women is an easy target for these gross comments. So it brings up the question how does this stop? What really confusses me is why these comments are said in the first place, so women really respond? I highly doubt that these "invites" such as being a guys hoe are ever excepted, so why do they still do it?

Any comments on this one ladies? I believe it is a question we are all asking ourselves... any ideas on how to make it stop?! things you've done.. .things you've seen done, or just ideas in general... press the comments button and let us know!

3 comments:

Cassie said...: I feel like guys have a sense of entitlement, almost as if they have a right to make a comment. Especially if they are in a group of guys, because then they'll get positive reinforcement from their guy friends when they whoop and holler along with him.

As far as making the comments stop, I have no idea what to do! I do know that I hardly ever hear cat calling when I'm walking around with either my boyfriend or a mixed group of guys and girls. I think guys are a lot more likely to target a group of girls and JUST girls.; October 20, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Katy said...: When I went to Cuba with my parents and my sister, guys were hissing at us constantly - and my dad was right there! Plus, we were still in high school, maybe fifteen and seventeen. Just wrong and awkward in a lot of ways.

ALSO the Jerry Seinfeld video was hilarious! That's the best part about the honking technique - the guy then drives away! Literally it is impossible that anything could happen.; October 21, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Civilian said...: As tempting as it is to turn around and yell I have found that ignoring the comments is the best. For the most part nothing will come of the cat calls but sometimes girls either yelling or playing along will lead to more. Yelling back can lead to a physical altercation if the guy gets angry. If you play along the guy might not sense your sarcasm and he will take you seriously. Eye contact is never a good idea. This is especially true in other countries. What is ok in the states is not always ok abroad. And that is my word to the wise...; October 22, 2008 at 5:11 PM

Post a Comment

You CAN handle the truth:

"Violence is but one means by which men as a class enforce conformity of women as a class. Moreover, it is not necessary for all men to engage in violence against women, since the very threat of violent censure is constantly with women. Violence against women, then, is indeed a "classic" form of hate crime, since it too terrorizes the collective by victimizing the individual. In so doing, hate crime against women reaffirms the priviledge and superiority of the male perpetrator with respect to the female victim" (Perry "In the Name of Hate," 2001:83).

"Harassment becomes a frequent response to women's invasion of male bastions. It is a means to simultaneously create a particular masculinity and enforce a particular exclusive femininity...Men often perceived sexual harassment of women as a well-deserved response to their economic and professional advances. Their encroachment into male realms interferes with, indeed calls into question, men's ability to prove themselves to be men" (Perry "In the Name of Hate," 2001:91).

"Sexual Harassment allows for the reassertion of masculinity and femininity, and especially the 'natural' differences between the two...it reassures men that they are at once heterosexual and empowered, and [reminds] the women that they are sexual objects." Many women do not report harassment and simply stay away from the harasser/place of harassment instead of seeking out justice (Perry "In the Name of Hate," 2001:91).

"'Prejudice' is a hostile attitude directed specifically toward the members of an outgroup" (Jack Levin, "The Violence of Hate," Page 1)

"Gender-motivated violence is a mechanism that perpetuates the marginalization of women, gay men and lesbians. Moreover, gender motivated hate crime also provides a very useful resource for doing gender, especially for accomplishing hegemonic masculinity." (Barbara Perry, "In the Name of Hate," Page 5)

A bit radical but still resonates truth: "From prehistoric times to the present...rape has played a critical function. It is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear." (Brownmiller 1975:14-15 in McPhail, B. (2002) in Perry, "Hate and Bias Crime: A Reader," Page 267)

"Although not all women are raped, most women fear rape. (Gordon & Riger, 1989). Women alter their daily lives in numerous ways to avoid the violent behavior of men. Choundas (1995) noted, 'While potential victims of racial, ethnic, or religious violence might attempt to avoid certain neighborhoods in which prejudice might run particularly rampant, women remain safe from street harassment and violent assault only by straying out of those areas known as public' (pp1090-1091). And yet, even in "private," women are not safe from the hands of intimate partners. Again, this intimate relationship often cloaks the reality of the violence" (McPhail, B. (2002) in Perry, "Hate and Bias Crime: A Reader," p271).