Random Thoughts, pt. 2 - Street Harassment

Some ill-placed satire?

If my girlfriend has to send me in the store, because she's apprehensive about walking past a group of dudes standing at the entrance -- that's a problem.

If the slightest sign of congeniality from a woman is interpreted by a man as a full-out invitation to be hit on -- that's a problem.

"Ay purple shirt," "Whassup lightskin," "Hey miss lady," "Yo Tall 'n' Slim," do NOT warrant responses. And if a woman "looks to pretty not to be smiling" it's probably cause ain't ish funny! Berating her with insults after being ignored? -- that's a problem.

If being on the receiving end of a simple act of chivalry results in an advance characterized by "you owe me now" aggression -- that's a problem

If a woman is NUDGED, HUGGED, BUMPED, or GRABBED ON THE WRIST (however so gently) in an unwelcomed manner -- that is a problem.

If a woman has to analyze her wardrobe prior to leaving the house in order to decrease the likelihood of being approached -- that's a problem.

If a woman has to weigh her ability to defend herself before feeling OK in a public space -- that. is. a. mother. freaking. problem. g.

Most importantly to me, if Black women feel troubled and vulnerable around Black men -- that is a PROBLEM!

I've seen how dehumanizing street harassment can be, on numerous occasions. No one should feel like they're being held captive inside their own domicile, g. Strip away all modifiers (gender, race, whatever) and, at the end of the day, we are ALL humans, fully deserving of personal and social freedoms. Anything less than that is just unacceptable. A woman's gender should not be viewed as an invitation...for anything! Period.

"What is repugnant to every human being is to be reckoned always as a member of a class and not as an individual person." -- Dorothy Sayers