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From: paulb@hcrvx1.UUCP (Paul Bonneau)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: using public anger to avoid attacks/harrassment
Message-ID: <1044@hcrvx1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 21:31:56 EST
Article-I.D.: hcrvx1.1044
Posted: Mon Dec 17 21:31:56 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Dec-84 01:36:02 EST
References: <1767@wateng.UUCP>
Organization: Human Computing Resources, Toronto
Lines: 37

[Out Vile Jelly!]

	Judy McMullan writes...

> Yeah. You can wait. Meanwhile we women have to walk down the street or
> through train stations or into subways. We've got to cope with the leers
> and the brushings-against and the dirty and suggestive comments, and worse.
> I won't go into what happens in our own offices and homes.
> Too many of us have learned the hard way that the cold, deadening stare or
> the anger work better than timidity or friendliness. And it IS boring and
> it DOES cut us off from the world. And we HATE it. However, we need something
> that works, right NOW -- in our day to day lives, while we await the 'better
> solutions'.

This is really unfortunate.  Please note that I am not disagreeing with Judy's
method of prevention, I'm not a woman, I haven't experienced such things, but
I don't doubt their validity.

The sad part is that this male/female interaction looks like a vicious feedback
loop.  From recent articles in this newsgroup, many men may resent the cold
harshness of "castrating bitches", etc., and build up resentment.  Meanwhile,
the women, in fear of all men as a result of the more Neanderthal of those
among us, resort to "cold deadening stares", thereby adding to the resentment,
thereby increasing/encouraging the Neanderthals, ad infinitum.

But I really can't think of anything approaching a realistic solution, (and if
there were, it surely must have been thought of already).  No matter how
civilized we pretend to be, it's situations like this that show just how
unsuited humankind is to its relatively newfound intelligence.  I mean we
really are just animals (albeit thinking ones), and it seems that a bit more
evolution is in order (but this is another topic - watch out for low-flying
tangents!).

Oh well, it feels good to talk about it, even if it doesn't get me anywhere.
-- 
I'm a man!  I'm not a horse!		Paul Bonneau
					{decvax|ihnp4|watmath}!hcr!hcrvax