Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site eosp1.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!fisher!eosp1!robison From: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: crossing streets Message-ID: <1309@eosp1.UUCP> Date: Thu, 20-Dec-84 09:37:26 EST Article-I.D.: eosp1.1309 Posted: Thu Dec 20 09:37:26 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 21-Dec-84 02:11:03 EST References: <259@boulder.UUCP> Reply-To: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton Lines: 39 Summary: (Quote at end of article) It's a great nuisance to think about crossing the street to avoid frightening women, but this suggestion reminded me of the time I was out walking late at night, in our nice moderately safe suburb, and starting gaining on a n elderly woman 100 feet ahead, in a deserted street. Suddenly I could hear her trying to walk much faster, obviously to keep her distance from me; it clearly wasn't easy for her either. Now I might, like the author to whom I am responding, have become very angry at being "accused" of being a mugger, but I could all too easily see this situation from her point of view. She simply didn't want the risk of being mugged, and she was afraid (and perhaps also horribly embarassed at how her behavior looked at me). I can't think of any easy way to resolve this situation except to do something reassuring like walking in another direction, or slowing down. Anything else that I might try, a mugger could try as well. I will direct my anger toward our current situation in society, which has created this problem (my own belief is that many more policemen and better birth control would clear it up in a reasonably short time), and give my empathy to those who walk the late night streets with me. By the way, that elderly woman could just as easily have been an elderly man, or a young child of either gender (yes, their parents do let them out sometimes late at night). - Toby Robison (not Robinson!) {allegra, decvax!ittvax, fisher, princeton}!eosp1!robison In article <259@boulder.UUCP> jon@boulder.UUCP writes: > > You know, I really try hard to understand women, and to treat them >with the respect and friendship that they deserve. I have been told that I >do fairly well (most of the time). But I feel hurt when confronted with the >attitude displayed in the message above. You see, I just do not like being >treated as a violent criminal.