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From: chabot@amber.DEC (l s chabot)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: using public anger to avoid attacks/harrassment
Message-ID: <183@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 11:50:39 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.183
Posted: Fri Jan 11 11:50:39 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Jan-85 13:08:15 EST
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
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Carlo @ the U of Waterloo  ==  >
> If women should not introduce anger and hate to the scene as a response if it
> is not necessary.  Lack of fear and self-confidence are adequate in most
> cases. 

> Although I am male, I have dealt with some of this.  When I was sixteen,
> I was leered at or propositioned by gay men in several incidents.  
> I niether feared nor hated the men in question, I ignored them or answered
> quietly and very firmly -- i.e. with confidence.

Ah, there's the rub: you felt you were dealing with equals.  Unfortunately,
many, many women have been raised or whatever to believe that they are in
several ways inferior to men.  If nothing else, there is the ever-present fear,
that even if a woman deals with the offender firmly and even tactfully, that
he may decide to physically over-power her, and being larger (and also, in
too many cases, he lacks the disadvantage she has had of being raised not to
be athletic or otherwise physically confident) he will succeed.

You're right in the importance of confidence, but, well, it can be really hard
to work to dispel long years of being coerced to be quiet and meek, and learn to
be confident.

L S Chabot
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