What do you think about cat-calls?

I'm usually torn between being offended and being oddly flattered. But it is nearly always uncomfortable and I try to get away from the scene as quick as possible

 

I got cat called by some guys next to the road this morning while I was walking to school, I wanted to punch them, but my flight reflex kicked in instead because 5 guys and one girl, with no other people in sight. That's dangerous, so catcalling to me is more a threat than a compliment.

 

In what way is that minor? I mean granted it's not FGM or anything like that, but it's still pretty terrible. There is no possible way to take cat calling as a compliment. A compliment is "Hey did you get new hair, it looks great on you", not whistling and saying sexual things.

 

Cat calling is NOT ok. I don't take it as a compliment because I could really care less about about a random sleezy guy thought of me. People claim that they're just being polite but it's the tone of voice that they use.

 

Eurgh, cat-calling is the worst. The other day I was walking in the mall to meet my dad at the food court and this guy from inside a store yelled "hey beautiful" and something else I didn't hear. Apparently some people find this flattering (but it's mostly men who say that, so I take it with a grain of salt) but it just makes me really uncomfortable to be called out by a stranger. Like, what's he trying to achieve by complimenting me from across the mall when I'm clearly in a rush? Does he really think that'll get him a date? I'm certainly not gaining anything from it, except maybe anxiety for the rest of the day. Complimenting strangers is fine, as long as you're polite about it, and to me yelling at someone, even if you're saying something nice, isn't very polite.

 

Maybe I should move to where Raven lives , I don't mind the whistling

 

Basically this:



(Unless I am yours, you may not catcall me.)

 

Jessica's Feminized Atmosphere # The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (October 3, 2014) P 2 - YouTube
This is hilarious.

 

I think that they're really annoying and far from classy.

 

I find this to be a rather minor problem. Cat-calling isn't that big of a deal as long as it doesn't lead to harassment. However, it's rude to make sexual comments towards a complete stranger. If you want to compliment someone's looks, do so politely. This is a volatile thread, so I'm getting the fuck out while I can.

 

Making an absolute stranger uncomfortable by crudely whistling/yelling to them in the street is not harassment?

 

:
*Sexual harassment. Whoops. No, rude comments do not constitute sexual harassment. Groping someone is another story, and refusing to leave someone alone after they reject your advances would also be harassment. Isolated incidents? Not so much. Sexual comments are certainly crass, but they're not inherently sexist. Like I said- I'm going to leave now.

 

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/guides/sexual-harassment

That certainly does not exclude verbal harassment. Your desire to stick to dictionary definitions wears thin, and might lead one to think that perhaps you're not arguing out of either fact nor the desire to make others correct.

Two birds with one official stone.

 

I don't get it every day, but at least a few times a week. Sometimes it is easy just to ignore it, but other times it is really scary and intimidating. For example, on friday night (halloween) I was out with some of my friends around eleven at night. We were walking along a road, and a car full of guys slowly drives past us while shouting the most horrible things. One of those comments included 'So, are you fucking lesbians or what?' It is really scary, and it is disgusting that people think that they have the right to yell stuff simply because of your gender. Don't even get me started on the groping.

 

It never happened to me before, but I know that it would be horrifying for me. Even if a guy looks at me, I think he might be planning to abuse me or something, so I would definitely be scared (and puke) at a cat-call. Honestly, I don't see why people think it's a compliment because a compliment is going up to you and saying "your hair looks pretty" or "I love your outfit" not yelling at you from across the street or following a complete stranger and saying almost obscene things. It's scary and offensive.

 

I've never had personal experience with being cat called- at least not in public, alone. But I usually wear headphones so if I'm harassed, I can ignore it and keep my nerve. Because strangers, of any gender, intimidate me if I'm not feeling prepared. And it really says someone about a person when you feel the need to harass and police the behavior of another and expect them to be grateful for it.