it is seen by some as a male right in this country to make sexually inappropriate comments to women and to degrade them publicly. Others see it as no big deal and claim women are just being sensitive. I've seen men become infuriated that the topic has even been mentioned. The harassers and their apologists will say just about anything to excuse and minimize the behavior. I see the harassment as a symptom of a larger issue of sexism and misogyny. I suspect that the worse the sexism of a culture, the worse women are sexually harassed in the streets.
I started getting harassed at 13 years old, and it continues to this day when I'm out alone. They don't do it when my husband is with me. I do wonder sometimes, is this a law enforcement issue? Is street harassment so common that cops can't adequately handle the problem, or perhaps they can't do anything about it legally? Maybe it is seen as such a minor nuisance by our society that it is simply unimportant. Maybe women should call 911 every single time they are harassed in the streets. Maybe that would change things. That's something I'm going to have to think about and mull over some more.
We have huge problems in this country with sexism and the harassment of girls and women, but when anyone says anything, it becomes a debate, which is just odd. What is there to debate? But that's what happens every single time the issue comes up. I bet if you brought it up in the general discussion, it might even get debated on the DU, which is just sad.
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