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lucyh
i complain a lot about street harassment. it's not because i like complaining, it's because it...
.... unsure whether this thread will die on its arse (i kind of hope it doesn't get any posts?!) and i couldn't see a similar/duplicate threadMakes for bleak reading. It doesn't surprise me one bit and also confirms something I posted here a few years ago about a woman completely overreacting to something I said/did whilst cycling. I was confused and was forced to explain my intention before she cycled off with a bad impression at which point she became very apologetic.
Thinking back, it tallies up with your post and likely reactions...a bit like when a driver blows up over nothing: S'all about past experiences.At work this week [as a cycle instructor] I was working with a very friend. She is very experienced and pretty senior. We used a spot that has a few big vehicles/plants/refuse services yards. When I stood there with the trainees riding towards me, I had a one or two conversations about how sensible it was using such a spot. (They can't get it through their tiny heads that there is a primary school meters down the road that has been there for over a 60 years and the kids houses are just across the street therefore it is relevant and vital they use such streets. It is also road listed on the TfL cycle route....)
Yet when she stood in the same spot they weren't having discussions as much as telling her what was best and pissed her off to the point of her needing to move our location as she was on the edge of losing it. Sadly not the first time I've gotten a very different reaction in a similar situation with her.Sad times.
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MultiGrooves
i complain a lot about street harassment. it's not because i like complaining, it's because it happens all the time and it's absolute crap. in my experience, it happens more to female than male riders, and not to all female riders at that. i seem to get it all the time - at least once or twice a week, and more in the summer - and it's horrible. it links into unbelievable misogyny like this and consists of things like*:
(*not an exhaustive list - just the ones which first came to mind)
however: i don't want to just be sad that it's shit and it happens. i'd like a thread where people can share the outrageous crap someone tried with them on their commute, because i think it serves a dual purpose. people who are subjected to it feel like they're not alone, and people to whom it never happens get to see how commonplace and unpleasant it is. i don't want to gender stereotype, but it happens a lot more to women than men (aware that i am citing only personal experience) and the knock on effect is that sometimes i have to actually convince people that it's happened and that i'm not blowing it out of proportion. mental.
a friend of mine started the London Hollaback campaign - you get to share your story and report it. she's done so much work for things like this that she's now behind TFL's brilliant campaign to report more sexual harassment. just wanted to share the Hollaback link as a resource if anyone wanted to use it as a cyclist or a pedestrian.
to anyone who thinks it's somehow a misguided compliment to be subjected to catcalling/similar, i've got two things to say:
1) i'm gonna hedge a bet to say it's never happened to you - please dispute if you think i'm wrong
2) please read this it will take about 90 seconds
unsure whether this thread will die on its arse (i kind of hope it doesn't get any posts?!) and i couldn't see a similar/duplicate thread