<i></i> <i></i> <i></i> -1<p><img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/c-users-zainab-afridi-downloads-19-10-2429-01-jpg.jpeg"/></p> <p>Harassment has been the buzz around for quite some time now and offers unprecedented catalysts to the change of the status quo set in society for sexism and patriarchy (and matriarchy in some cases!). But what remains is that several projects aimed at experience revelation from the societal population with a majority of women has unveiled a barrage of instances about sexist harassment and provided valuable insight into why it is wrong. Not exactly a brainstorm idea but in these times, the simplest of ideas require a revolution to get through thick skulls (Shout out to the flat-Earth society!).</p> <p>So what exactly did these projects find? Well for once, it is an absolute and undeniable truth that sexual harassment is an integral part of street cultures everywhere around the world and with people from all walks of life. Some studies reported as many as 300 weekly incidents from just a small study sample group and this strikingly high number suggests harassment is a pestering disease that harrows the life of working (and even underage!) women daily. But even more surprising is how most of these cases went beyond the usual notions of cat calls and wolf-whistles and induced feelings ranging from derangement and disgust to pure savage apathy from these women.</p> <p>Now while it is established how wrong it is to harass anyone on the streets due to any circumstances whatsoever, we still need to take that trip down awareness lane to beware women of all the potential malicious (and often farcical) instances of harassment that can befall them in the streets. And to top it off, there is a bonus segment on why it is principally wrong to harass anyone, anywhere ever. Read on!</p> <h2>Dogmatic irony</h2> <p>@Izzy_Dickenson tweets <em>“Guy mutters “slut” whilst passing me on stairs at Clapham Junction. I am quite blatantly dressed for a funeral”,</em> in the most ironical tweet that goes on to show how blunt people can be. Despite the fact that she clearly did no deed worthy of being a proclaimed provocateur, society had to brandish her in the most stereotyped derogatory female tags. Just a sad shade that goes out to say that it is never the subject but the way we perceive it that becomes the crux of harassment in general. Thus the harasser for Izzy chose not only the wrong person but also the wrong moment to perceive her in her scenario. Really is funny and sad at the same time.</p> <h2>Joy filled bus rides</h2> <p>@EverydaySexism On the bus having things thrown and obscenities shouted at me by two young men asking for sexual favours. Delightful.</p> <p>— Cat O Broin (@magicgoeshere) October 6, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>This tweet encapsulates the grieving journey that is bus rides. For some odd reasons harassers find the claustrophobic and jerky atmosphere of public transportation ideal to make their mark on their victims and this cumulates itself to make the harassed feel even more clustered with this stigmatized abuse. In my societies, women are hesitant to use public transportation as this harassment during journeys ruins the otherwise varying fun tastes of travelling in a bus. What a buzz kill!</p> <h2>Maternity woes</h2> <p>I'm so tired of people on the street calling me sexy. I'm 6 months pregnant, bro. You literally just need to leave me alone. @EverydaySexism</p> <p>— Jessica Raven (@thejessicaraven) October 1, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>We often consider women who are in the process of bringing life into this world too exalted above the usual grasps of harassment, thinking for a slight moment that those depraved beasts would look over a woman with such circumstance. But if it sounded too good to be true, it really was as this tweet by one Jessica Raven proves. It is not circumstance but they themselves that condemns the harassers (and their unborn baby!) to an imposing abuse.</p> <h2>Sunday league antics</h2> <p>@EverydaySexism 200 f'ball fans outside pub in L'pool st chant "get yer tits out 4 the lads" at 2 young women, then chase them.Police ignore</p> <p>— Catherine Bailey (@CathBailey) October 6, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>Cath Bailey shows in a much focused way how rowdy football fans ruin the day for many young women around the world. While we understand the games spirit and how involved supporters are in the exuberance of elatedness, it is nonetheless blatantly wrong to impose this spirit of the game onto other people, and that too without the slightest disregard of modesty and respect. Women being haggled into submission that too by being mobbed by a male contingent that’s ten time their size. And to top it off, no action from the police to highlight what is a shameful evidence of the fact that there is rarely any establishment intrusion.</p> <h2>Pervy inappropriateness</h2> <p>Barrister Charlotte Proudman, astrophysicist @DrEOChapman & @EverydaySexism's Laura Bates on abuse of power #MeToo https://t.co/7FCCYHlyp3</p> <p>— BBC R4 World Tonight (@BBCWorldTonight) October 17, 2017</p> <p></p> <p>This tweet summarizes what is the society at large which sexualizes women from a very early age and condemns them to a life of constant catcalls and passes made. As far as harassment goes, even young girls are made a centre of unnerving passes such as the one above. The fact that the man was drunk stands for very little in disproving that he did not mean it as this just shows the raw, unacceptable animalistic tendencies in everyone. Harassment is the grave gateway for many of society’s indecencies and the man chasing in this scenario is a basic component of this compounding.</p> <h2>No reciprocal respect</h2> <p>@EverydaySexism Crossing street in crowd, older man grabs my hips in both hands while telling me to walk faster. Shoves but doesn't let go.</p> <p>— EmilEEK👻😱🎃 (@OtherPens) October 5, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>We grow up respecting the elderly but that does not rule out the fact that they are not immune to morals and decency. While women hesitate to criminalize or brandish what the elderly men do owing to their age and stature, it needs to be clarified throughout society that no matter of age, stature or influence, harassment is harassment and there should be a set standard of initiative against these perpetrators. The fact that the elderly man does not let go only explains the power and immunity enjoyed by him making these harassers so confident. This needs to end ASAP.</p> <h2>Counterproductive fallout</h2> <p>@EverydaySexism just got followed home by two neanderthals in a car shouting slut, slag, ugly etc etc because i told them to leave me alone</p> <p>— andrea auburn (@AndreaAuburn) October 5, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>A tweet by a very headstrong woman which outlines the extent of initiatives and fallout the women suffer at the hands of these odd-minded men who decide to ‘punish’ the women that do not cave in to their devious desires. They may very well be mental-Neanderthals for being the way they were to her but that still does go out to say that so many women cave in to the harassment to escape this anxious making fallout that they might suffer instead.</p> <h2>This not so helpful helper</h2> <p>Me on my bike, man calling: „hey, you lost something!“ I stop to look, he laughs: „just kidding, wanted to look at you ass.“ #everydaysexism</p> <p>— Katharina Kierig (@kakakiri) October 12, 2017</p> <p></p> <p>This is what a typical case of street harassment looks like. The fact that this man had the audacity to put up a facade of someone who was trying to help, only to catch the girl’s attention and use that opportunity to harass her, is beyond frustrating. This incident further sheds light on the fact that women all over the world can’t trust a wide majority of men, all because of instances like these where men choose to hide behind a helpful excuse, only to belittle it into an opportunity for harassment.</p> <h2>Workplace harassment</h2> <p>My old boss used to openly offer my bf money for a night with me in front of other staff @EverydaySexism</p> <p>— natasha molar (@missmolar) October 13, 2017</p> <p></p> <p>Workplace politics are something we are all prepared for before we enter the professional industry. However, there are some things that are inexcusable, even in the lieu of office politics. The fact that this boss finds it okay to exploit his position by blatantly asking for sexual favors, that too in the public eye and from the victim’s boyfriend himself is nothing short of sickening.</p> <h2>The hypocritical school system</h2> <p>Some staff at my school openly treated groping and harassment problem as a laugh. Same school had slut-shaming "morality" classes in RE.</p> <p>— Fay Knight (@Feralfay) October 10, 2017</p> <p></p> <p>This Tweet sheds light on the grave problem that exists within our schooling systems. The same “agents of change” who try to enlighten us upon the perils of slut shaming, double up as hypocritical fiends who justify the acts of gropers and harassers. How can we expect to progress as a nation when the very institutions of education are so backward in their way of thinking?</p> <h2>The blissful reaction</h2> <p>#MeToo: Harvey Weinstein case moves thousands to tell their own stories of abuse, break silence https://t.co/wukl3FNPdH #Me Too</p> <p>— Linda Loyola (@Lindaloyola) October 16, 2017</p> <p></p> <p>Thankfully however, society at large has openly taken up arms against this discriminatory and sexist behavior and harassers everywhere are at the very least being made more aware of the discontent at women over being objectified with this sexist approach. The amount of women that are finally explaining quite openly in fact that they do not enjoy this unnecessary attention at all is stellar now. And as obvious as it seemed all along, many women find it a godsend to finally see that understanding settle in, into society.</p> <h2>5 reasons WHY we believe harassment is wrong</h2> <h3>1. The ‘Whys’ of harassment</h3> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1371.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>To top it off, here are five reasons as to WHY we believe harassment is wrong for those that are still too undecided over the act. If our word doesn’t hold true enough, here are five reasons why it is not OK to be that harassingly vocal to women in the streets. If the fact that women don’t perceive it as a compliment doesn’t suffice, keep reading.</p> <h3>2. It is a severe buzz kill</h3> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1372.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>As contrary to popular belief as it sounds, feminists are not in fact distressed with someone passing a polite compliment on how they are looking or if they are respectfully approached in a restaurant. But when you scream at the top of your lungs about our female genitalia or our child nurturing mammary glands, in the most derogatory manner, the feeling of unwanted disgust and unwarranted attention overwhelms us and makes us wonder how one can ask the color of our innerwear so curtly. So for all the men who consider feminists the death of romance, turn your frustration to the slogging harassers instead and you shall find solace in finding your reasons why romance is really dying for the rest of you.</p> <h3>3. It never, ever works</h3> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1373.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>It brings us much shame to finally point it out but if the harassers out there have not learnt their lesson yet just from their experience, it is imperative that they know that it is a no brainier to deduce that this can never work. Seldom (read: never) do you witness a woman crazily chasing her harasser’s car, who just complimented her fanny, as she dreams of the boundless ravishing of his lustful bed.</p> <h3>4. There are severe flaws in your logic</h3> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1374.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>The denial syndrome of harassing males is as such that when their unwarranted and unsolicited advances are turned down, their hurt ego goes into the withdrawal symptoms stage of receding into mouthing words that are meant to shame: like slut, slag and other demeaning terminologies. However, they could only be ever called that if they fit that meaning by not dropping into every guy’s lap who cat called like you did (and even then it is down to personal freedom). So think through your logic, please.</p> <h3>5. Being clichéd, passé and out of touch with reality</h3> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1375.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>Once upon a time (back when Vietnam vets were returning and flower garlands were a thing), men felt the need to validate their masculinity to stand out from the hip and happening hippie bunch and thus would pass demeaning sexual comments at women in the streets to appear macho for all their other male friends (irony?). Again that may have been cool with society (wasn’t, honestly) back when your parents were budding teens but with this age of information, awareness and maturity, you seem like you’re still going through tense, unattractive puberty. Grow. Up. Please.</p> <h2>Harassment has an instant karma</h2> <p>It comes as no surprise that Gaia or Mother Nature takes no prisoners in its savagery to deal with people who think of harassment as a joke. While we agree that these people should be properly prosecuted by the law, wherever lawmakers slacken up, Mother Nature picks up the pace in giving these harassers an ending that suits their deeds. The ultimate revenge these girls could obtain is actually not through themselves, but through an external vigilante – Karma.</p> <h3>Ironic endings</h3> <p>Man just fell into a set of bins because he was too busy gawping at me to look where he was going. Karma #everydaysexism</p> <p>— Summer Turner (@ragazza_inglese) March 4, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>A man who was leering at a woman failed to pay attention to where he was heading and ended up crashing into some trash cans. The irony of him getting exactly where he belonged seems too good to be true!</p> <h3>Roadside perils</h3> <p>@EverydaySexism two guys whistling and honking at me from their car. Seconds later, they crashed it due to lack of concentration. #OwnFault</p> <p>— jim short 4 jimothy (@capppybara) August 2, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>A girl on Twitter shared a funny experience with her followers on Twitter. Two men who were continuously harassing her on the road failed to pay attention to what was in front of them and crashed!</p> <h3>Making sexism come to a halt, literally</h3> <p>BAHA! Someone just shouted at me from a car and then crashed into a stop sign. #instantkarma @EverydaySexism</p> <p>— Jessica Raven (@thejessicaraven) September 25, 2013</p> <p></p> <p>This is a classic example of karma hitting someone right in the face, literally. Sometimes, you don’t need to do anything for the perpetrator of the crime to meet their justified end.</p> <i></i>