Public Transportation
Ok Ladies. This article from the NY Times, Women Have Seen It All on Subway, Unwillingly, confesses what we have all experienced, but rarely discuss. I know this article is controversial, but until you have been in the situation, it is really difficult to know how you would react. I thought I would react with raw feminist outrage…
I know this has happened to me. I was on a crowded bus when a group of adolescent teens got on the bus and “pushed” one of the boys in my direction. Needless to say, I ended up getting some unwanted attention. I felt a little paralyzed in the situation. What do you say or do in the situation? There was one of me and about six of them. No one else on the bus seemed to be sympathetic. This has happened to me on other occasions and I know that it has happened to other women I know.
This article at least draws attention to an issue that needs awareness so that if a person is in this situation, they might feel more comfortable to speak out against the perpetrators and be backed up by other commuters around them.
June 25th, 2006 at 6:20 am
a taser, maybe?
June 27th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Its so sad to see young men treating women in such a degrading manner. I’ve also been the recipient of some humiliating attention myself and know the helpless embarrasment you feel.
I believe it is so important for parents to teach their sons to respect women–and all human beings as a matter of fact. I really believe that the mindset of these perpetrators originate from the values they learned at home (as children.) While popular culture (movies, music, video games) can contribute to this mindset, its ultimately a familys’ influence at a young age that makes all the difference.