I've had enough. Even without ever having any of it, I've had enough of it.
I'm a 6' 4", 270-pound guy who has never once been on either side of the catcalling equation. I have never had to hurry past a crowd of men out of fear for my safety. I have never been verbally harassed on the street under the guise of flattery. But I've had enough of it all.
I think reasonable people would agree that if you see someone in line at Starbucks or bump into someone in the doorway of a Game Stop, and you genuinely sense some kind of possible connection with that individual, that you or he or she are well within your rights to attempt to strike up a conversation, one that might best begin with a pleasant "hello" and a kind smile. That's how people meet, in Hollywood movies and along Main Street, USA. That's classically charming and, most importantly, positively non-threatening.
What is most definitely threatening and the opposite of charming is any circumstance where a woman of any age is passing by you on the street, on her way to somewhere, and you feel the sudden urge, whether alone or with your boys, to call out to her, to follow her, to whistle at her; to make sexual advances and gestures towards her; to assume your pseudo-compliment is requested, wanted or appreciated; to assume that this woman of any age on her way to somewhere is fingers-crossed wishing you'd pay her some attention and waiting to hear exactly where you'd like to stick your dick inside her. She is not waiting, wanting, wishing, or hoping for any of this, and you are a colossal, scary, evil a**hole for presuming she is.
And so, I've created this easy-to-follow flowchart that should pretty much explain to all men how we should act while walking down the street.
We can do better, guys. We have to do better.
