The Problem With That Catcalling Video

rg57 · 2014-10-30T01:07:05+00:00

"we got a fair amount of white guys, but for whatever reason, a lot of what they said was in passing, or off camera” or was ruined by a siren or other noise."

Ah yes. White invisibility. It's a powerful superpower. One has to be careful not to turn on too many sirens, and to alternate between car horns and jackhammers, to avoid detection by the Matrix.

quuuuuux · 2014-10-30T01:12:49+00:00

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A

Look at the credits. The producer specializes in viral marketing. The featured woman is an actress. The camera is jolly steady for something that's implied (but never stated) to be concealed. (A camera that's not concealed, that's on a steadicam, is going to make people stop and look.) They claim 100+ examples of verbal harassment, but only show 44. (But when you describe this video, you'll say something like the author of the linked article: "On Tuesday, Slate and everyone else posted a video of a woman who is harassed more than 100 times by men as she walks around New York City for ten hours. ") It's impossible to see whether the audio even matches the guys shown to be speaking it, as their faces are so blurred out. As actual evidence, the video is useless. As viral marketing, and getting donations by selling a horror story that a lot of people want to believe, it's fantastic.

dejour · 2014-10-30T00:59:19+00:00

I don't buy the idea that catcalling is evenly distributed across demographics. It's mainly lower class men, many of whom are non-white.

As such, you could argue the problem is that too many men feel marginalized in our society and this is one of the ways such men act out.

I don't think people can claim it is "powerful men abusing their power over powerless women". It's more like panhandling - people of low status making people of high status uncomfortable.

Grailums · 2014-10-30T01:49:48+00:00

The problem with this catcalling video, and every catcalling video out there, is that it is using a very small sample and stating that it is the norm. For instance if I, a white male, were to walk down the streets she walked down for ten hours wearing just everyday, normal clothing there is a very good chance i would be shot, shanked, or otherwise harmed in some way.

Yet the issue is catcalling is putting itself up there as a "crime worse than murder" with the way these women react about it. It's that kind of screwed up mentality that needs to stop. Catcalling is ridiculous, any normal minded person will tell you that, but the fact of the matter is men, statistically, should be a hell of a lot more paranoid than women when it comes to strangers flagging them down.

rbrockway · 2014-10-30T08:04:25+00:00

I researched 'street harassment' about a year ago. While I thought the problem was over-stated I expected to find some evidence. I was stunned by the lack of evidence.

The best I could find were a couple of surveys on sites set up to combat street harassment - as a result they would suffer terribly from selection bias.

It should be easy to prove street harassment in any given city. Don't film a woman walking around for 10 hours. Set up cameras on as many streets and corners as you can and surreptitiously record for as long as you can. The more of everything the better. Then you can get time and geographical data on the incidents.

We live in an age in which most of us are carrying at least one recording device so virtually every volunteer should be able to bring their own recording device.

The lack of direct evidence for such an (allegedly) widespread problem is extrordinary.

Le4chanFTW · 2014-10-30T17:01:31+00:00

Make sure to sign the petition! We can't let the racists win on this one.

https://www.change.org/p/hollaback-release-the-suppressed-footage-of-white-men-harassing-shoshana-roberts-so-that-hanna-rosin-can-re-edit-the-video

CrackHeadRodeo · 2014-10-30T19:49:19+00:00

Why were we so trusting of an edited version?. I've always figured Reddit to be pretty savvy about these things.

englishmuff · 2014-10-30T19:57:59+00:00

To bad she can't carry concealed in NY.

juscallmeehx · 2014-10-30T04:29:02+00:00

There are problems with the catcalling video, but honestly, what's sickening were the many people's responses from reddit and youtube regarding being catcalled, essentially excusing their actions.

They say it's a compliment and they're just saying hi failing to see the ramifications it can cause if one would actually respond back.

I agree, the Daily Show video better explains how it is like walking through a city.

Title	The Problem With That Catcalling Video
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	20
Comments	54
Date	October 30, 2014 12:16 AM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/mensrights/comments/2kqdud/the-problem-with-that-catcalling-video/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/the-problem-with-that-catcalling-video.1622403 https://theredarchive.com/post/1622403

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