# Ladies: How bad was this? (A slight cat call I guess) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552 "2013-02-16T22:52:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/41 "2013-02-17T02:23:11Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Oh I don’t know; _this_. If your response to overhearing people making shitty comments about you on the street is to keep your indignation to yourself in an effort to avoid hurting their precious feelings, I suppose that is your prerogative. If those women had kept their irritation to themselves, however, I rather doubt the OP would have thought twice about this incident except perhaps to giggle about it on the drive home. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/42 "2013-02-17T02:25:34Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I think you have to understand that the dynamic changes when you are a weekend Dad. > > You get very little time to bond with your son. You take what you can get. Wow. A father-son threesome would make you a fantastic Dad, then! Nothing says family togetherness like two manly, related rods sharing the same stretched hole! You should put up an ad. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/43 "2013-02-17T02:29:16Z")
> [@colander](#): > > Wow. A father-son threesome would make you a fantastic Dad, then! Nothing like two manly, related rods sharing the same stretched hole! You should put up an ad. Dude, is that really called for? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/44 "2013-02-17T02:31:07Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Dude, is that really called for? :dubious: Gee, you sure are sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/45 "2013-02-17T02:34:33Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I think you have to understand that the dynamic changes when you are a weekend Dad. FWIW, when I was 13 my parents split, and got shared custody. There were a few times after that that my Dad decided to break out the dirty joke or two around me. It was **profoundly** creepy, even though the exact same joke from a peer wouldn’t have been. My advice? Find a different way to bond with your son. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/46 "2013-02-17T02:37:37Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > FWIW, I do and have always taught my son to b e respectful of women. That said ,there aint nothing wrong with looking. (As long as your not creepy about it.) Saying “Oh, sexy Mommas!” to your adolescent son _is_ being creepy about it, and it’s not teaching him to be respectful of women either. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/47 "2013-02-17T02:37:58Z")
> [@colander](#): > > I am also unsure of the reasoning behind declaring the woman’s pointed response to be “an overreaction”. In your minds, what _wouldn’t_ have been an overreaction? A smile and curtsy? 😕 Ignoring him would have been the appropriate response. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/48 "2013-02-17T02:41:41Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > FWIW, when I was 13 my parents split, and got shared custody. There were a few times after that that my Dad decided to break out the dirty joke or two around me. It was **profoundly** creepy, even though the exact same joke from a peer wouldn’t have been. > > My advice? Find a different way to bond with your son. First, my son was four when when his mother and I split. So the dynamic is still different. He doesn’t remember a time when his mother and I where together. Also, he’s seen me with past GFs. So he’s used to seeing me with other women besides his Mom. Secondly, I don’t tell dirty jokes to my son. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/49 "2013-02-17T02:46:54Z")
> [@colander](#): > > I am also unsure of the reasoning behind declaring the woman’s pointed response to be “an overreaction”. In your minds, what _wouldn’t_ have been an overreaction? A smile and curtsy? 😕 An eye roll. Even a comment that doesn’t ask for a response, like “fuck off” and keep walking. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/50 "2013-02-17T02:51:21Z")
In the US, the problem was saying it. In Spain it would have been saying it to a kid who (if he really is 12) looks like he should be on either side of the verge of moving between “mommas” and “oooh sexy”. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/51 "2013-02-17T02:54:57Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > FWIW, I do and have always taught my son to b e respectful of women. That said ,there aint nothing wrong with looking. (As long as your not creepy about it.) You didn’t just look, you were creepy about it and you taught your son to be disrespectful to women. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/52 "2013-02-17T02:57:29Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Ignoring him would have been the appropriate response. It would certainly have been the most ladylike response, I suppose. Also rather… ineffectual. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/53 "2013-02-17T02:58:40Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > An eye roll. Even a comment that doesn’t ask for a response, like “fuck off” and keep walking. “Fuck off” would have been appropriate but “Way to be a role model” was an overreaction? OK. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/54 "2013-02-17T03:00:53Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > An eye roll. Even a comment that doesn’t ask for a response, like “fuck off” and keep walking. How is “fuck off” more inappropriate than the comment that was made? ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/55 "2013-02-17T03:02:50Z")
> [@KSO](#): > > “Fuck off” would have been appropriate but “Way to be a role model” was an overreaction? > > OK. :rolleyes: No, it’s the stopping and saying “_excuse me?_” that sounds drama queen-ish. “Nice role model” without breaking your stride, fine. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/56 "2013-02-17T03:04:39Z")
> [@colander](#): > > Wow. A father-son threesome would make you a fantastic Dad, then! Nothing says family togetherness like two manly, related rods sharing the same stretched hole! You should put up an ad. Now _that’s_ overreacting. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/57 "2013-02-17T03:08:31Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > No, it’s the stopping and saying “_excuse me?_” that sounds drama queen-ish. “Nice role model” without breaking your stride, fine. That’s a pretty laughable distinction. Standing up for yourself doesn’t make you a “drama queen”. Whatever that even means. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/58 "2013-02-17T03:13:28Z")
> [@colander](#): > > Wow. A father-son threesome would make you a fantastic Dad, then! Nothing says family togetherness like two manly, related rods sharing the same stretched hole! You should put up an ad. This gross insult is completely unacceptible in IMHO. If you see further need to express yourself in this way, you need to take it to the BBQ Pit. This is an official warning. Ellen Cherry ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/59 "2013-02-17T03:16:55Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > No, it’s the stopping and saying “_excuse me?_” that sounds drama queen-ish. “Nice role model” without breaking your stride, fine. I don’t see how it makes someone a drama queen for putting a stop to objectifying comments. He’s lucky she didn’t slap him.. you never know how some women would have reacted. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552/60 "2013-02-17T03:21:35Z")
> [@colander](#): > > That’s a pretty laughable distinction. Standing up for yourself doesn’t make you a “drama queen”. I’m usually on the other side of these issues, but I just really don’t see the big deal here. It was a throw-away comment that they weren’t even meant to hear, so obviously he wasn’t being confrontational or anything, and so another comment made \*in passing \*is a proportionate response. To stop and talk to the person is an overreaction. If he had been confrontational or called them over or something, that would be entirely different. > [@](#): > > Whatever that even means. You don’t know what drama queen means? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-how-bad-was-this-a-slight-cat-call-i-guess/650552.md?page=4)