# Women (over)react to catcalling **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 20, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120 "2009-08-20T20:36:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/1 "2009-08-20T20:36:59Z")
> **[Women took violent revenge on wrong man - UPI.com](https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/08/19/Women-took-violent-revenge-on-wrong-man/UPI-91341250714652/)** > > Three women were fined by a British judge for savagely beating a man they mistakenly believed had whistled at them. > [@](#): > > Authorities said Richard Tailby, 22, was walking with friends in Grimsby, England, when one of his companions wolf-whistled at the three women, identified as Vanessa Delaney, 38, Claire Edwards, 25, and Sally Pawson, 24, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday. > > The women mistakenly identified Tailby as the whistler and chased him to a nearby parking lot, where Edwards grabbed the man in a headlock while the other two women punched and kicked him to the ground. In another Internet discussion, some people pointed out that perhaps this is a reaction to unacceptable behavior (catcalling)–that is, they experienced way too much of a perceived injustice upon which they snapped. I can sort of see why they might have been annoyed, but my general reaction to THAT (vigilante justice=understandable) is :eek:. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/2 "2009-08-20T20:47:20Z")
That’s pretty ridiculous. I mean, the guy didn’t even say any words! Imagine what they’d have done if the guys had said something truly insulting. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/3 "2009-08-20T20:49:05Z")
Way over the top reaction, and the punishment is far too light. Unless the quoted article is a little misleading. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/4 "2009-08-20T20:50:31Z")
Apparently someone (not the guy) whistled at them and they got pissed. The article does say they were drunk. I guess it could be a situation of, “We’re drunk and pissed and it’s late, let’s get him!” ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/5 "2009-08-20T20:58:18Z")
I would gladly beat to death the next asshole who catcalls me. It’s only a shame these ladies took a guess at who the offender was, and were wrong. If they’d only beaten the right guy, I would have found these women’s addresses and sent them flowers and candy daily. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/6 "2009-08-20T21:11:22Z")
I remember something similar happening to this a few years ago, only the woman had the right guy and her friends didn’t join in (I admit that the women in the article sound like idiots). She got probation, and it really burned me. Getting harassed already makes you feel powerless – nothing like having it confirmed. Wonder what would have happened if they’d decided to find a police officer instead and make a complaint. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/7 "2009-08-20T21:13:23Z")
I don’t know. I mean, I’m female, and I’ve been catcalled and I never really thought about it as harassment. I usually just think it’s kind of nice and then move on. Sometimes I feel like I should burn my feminist card. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/8 "2009-08-20T21:21:24Z")
Yeah, I don’t know what’s so “nice” about being heckled daily by strangers to the point where going in public becomes so unpleasant, you’re hesitant to do so without burly male accompaniment. Seriously, of one these days I am going to beat one of these assholes to near, if not certain, death. Can you tell this makes me angry? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/9 "2009-08-20T21:22:36Z")
WTF??? Yes, I’d say that was a tad overreacting. Just a wee. :rolleyes: Jesus, what the hell is wrong with people? They guy _whistled_! And they didn’t even get the right guy! My reaction to catcalls was always some smartass insult, or, if I was in a bad mood, just the old, reliable middle finger. Mostly, my friends and I thought it was fun to yell stupid stuff back at guys like that. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/10 "2009-08-20T21:24:17Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > WTF??? Yes, I’d say that was a tad overreacting. Just a wee. :rolleyes: Jesus, what the hell is wrong with people? They guy _whistled_! And they didn’t even get the right guy! > > My reaction to catcalls was always some smartass insult, or, if I was in a bad mood, just the old, reliable middle finger. > > Mostly, my friends and I thought it was fun to yell stupid stuff back at guys like that. Yeah, one of my best friends yelled back some stuff at some guys in another car who were saying stuff to us, something about she’d like to see them anally penetrate each other. But not in an angry, mean way–more like in a “I’d genuinely like to see that because it would turn me on” way, sort of. She was an odd one. I miss her. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/11 "2009-08-20T21:25:17Z")
Women overreact to a lot of things. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/12 "2009-08-20T21:36:01Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Yeah, one of my best friends yelled back some stuff at some guys in another car who were saying stuff to us, something about she’d like to see them anally penetrate each other. But not in an angry, mean way–more like in a “I’d genuinely like to see that because it would turn me on” way, sort of. She was an odd one. I miss her. 🙂 I wish I could have come up with something that creative, but then, I was only a teenager. Mostly it was stuff like, if a guy would ask us to suck his dick, our reply would be, “Not even if you HAD one!!!” That kind of thing. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/13 "2009-08-20T21:39:20Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I don’t know. I mean, I’m female, and I’ve been catcalled and I never really thought about it as harassment. I usually just think it’s kind of nice and then move on. Sometimes I feel like I should burn my feminist card. You’re free to think what you want and react how you’d like. If you think other women should be flattered by the attention, or that they’re overreacting by being offended, or don’t see a problem when being yelled at, propositioned, groped or flashed is par for the course for most women and girls in a so-called civilized society, if the stories on [Stop street Harassment](http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/) and [Hollaback](http://hollabacknyc.blogspot.com/) don’t at least get you offended on someone else’s behalf…well then I don’t know what to tell you. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/14 "2009-08-20T21:39:47Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > I remember something similar happening to this a few years ago, only the woman had the right guy and her friends didn’t join in (I admit that the women in the article sound like idiots). She got probation, and it really burned me. Getting harassed already makes you feel powerless – nothing like having it confirmed. Wonder what would have happened if they’d decided to find a police officer instead and make a complaint. They should have given this woman a medal. And with that, I’m going to Moe’s. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/15 "2009-08-20T21:40:02Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Yeah, one of my best friends yelled back some stuff at some guys in another car who were saying stuff to us, something about she’d like to see them anally penetrate each other. But not in an angry, mean way–more like in a “I’d genuinely like to see that because it would turn me on” way, sort of. She was an odd one. I miss her. 🙂 OK, that’s cool. Guaranteed to secure you freedom from the offenders–or provide you with a truly insightful evening. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/16 "2009-08-20T21:51:28Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > You’re free to think what you want and react how you’d like. If you think other women should be flattered by the attention, or that they’re overreacting by being offended, or don’t see a problem when being yelled at, propositioned, groped or flashed is par for the course for most women and girls in a so-called civilized society, if the stories on [Stop street Harassment](http://streetharassment.wordpress.com/) and [Hollaback](http://hollabacknyc.blogspot.com/) don’t at least get you offended on someone else’s behalf…well then I don’t know what to tell you. I just don’t equate being catcalled with being groped. If someone is offended by that, that sucks. I just don’t get all the “You go girl,” and “They should get a medal” talk. It’s kind of disturbing to me. > [@stuthehistoryguy](#): > > OK, that’s cool. Guaranteed to secure you freedom from the offenders–or provide you with a truly insightful evening. As many times as she asked guys to make out for us in bars (like, we’ll do it if you do it), it never worked. Not even once. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/17 "2009-08-20T22:47:47Z")
If someone wants to holler a compliment at me, I don’t mind. But that’s never how it goes. Because half the time if you don’t respond to them (or respond negatively), it quickly becomes and angry, “Bitch! You too good to say hi to me?” Sometimes, they’ll even follow you a little like angry panhandlers, calling you a bitch (or a fat bitch, even if you’re not fat) and demanding you say hello (or thank you). The nearly instantaneous way it became threatening was very scary. This didn’t happen frequently, but it happened enough I thought about carrying mace. If I had I almost certainly would have maced the next one who so much as looked at me funny (which is why I didn’t carry mace, my luck it would be some harmless moron). Then I moved to California, gained 20 pounds, and live in an area where groups of men don’t loiter around on street corners looking for trouble. So it stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/18 "2009-08-20T23:36:22Z")
I had a friend from Grimsby, beatdowns happened there often for far less reasons. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/19 "2009-08-20T23:45:50Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I would gladly beat to death the next asshole who catcalls me. I suppose asking you for the time merits at least an open-hand slap, then? How about “nice weather?” Should I protect my privates? ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120/20 "2009-08-20T23:56:24Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I just don’t equate being catcalled with being groped. If someone is offended by that, that sucks. I just don’t get all the “You go girl,” and “They should get a medal” talk. It’s kind of disturbing to me. People often have the same reaction to telemarketers as well, hoping they die painfully etc. I regard these violent threats with the same level of seriousness, and if anyone takes this “medal” talk seriously I would consider them as crazy as someone who seriously advocates shooting up a call center. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-over-react-to-catcalling/507120.md?page=2)