I don’t advocate beating the catcaller, but ultimately I don’t think being ravished by the woman is really the aim. Sure, if it happened they’d take it, but it’s meant to demean and harass. I would never encourage anyone to be violent toward someone who catcalls, but I can’t get myself worked up if they do end up getting maced or hit someday.
Of course, in the instance of the OP the wrong person was attacked and that’s double wrong.
I think I’ve told this before, but back at my old college I drove people who wanted to do roadside catcalls. I locked the windows and made it very clear that they can’t do it and threatened to make them walk home (and it’s about a 1.5 hour walk in Tempe Arizona heat, not fun without being prepared). The debate that ensued about it was interesting to say the least.
Obviously this doesn’t cover everyone, but at least some of the people I talked to legitimately thought of it as a compliment. Even the demeaning or mean ones, it’s meant to be “dirty” which they relate with sex. I’m not going to argue that there certainly aren’t those who really are putting people down, being rude for the hell of it, or think that you “deserve” it for some reason, but there are morons that legitimately are trying to give you a compliment and fail miserably. But these aren’t the people who turn violent either, if one of the guys I know who wanted to do this has ever hurt anything outside the insect family intentionally I’d be absolutely shocked beyond belief. He flirts with just about every female he comes across, to the point where he’ll make up reasons to go to customer service desks on regular occasions if the attendant is good looking in the least bit.
I gave up trying to understand it long ago, I don’t see them much anymore since I’m in a different town so I quickly decided to not worry about it. So there ya go, for what it’s worth.
Ah OK, so it’s more like schoolyard bullying then, instead of strutting. I can see why women’d have to keep an eye on individuals like that, as the catcallers tactics get ignored or minimized and the guys get angry. Bullying, another activity that I just don’t understand. People are so petty…
One problem with women hitting men is that there are some men out there who may already be wife/girlfriend beaters already who might very well take the attitude that *“If you’re gonna act like a man, I’m gonna treat you like a man,” *and punch you smack in the face. And given that you’re a woman and don’t have the stronger bone structure of men, you will likely wind up with missing teeth and perhaps a broken jaw…or a broken nose, at the very least.
And the thing is, the man will most likely be able to get away with it because you hit him first.
Hitting strange men is stupid. (Well, hitting familiar ones is too, but that’s outside the purview of this discussion.) And hitting them because they whistled at you is even more stupid.
It’s unlikely that a guy in the midst of a group of other guys would stoop to hit a woman even if she’s hitting and kicking him unless he eventually comes to feel he has no choice. He’ll probably just try to restrain her and perhaps threaten her to get her to knock it off if she persists. But some men are just mean, viscious bastards and are not to be trifled with. I would strongly advise any woman reading this thread and deciding that being whistled at is so offensive as to justify violence to remember that that even worse violence may well be visited upon them if they give in to that impulse.
I don’t get anyone saying yay to these people. Even if it had been the right guy, the point is that THEY ASSAULTED SOMEONE. One thing about our society is that, there’s a bright line you cannot cross. I can be as mean to you as I want verbally. But the second it gets physical, I have violated your rights and committed a CRIME. Until that point, I have not, no matter how offended you get. These women violated the man’s rights, while he did not.
This is also one of the biggest arguments against vigilantism anyways. You can get the wrong guy, or misunderstand the problem. That’s why we have the courts and laws.
I also see it as an argument for not getting so drunk that you can’t keep from committing a crime. It’s morally the same as not drinking and driving. At least have someone with you that can keep you from doing something stupid. I really have little sympathy for people who use the “I was too intoxicated to know what I was doing” defense.
Quit being so fucking preposterous.
You’ve never been bullied? It’s only words, right?
It just so happens I got that line from another poster here in, IIRC, a thread about wondering what it’s like to be a member of the opposite sex. The poster in question was a woman! 
So preposterize your own self!
I’m really quite surprised that some people are actually advocating and cheering on violence here.
Uh- two of these are matters of speech and two are illegal actions. They are not the same at all.
And as far as the story says, they were WHISTLED at, not even yelled at.
So if a woman whistled at a man and he beat her up you’d support him? After all, she was bullying him, right?
Nah, being part of a sane minority doesn’t mean you should give it up. Don’t let the terrorists win by letting feminism be considered an epithet that describes only the really loony bitches.
Really, really? Really, really really? Given the amount of rage, stupidity and carnal, unexpiated bloodshed willing itself to happen across all internet forums, even as incisive as the Straight Dope, it’s impressive that it’s yet to fully translate into a battle royal in the real world.
Yeah, ok…but over frickin’ catcalls??
Is this the next phase of the modern feminist movement?
Internet Courage < Sloth
Anybody that gang beats a person for whistling has a mental problem that needs to be addressed by a professional therapist and jail time. The fact they beat up the wrong guy isn’t why I say this. We are not talking about somebody that has been stalking and picking on this group of women. People that would beat up a man for whistling at them are no better than any other abusive punching live in partner.
If it’s OK for the women to beat down the guy they *thought whistled at them, then it should have been equally OK for the guy’s friends to beat the shit out of the three women to protect their friend.
*I don’t actually advocate either violent reaction, just making a point.
Well, yeah. I mean, bitch had it comin.
Yes, that’s sarcasm. But an alarming number of posts have responded with a “bitch had it coming” attitude that, if the situation were reversed, they’d probably be up in arms about.
Anyone in this thread or anywhere advocating a violent response for being *whistled *at needs counseling.
Yes. I’ve been bullied.
And no, it’s not only words. IT WAS A WHISTLE. FROM A DIFFERENT GUY.
These were not women who were out to strike a blow for equality. These were violent drunken thugs looking for a confrontation.
Truly, it’s disturbing how many threads there have been lately about how testosterone is evil and how all men need to be chemically castrated.
Man hating is ok. There are certain groups that it’s kosher to hate among the liberal literati. Half of the human race is one, all white people is another, and any Christian.
These man hating bitches should be considered every bit as deranged as your average woman-hating mysoginist.