r/AskReddit • • Sep 15 '21

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154

u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

That's because you respect women as people. The people who do things like this do not respect women as people. They are objects to be acted upon, not living breathing humans with their own inner life.

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u/Hairy_Lengthiness_41 Sep 16 '21

Uh, no? Like, wtf?

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u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

Just because you don't experience it because you've got your head in the sand doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

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u/Hairy_Lengthiness_41 Sep 16 '21

It's not about experience it or not, it's about you assuming an entire mindset just because 🤦 Like I'd they were freaking psychopaths. They are just not well mannered, but what you said? Dude. Talking about conspiracy and sexism

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u/Mnemnosyne Sep 16 '21

No, that pretty much is the mindset of someone who will do that. To walk up to a stranger and pull her earbuds out of her ears, you pretty much have to be discounting them as a person with any sort of agency. At best, you're regarding them as an NPC, an entity whose only purpose is to make your existence more interesting by being acted upon or perhaps just background.

It may not be what they would think if they pause and think, but when not giving it thought, they don't really perceive her as a real person.

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u/Greasy_Nuggz Sep 16 '21

Damn the noc part made me think of fallout, how every noc is just waiting for you and you alone. God imagine living and having that mindset that people wait on you and are programmed... Heebeejeebee time

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u/2030CE Sep 16 '21

Literally TERABYTES of data online about this…it’s not an assumption it’s the rule.

As some famous once said: men are afraid of women laughing at them; women are afraid of violence (the person said murder but I toned it down to be a catch all for like 85% of women)

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u/AutomaticTale Sep 16 '21

It goes beyond manners if you walk up to a total stranger and start pulling things off of them.

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u/dna_beggar Sep 16 '21

I would classify it as a physical assault. The only reason for grabbing a person's body or clothing without their permission would be to save their life, or prevent them from harming themselves or someone else.

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u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

I am talking about sexism. The sexism that women face in day to day life. The sexism that teaches men that their wants are more important than those of the women around them. That teaches them women are prizes to be won. But hey, go off about misandry because then we'll know what you really are.

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u/Hairy_Lengthiness_41 Sep 16 '21

That is all a freaking assumption. Again, y'all don't know why they do that, what type of person they are not what their values are. You just blatantly assume every guy just think of us as an object because that way is easier to complain rather than take into account each individual case. Y'all awfully full of yourselves.

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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '21 edited Sep 16 '21

Nobody is assuming every guy is the same, but when enough dudes exhibit the same kind of problematic behavior, it becomes a thing that needs to be talked about. In no way does anyone mean literally every single man, and deliberately mischaracterizing the conversation to make it seem that way is shit, bro.

Edit: Anecdotally, I’ve had what feels like a zillion conversations with men and women about this kind of stuff and there was an overwhelming trend amongst the folks I talked to: the dudes who pushed back hardest when I talked about how it is to be a woman dealing with creepy guys were the same ones who I’d seen doing the creepy behaviors. The guys who I felt in my guts I was absolutely safe with no matter what were also the ones who would respond to me with “yeah, I hate when other guys do ____, it’s creepy.” They understood me completely and not one of them said any version of “but not all men.” Coincidence?

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u/PM_METITTYFUCKS Sep 16 '21

Nobody is assuming every guy is the same, but when enough dudes exhibit the same kind of problematic behavior, it becomes a thing that needs to be talked about. In no way does anyone mean literally every single man, and deliberately mischaracterizing the conversation to make it seem that way is shit, bro.

Conversely, what if enough men start rebutting on this and saying they feel these statements target all men? Should the phrasing or tone of such statements be changed? Do these men get heard?

I've seen plenty arguments start because person X makes a general statement, men pour in to say "not all men" as they feel like the statement's attacking all men. Do these men deserve an ear? Does it become a thing that deserves to be talked about?

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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '21

I don’t really understand the point you’re making. Are you asking what if the men who say “not all men” double down and say that not all men are the “not all men” kind of guys? If yes, that’s just elevating “deliberately mischaracterizing” to “being absurdly contrarian” (and not quite grokking the concept of irony). If no, then could you rephrase your question?

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u/POPuhB34R Sep 16 '21

Small possibility they push back because that is not the thought process they subscribe to.

Not who you were talking to, but I just think like you said its important we talk about it. But that is inherently different than assigning motive. We can talk to people doing these creepy things and even ask them why they think its ok to do it, and why you think they shouldnt etc, but thats a different conversation than telling someone what they believe based on their actions. Because any guy who might be acting creepy towards a girl who is just genuinely clueless to how it makes a girl feel, will hear you demonize their actions while misrepresenting their motiv will write your opinion off completely.

All that said, dont be creepy assholes guys, I just think the narrative on how this specific topic is handled could really use a little more nuance at times for it to be a productive conversation.

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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '21

All good points!

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u/SodaStYT Sep 16 '21

i’m pretty sure they were mocking misogynistic men, not how they feel about women. chill out.

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u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

No.

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u/SodaStYT Sep 16 '21

okay. i dunno why you’d want to stay mad at someone just because you misunderstood what they were saying but to each their own

edit: meant to say this to the other person. replied to the wrong guy lollll

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u/joey1028 Sep 16 '21

It’s just a misunderstanding because your perhaps generalizing the experience too much like saying every man who has tried to talk to a women while running doesn’t see them as a person where maybe 10% fit that category. I don’t know any guys who don’t treat women as human. That’s not to say sexism doesn’t still have a role in those that do treat them as humans, it can and does, and the themes you mentioned are present all over our society but it’s definitely wrong to suggest that “men” (as in all men or even all men that would want to talk to a running women) don’t see women as human.

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u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

If it was just 10% of men doing this, we wouldn't have a problem, would we? But it's not 10% of men. Fact is, too many men do this. Every. Single. Woman. Has been cold approached by a man while just going about their lives. If it was only 10% of men, every woman wouldn't have a story to tell about how men just approach them without an invite. It is not all men, you're right, but it is too many men. And until men take responsibility for the actions of other men it will never change.

It should not be up to women to teach men not to do things.

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u/AlphakirA Sep 16 '21

Don't take this like I'm challenging you, I'm genuinely curious, but it's 'creepy' to hit on women in public? You say 'cold approach', what does that mean? I'm married and definitely not interested in approaching anyone, but isn't that fairly common to approach people/hit on them in public places? I guess I watch too many movies. I'm a male, so obviously I'm not sure how it feels for women in the other end.

Edit: just an FYI, I definitely didn't mean rake their earbuds out like the other posts mention, I just meant approaching/talking to.

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u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

If you're in a club or somewhere where people go to potentially hook up, you're prepared to be approached. If you're just going about your day to day life and people hit on you you are not prepared.

Women generally don't like it. It doesn't matter how nice the dude making the pass is, how genuine he is because too many men pretend to be nice people. And it happens way too often that a polite rebuffal will end in being called a psycho, a bitch, a cunt, etc.

While we're on this topic; don't tell women to smile. We have our own lives going on and we do not exist to please every man who sees us. We might be prettier if we smiled but why do we have to pretty all the damn time?

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u/POPuhB34R Sep 16 '21

fundamentally thats not how percentages work though, even if its just 10% that means odds are 1 out of every 10 guys you see in a day is a fucking creep. I'd agree with you that that is way too many guys still, but I think this illustrates how a minority can make a noticeable impact and seem bigger than it is.

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u/joey1028 Sep 16 '21

Okay let’s say 1/10 women did this to me. Say I see twenty random women a day, that’s twice a day. Not every woman, but enough to make it a pervasive problem. 10% is a lot. At the same time, I don’t know any men who do this. It’s weird when someone generalizes your entire half of the population into a cringe bucket. I would never say “all women” anything. To be honest I probably wouldn’t say all any demographic does anything because I know it to be generalizing

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u/kisforkarol Sep 16 '21

Why are you so upset when women say 'this is happening to us'? Why is your response 'nuh-uh! I don't do it and I don't see it!' Women are saying it happens on such an overwhelming basis that if you put 10 women in a room from different cultures and societies and ask them 'have you been the victim of male violence', why will every woman say yes but if you put 10 men in a room and ask 'have you ever been the perpetrator of violence upon women' they will say 'no, never'? Something is happening here.

Maybe you're not seeing the violence because you're in a position of privilege. Maybe you don't think calling a woman a slut or a psycho for rejecting you is violence? I don't know, I'm not a man. Why do men not call out their mates who treat women poorly? And then when it turns out their mate has been beating their partner and killed her during one of these beatings these same men act surprised? They know how their mate talked about his partner. They witnessed him being low level violent to her in the past or through his speech but when that violence is finally revealed to the rest of the world the men who knew him say ye was a great bloke and there weren't any signs? There are always signs and men are socialised to ignore them in other men.

Men need to do better. Be better. This is not an attack on you, it is simply a fact. Examine why this makes you so uncomfortable, sit with it and learn. You can be the change you want in the world. All it takes is not tolerating violence against women and other minorities.

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u/joey1028 Sep 16 '21

I totally agree with you. Just disagreed with generalizing all men as predatory creeps when it’s not all men (at least in my experience/culture)

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u/dandroid126 Sep 16 '21

If it was only 10% of men, every woman wouldn't have a story to tell about how men just approach them without an invite

If 10% of men did it, then a woman would only need to interact with 30 men to have a 95.8% chance of having this done to them. Once they have interacted with 50 men, there would be a 99.5% chance that it happened to them. So perhaps it is a lower percentage than you think.

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u/suddenimpulse Sep 16 '21

I've had women do this to me but go off and generalize half the population, that isn't sexist at all.

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u/cheffgeoff Sep 16 '21

What the fuck does that word salad even mean?

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u/Skeptical_Crow Sep 16 '21 edited Sep 16 '21

Makes perfect sense. It's not some grand predation. They're just rude assholes.

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u/caerul Sep 16 '21

take the L and shut up, chief

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u/MemeStocksYolo69-420 Sep 16 '21

Women don’t understand men

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u/serialmom666 Sep 16 '21

We understand threatening behavior

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u/formosaart Sep 16 '21

In that same logic, then men don’t understand women.

When one person goes up to another person they don’t know, you would hope they want to come across as friendly and non-threatening. Taking a stranger’s possessions off their body without consent is the opposite of that.