There are far worse things to be offended by. Why not ban laughing in public, or even talking, therefore no one is likely to be offended?
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There are worse things happening, but if women feel harassed or unsafe - should that not be dealt with? The culture of men doing this isnt ok?
The thing is, women are more than capable of wolf whistling at men (or other women if that is their preference!) Maybe I'm just an old dinosaur, but this sort of thing doesn't offend me.
Women are capable but they dont really do it? Because its inappropriate and garish. Its always been a male thing to do. Its cool if it doesnt bother you, but it absolutely can make women feel self conscious, harassed, objectified and unsafe. It may seem minor, but its still an issue.
Well good for you. I've been asked for sex. Is that really ok?
I think it's more the whole 'culture' and mindset behind an action like that. misogyny.
It's quite easy to NOT do something. It is offensive for someone to shout 'show us your t*ts' or something. It's bizarre behaviour. I wouldn't yell 'show us your c*ck' at a man walking across the street.
Wolf whilsting might not offend you but for others it makes them feel unsafe and belittled.
I'm a guy and about a decade ago I used to help out a landscape gardener family friend and his pals. It was always a bit cringe when we slowed down at the lights and an attractive woman walked by, or when we were in a queue next to a bus stop. I always knew a couple of them would end up gauping at the woman or catcalling them. Then I'm sitting there like 
it's a bit weird. Normally those same guys you wouldn't hear a peep from if they were in front of said woman.
it's a bit weird. Normally those same guys you wouldn't hear a peep from if they were in front of said woman.You donât have to be offended at something to realise it is wrong. Yes women are capable of wolf whistling but most women would never, firstly because women donât have that sense of male entitlement that compels them to think men care about what a random woman on the street thinks of them and second because men on average are physically bigger and stronger than women, the bloke itâs directed at could just turn around and smack her one or worse. When a man cat calls/wolf whistles a woman he knows she likely wonât retaliate. Itâs part of the game for the types of misogynistic men who engage in this behaviour.
Itâs not about being offended. Women and girls (itâs absolutely disgusting how young girls are when this tit starts) should be able to walk down the street without being sexually harassed by some entitled man. Itâs not hard to not wolf whistle someone.
Edit: laughing isnât harassment so thatâs a bit of a bizarre comparison.
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You're comparing street harassment to laughing??
It is definitely not okay to shout sexual obscenities at woman in the street. It is often done to scare and intimidate which is why men will usually do it to a lone woman. It is a very scary and frightening experience.
I first began experiencing this when I was about 12/13. It is disgusting for a grown man to be making some of the comments I had shouted at anyone, let alone someone who is very clearly a child.
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There's problems with the comment but lets be honest
A) the law probably wouldn't be enforced unless something additional happened or it was a near daily thing = has little to no effect
B) assuming it even has effect, men will just find a different way to do it
C) this is just Conservatives doing something for show again - the same party that voted against the minimum sentence for rape which 74% of Brits apparently support
The middle of last century is thataway
Please read this, or read it again if need be. Put yourself in a female's place just for five minutes. By yourself, being harassed in broad daylight-or worse, at night. Some guy or guys think it's funny or harmless to shout at you, judging you by what you're wearing or what you look like. If you're male, imagine you have a teenage daughter, niece or sister being subjected to verbal harassment. Being asked to show some random bleep their breasts or asked if they swallow. As @ktypage says we don't need to feel like we are bothering people if we want to report this kind of thing and the more it's reported the more will get done about it. If you can put yourself in a females perspective for a short amount of time and still feel this situation is not worth addressing then in my opinion you aren't much of a human, let alone a man.I worked as an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor alongside the police (up until April when the funding ran out for my job) and I can tell you now, the way the police and all of their support agencies like us get the money is if more of these things are reported! It proves there is a need for these services and a need for officers to be seconded to that area specifically. The more reports = the more chances of this being taken way more seriously and more funds being allocated to this in particular.
It is one of those that the CPS would find extremely difficult to prosecute so I would be interested to see their evidence thresholds for that (please remember itâs not always the police that âdonât investigateâ.. they are pretty much under the thumb from the CPS who give them a sort of checklist they have to tick off before they can even consider charging- that needs changing if you ask me!)
just reading some of the stories above though, there are definite examples of when catcalling crosses the line and become threatening and harassing behaviour which absolutely should be dealt with by the police.
A little tip for you all, and please pass on to your friends. If you make a report to the police and youâre fobbed off or the case is closed pretty quickly⌠lookup your local independent sexual violence advisor (ISVA) service. Itâs all completely free and we are trained and qualified to support you with this.We can help you with something called a âvictims right to reviewâ or you can do that yourself if you give it a google with your local police forces name.
please donât ever feel aloneThere are people out there who can help, we are just not talked about enough because I guess itâs still a âtabooâ subject. Catcalling and Wolf Whistling can be extremely traumatic for some people and can actually trigger past traumas too.
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It says a lot that when we try and get men to understand, we have to use a close loved one to make it real for them. Like it matters then when its someone they care about. Just dont be a creepy bleep!
Unreal, isn't it.
This has been a bylaw in Nottingham for some years now, with catcalling amongst other harassment defined as a hate crime against women.
Something the police stats threw out won't please the lefties, though: "...although harassment of women and girls particularly from black and minority ethic groups in public spaces across the city remained endemic, with nine out of 10 respondents either having experienced or witnessed it."
Something the police stats threw out won't please the lefties, though: "...although harassment of women and girls particularly from black and minority ethic groups in public spaces across the city remained endemic, with nine out of 10 respondents either having experienced or witnessed it."
I just couldnât believe what I was reading when someone compared laughing to catcalling or wolf whistling.
Itâs objectifying, itâs disgusting. Sorry about this, definite Trigger Warning, but put yourself in the shoes of young woman who was abused as a child, and this happens a lot more than a lot of people think it does.
That young woman has spent her whole life being made to feel she is worthless and only good one for one thing. She sums up the courage to go out one day, for a walk or to the shops, and then gets cat called/wolf whistled/ had sexual obscenities thrown at her. Can you just imagine how that feels? Like seriously, put yourself in that womanâs shoes.
I can imagine the counter argument would be âWell, those men donât know her history do they?â So what? They shouldnât be doing it, regardless of who is. They do not have the right to objectify someone and make them feel uncomfortable. The problem is with them and there needs to be more education around the respect of young girls and women. If that means new deterrents are bought in, then so be it.
There are laws against making harmful and derogatory comments to people in protected groups, why should this be any different?
Girls and women are not here on this Earth for men to ogle at and constantly sexualise. Why should we be made to feel that is all we are good for?
Itâs objectifying, itâs disgusting. Sorry about this, definite Trigger Warning, but put yourself in the shoes of young woman who was abused as a child, and this happens a lot more than a lot of people think it does.
That young woman has spent her whole life being made to feel she is worthless and only good one for one thing. She sums up the courage to go out one day, for a walk or to the shops, and then gets cat called/wolf whistled/ had sexual obscenities thrown at her. Can you just imagine how that feels? Like seriously, put yourself in that womanâs shoes.
I can imagine the counter argument would be âWell, those men donât know her history do they?â So what? They shouldnât be doing it, regardless of who is. They do not have the right to objectify someone and make them feel uncomfortable. The problem is with them and there needs to be more education around the respect of young girls and women. If that means new deterrents are bought in, then so be it.
There are laws against making harmful and derogatory comments to people in protected groups, why should this be any different?
Girls and women are not here on this Earth for men to ogle at and constantly sexualise. Why should we be made to feel that is all we are good for?
I'm so glad you're here @ktypage. Thank you 
Been fighting for this kind of thing for 4 years now. It boils my blood when I read how some people just brush it off.I'm so glad you're here @ktypage. Thank you
Those people are the reasons why we still have jury biases, the reason victims drop out of the criminal justice system, the reasons why perpetrators walk free and the reasons why victims donât even report. Iâm sad because I feel itâs just not getting anyway, like banging your head against a wall!
And for any naysayers, a huge part of my job was supporting male victims too. Just as important, but the incidents and crimes experienced by them are extremely different to what women experience and I cannot remember an incident when it was targeted harassment/cat calling etc. Not to say it doesnât happen, Iâm sure it does and there will be reasons why it doesnât get reported, but there is a significant higher proportion of these incidents that have a female victim.
It's offensive because the purpose of cat calling is to intimidate and embarrass. Usually a group of men and a lone women or a group of school girls.
To me, anyone who defends the practice of catcalling must be one themselves, or just so wilfully ignorant beyond help. I don't care how it makes me look, I have such a dim view of humans based on my experiences.
The worst catcalling that happened to me was between the ages of 11 - 16
When I was 13, a man, in broad daylight, asked me for directions and then suggested he could hear me better if I was to step closer to his car...
When I ignored the catcalls, I was called every single misogynistic term under the sun
When I was 15, a guy who looked like he was in his 40s 'asked me out' in a shopping centre, in the middle of the day. When I said no, he continued to follow me until I threatened to call the police
All this happened to me AS A CHILD. But yeah, there are worse things Christ, I worry about the APGARs some people were born with.
The worst catcalling that happened to me was between the ages of 11 - 16
When I was 13, a man, in broad daylight, asked me for directions and then suggested he could hear me better if I was to step closer to his car...
When I ignored the catcalls, I was called every single misogynistic term under the sun
When I was 15, a guy who looked like he was in his 40s 'asked me out' in a shopping centre, in the middle of the day. When I said no, he continued to follow me until I threatened to call the police
All this happened to me AS A CHILD. But yeah, there are worse things
Christ, I worry about the APGARs some people were born with.
Some years ago I worked in an office block opposite a girls school. A hotel was being built beside the school. I could see from my window that every day at school home time the men up on the scaffolding would stop work and just gawp at the school girls walking past below (the girls would be totally unaware because they were in ground level).
It made me feel physically sick to think some of these men have daughters/ sisters/ wives/girlfriends. It's like it's ingrained behaviour in men.
It was such a horribly creepy thing to witness. I actually called the number of the scaffolding company (they had a banner hanging off the scaffolding) and reported it but the woman on the other end of the phone sounded non plussed. No reaction at all just said she'll pass that on. Needless to say they continued to down tools each day. My desk faced the window and so I couldnt help but see this each day. In the end it I couldn't deal with it so I requested a move to another desk.
It made me feel physically sick to think some of these men have daughters/ sisters/ wives/girlfriends. It's like it's ingrained behaviour in men.
It was such a horribly creepy thing to witness. I actually called the number of the scaffolding company (they had a banner hanging off the scaffolding) and reported it but the woman on the other end of the phone sounded non plussed. No reaction at all just said she'll pass that on. Needless to say they continued to down tools each day. My desk faced the window and so I couldnt help but see this each day. In the end it I couldn't deal with it so I requested a move to another desk.