Gothamist: Olympic-Style Street Harassment

chris lee

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:25:49 -0500

Be lucky our society has lower class apes to build buildings and do dirty jobs. The more socialized and well mannered upper class types don't know a hammer from a phillips head screwdriver.

Nick S

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:02:34 -0500

also, ::obligatory 13 year old chinese gymnast joke::

Nick S

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:59:54 -0500

What I've learned from these comments are that women cannot stand up for themselves, so we as a society should stand up for them and act outraged in comment threads on the internet. I call bullshit on this entire story..this sounds like something you'd see in a commercial.

matty

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:45:44 -0500

"Don't confuse the Brooklyn guidos who work on Wall Street with the real thing." oh dear, you are so very very very naive.

johnnye

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:01:34 -0500

My first job when I was a teenager was in a grocery store in the produce department. On many occasions middle aged women would walk past me and whistle or go 'uh huh, hmmm'. Some would rub the cucumbers or the melons in front of me. I just laughed it off and moved on. Should I have been offended or asked them where their numbered placards were or how about if I had joked about their drooping boobies and worn out something somethings?

NannyState

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:14:23 -0500

The women were later disqualified when they failed a routine test for booty enhancing drugs. One of the construction workers was also sanctioned by the organizing body for giving unusually high marks to bag ladies, prostitutes, and shivering alcoholics.

chopp3r

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:13:29 -0500

"I'm surprised that they were judging women, given that 9 out of 10 construction workers are gay." Maybe the guys were judging their outfits.

just_saying

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:58:33 -0500

Don't confuse the Brooklyn guidos who work on Wall Street with the real thing.

matty

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:47:11 -0500

"I have yet to see a group of attractive, successful men who need to resort to this kind of behavior to show their "appreciation" of women. I guess that's because they don't have to." Have you ever been to wall street? lol.

just_saying

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:42:14 -0500

#61 it's the method. Why do they always have to be in a *group* in the first place? That seems kind of suspect. (And why is it always the unappealing, low-class men who act clueless like this?) I have yet to see a group of attractive, successful men who need to resort to this kind of behavior to show their "appreciation" of women. I guess that's because they don't have to.

The Edge

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:26:09 -0500

#59- It's gay because they're grading whether a chick is hot or not? What?

robingee

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:23:51 -0500

#49 - gee, you're right. We all need some caveman to grab our butts and make us feel pretty. And all women feel the same way. You got it pegged.

just_saying

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:15:17 -0500

Hey, don't knock those neanderthal construction guys. Getting toghether and holding up their signs is a form of male bonding for them. But when you think about it, it really does seem kind of gay (and possibly compensating for something).

NYDirk

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:15:08 -0500

[13] People with 2 x chromosomes are not just here for you to look at. Damn right. Make me a sandwich.

Kojak

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:13:59 -0500

Don't taze me bro

Future Taliban

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:00:43 -0500

I give this posting a 3

Kojak

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:54:39 -0500

Guys who stare at attractive women are just as bad as these construction works. I normally take a quick glance, then when she walks by, turn around to take a glance at the exterior. Then I give her my own score in my head and keep it there. Its discrete, doesnt hurt anybody and no one will think your a perv. Some women look so good that you just HAVE to at least take a small glance. No longer than 1 second is enough. Yes I'm a typical guy. Bash me if you want, but I would be gay not to notice or at least look. I am weak, ohhh so weak...

Jen Chung

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:46:28 -0500

Okay--just don't get me started on the dudes who know how to say "ni hao ma" and think that's a clever line.

arsguide

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:41:00 -0500

Jen, So you know that, wearing that T-shirt in your pic would be totally asking for it.

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:39:41 -0500

Like others mentioned they still make comments if you're all covered up. that's why women have a sweater even in summer.

Jen Chung

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:18:31 -0500

Okay, things I've learned: - Wearing normal clothes is apparently bait for gross comments. - I will soon feel bad about myself. - Yelling back at men who say gross things to me like "How's it going, pencildick?" is totally acceptable and probably won't entice the original street harasser to confront me.

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:11:56 -0500

yay! I made the cutoff!

thefacts

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:57:33 -0500

#43 writes: "Think about if your wife, mom, sister or girlfriend were judged in this way. " I was fortunate to have several very attractive girlfriends. Most were pleased to be told they were attractive. The one or two neurotic ones were offended.(Believe me, they were neurotic.) Now they are getting old and no longer are whistled at, and they feel bad about it. Don't worry, feministas. Very soon you will be old and ugly and you will feel bad that you are not getting this attention, because you will be unattractive - if you are not unattractive already now.

babyhitler

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:57:22 -0500

women are offended by this? i'm offended by bums smelling in the subway, crying babies, and old people walking slowly in front of the line. Guess what? The human male is pre-wired for sex. The reason why humanity has exploded and is on the verge of a malthusian catastrophe is because of this aspect of the male physiognomy. it's a part of life. Get over it! You know how many men would love to be the pursued instead of the pursuer? Women just have to sit back and say yes or no, to their suitors and they complain about it.

abcohen

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:55:24 -0500

hahaha... We used to do this at college too :) ahhh good times... Good times... :P

shovel

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:53:50 -0500

I don't know why I'm even wasting my time on a few men who seem to think they have the background to determine that women shouldn't be upset over harassment. Why don't you imagine your father or son subjected to stares, whistles, and verbal advances from a group of half-naked "bears" and beefy leather-clad men 10 times their strength? (I hate to have to use this example, but men who think we need to "get over it" also tend to be homophobic.)

jenspellnogood

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:52:12 -0500

Jen re:#7, I was standing at the end of the line giving out brown paper bags with eye holes.

johnmorton

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:48:00 -0500

We all appreciate the women who can have a little fun and give smart/funny comments right back. At least they have learned how to deal with men. This is why dudes say what they are feeling and get it over with while women will hate some bitch behind her back for 15 years...because women need to talk about how they FEEL instead of just saying FUCK YOU. You "sexism" whiners are just terrible people who bring down the rest of your sex with your incessant crying.

robingee

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:47:31 -0500

It's not hilarious and it's not a joke. Think about if your wife, mom, sister or girlfriend were judged in this way. It's demeaning. And even though there are probably girls who don't mind or would giggle or feel flattered, it's bullcrap and it's harrassment. But of course you sweathogs probably think I feel this way just because I would get a low score.

Son of Spam

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:46:44 -0500

la79: "...it's 99% of the time by men we find grotesque..." "...think about how you would feel if a long line of lewd, unattractive and large men stood around..." Please tell me you were trying to be ironic here. So it's ok if attractive men leer at and objectify you? I'll be the first to admit, men like these are pigs, and this is totally unacceptable social behavior. But ladies, please, respect human nature...if you don't want to be objectified, don't dress the part.

chris lee

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:46:19 -0500

1. It's rude. 2. It's NOT illegal. 3. An offended adult should either dish it back, or walk away 4. You can't call a cop everytime someone farts, or calls you a bad name 5. arguably it's inappropriate but it's a question of magnitude and proportion

FrankMartin

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:45:50 -0500

Seems to me that reducing a person to a number has serious problems. It is a device in works of fiction and event in history that is almost exclusively associated with attempts to demean and disenfranchise. As for sexism, has anyone ever seen women do it to men? if it doesn't cut both ways I have a problem with it.

aveB4life

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:44:39 -0500

the poor women who get low scores should hit the gym and diet to get their scores up.

Tgirl

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:37:39 -0500

Caution Meatheads At Work

shovel

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:36:10 -0500

Why do I get the feeling these guys look like "King of Queens" rejects?

duanereade

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:35:46 -0500

I think it's funny that the first like 10 comments were mostly in favor of the ratings, and the one's after weren't. The first 10 were the people who just sit on here and post horrible things because they hate the world because they have no jobs, and everyone else writes when they get a chance. Stop reflecting the hate you have for yourself onto other people. Deal with your problems, will you?

The Edge

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:33:17 -0500

All you bitches need to get off the interwebs and get back into the kitchen. There, I said it.

johnmorton

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:32:50 -0500

If you have a problem with this you are obviously a Fatty or a Butter-face. Stop eating or get plastic surgury and stop being hideous.

la79

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:30:01 -0500

many men don't seem to understand that it's not just an isolated situation of some guys checking us out - it's constant, it's 99% of the time by men we find grotesque and it usually starts at a uncomfortably young age for girls. by the time we're adults, we have very little patience left for it. for the men out there that think this is funny - think about how you would feel if a long line of lewd, unattractive and large men stood around making comments about your body, and what they would like to do with you.

SP

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:27:57 -0500

*YAWN*

staveitoff

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:17:33 -0500

If this is actually happening, it is not hilarious. Nor is it "politically correct" to be disgusted by it. Street harassment is intimidation: BOTTOM LINE. It is an arrogant assumption that this sort of hateful bullshit is complimentary or desired. For all the guys out there who think this is no big deal, educate yourself or shut the hell up.

thefacts

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:16:34 -0500

That's not funny!

thefacts

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:16:18 -0500

How many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

rdsizzle

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:14:43 -0500

this probably didint even happen...we need pictures folks...

Polite New Yorker

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:14:23 -0500

I'm surprised that they were judging women, given that 9 out of 10 construction workers are gay.

Phineas Gage

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:13:59 -0500

The way it works is men are constantly chipping away at each other: any perceived weakness is going to be attacked, anything in an active attempt to decrease the other man's self-esteem. The notion of being careful to protect the self-worth of others is ridiculous (to most men). This is actually how we/they bond. So yeah, stop being so vulnerable and complaining every time someone is mean to you. That's the way the world is.

nicemarmot

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:12:04 -0500

Yeaaaaaah...I mean is this really out of the ordinary for NYC? I walk down the street and if my skirt is above my knees I will get catcalled. Hell, a few times I've been catcalled in the middle of the winter, wearing a huge puffy coat. It started happening when I was about 12, because that's when I got boobies. It is somewhat more intense here than in the Midwest of my youth, but whatever, it's the same game. Guys are stupid and juvenile. It is their nature. If it really affects your self-respect or self-esteem, you have serious problems. If you don't like it, say something nasty to the guys doing it. Or walk away! Tough isn't it. The exception is guys who will actually follow women around making lewd comments. That has happened to me once or twice and is not okay. If I had had mace or a taser that guy would have really regretted harassing me. As it happened, I just called him a shithead and spat in his general direction. He got the hint.

drewo

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:04:50 -0500

They should also rate the men, since some of these construction workers are likely gay.

SP

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:04:42 -0500

whatever, women are just a guilty as men are of judging appearances. get over it. the whole "i can tell if i want to sleep with him in the first three seconds" thing is well known. this is like all the women who wear skirts that barely come down below their ass cheeks and blouses that plunge down to their navels and yet claim to be offended when men leer at them. please, no one is buying it.

Steven

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:58:12 -0500

Women should just make a comment right back at them.

Peter

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:54:26 -0500

For more detail than the 1 - 10 scale offers, there's the "area code" scale. It is a 3-digit number, with the first and third digits going from 1 to 9. These rank the woman's face and body, respectively. The middle digit is a 0 or 1, and ranks whether you'd do her or not. To illustrate, a 518 would indicate that the woman has a reasonably cute but not outstanding face (5 out of 9), a hot body (8 out of 9), and you'd do her (the 1, as opposed to a 0).

matty

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:53:14 -0500

I am loving the feigned outrage this is attracting. Anyway, it's juvenile and disprespectful. I see it as relatively harmless though. *shrug* And no one can ignore the obvious fact that some women are interested in what their scores would be.

mocanlagunas

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:49:04 -0500

If she's offended, then it's disrespectful. Some women like it, some don't, so you just don't... It's a matter of respect, of which there seems to be a lack of...

yakatori

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:47:36 -0500

To anyone who thinks this is acceptable behavior or thinks the girls should just laugh it off, pretend for a moment that this was your wife, daughter, sister or mother.

Kojak

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:43:48 -0500

Ack Acknowledge them*

Kojak

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:43:21 -0500

Argh Don't even go that far JH. They want women to acknowledging, even if it is the finger or a FU. "... the reader got a 10, but how about the poor women who get low scores?" That means they have a lot more work to do to look their prettiest. It should give them the motivation they need to hit the gym and/or call up Dr Zizmor

nomnomnom

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:43:11 -0500

I'm with Outter Burrougher. They should refine their scoring system.

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:42:33 -0500

these are your radio listeners.

jennu

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:41:18 -0500

How about the women who don't want to have their looks blatantly judged by strangers, regardless of how they get rated? I don't know how I would've been scored, but a messenger picking something up in my office building once said "nice f***ing rack" to me as he walk past me. After overhearing me making a few calls to find out which company he was with so I could call his boss, a female co-worker said to me, "at least it was a compliment." Um, no. People with 2 x chromosomes are not just here for you to look at. Walking through the park to go to lunch shouldn't be the same as entering a beauty contest. Pigs.

Outter Burrougher

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:38:46 -0500

This is wrong on so many levels: it's degrading and dehumanizing; it's ridiculous that they have nothing better to occupy them; the best known of the judged sports at the summer games is no longer scored 1 - 10: a ten is now a horrible gymnastics score, so these guys should at least adapt to the new system.

JH4285

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:36:05 -0500

Gotta disagree Kojak... that's wholly inappropriate. They don't seem like the kind of guys who'd be interested in a discourse on sexual harassment though, so you know the best way to handle it ladies? Dish it right back. Speak in the same blunt terms so they'll understand. Walk up to one of them and hold up the "1" card to let them know just what women think of the kind of men who find something like this funny.

matty

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:33:50 -0500

yo, don't get your panties in a bunch.

SFNYgirl

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:33:47 -0500

The person who sent the email should take photos of the men and go post them at hollabacknyc[dot]blogspot[dot]com. For the rest of you who think it's funny or no big deal, spend a little time on the blog and you'll see that street harassment is annoying, pervasive and degrading. Rare is the person whose self-confidence is strong enough to not be adversely effected by jerks like these.

Sinchy

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:32:27 -0500

Those dudes should be working, not judging. if they want to do that they'll need to obtain some credentials or celeb status and then maybe they can judge a miss pig roast contest somewhere.

Jen Chung

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:31:28 -0500

This is totally wrong--sure, the reader got a 10, but how about the poor women who get low scores?

bklyngrrl

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:31:19 -0500

I give them a 7.5 for being creative and relevant to current events.

plk779

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:29:05 -0500

This is fucked up. If it's not immediately obvious to you why, it won't ever be..

Kojak

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:26:44 -0500

Harassment?? Come on. All they are doing is holding up signs. Are they even yelling to the women passing by? This tradition of rating women passing by construction sites has been around for many years. Lets not let the Feministas spoil our construction worker's fun.

moocowtoo

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:25:40 -0500

Relax politically correct world! ( I walked by and only got a 9.2 :/ )

escherichia

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:23:54 -0500

I'm surprised a 10 would even bother complaining.

pkreder

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:22:03 -0500

Hilarious...totally inappropriate...but hilarious. was it by the space age public bathroom...then they would only use the #1 and #2.