Why thousands of satisfied racists are sharing that viral catcalling video
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By Lindy West
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As I type this, author and Shelley Duvall cosplayer Joyce Carol Oates is having an impressively vile white-lady Twitter
meltdown over that ill-conceived Hollaback catcalling video
currently being thinkpieced to (a well-deserved) death.
“Isn't harassment of women walking alone in urban areas,” Oates tweeted, “(as men do freely & without incident)—a matter of neighborhoods? In NYC, certainly.” And then: “Would be very surprised if women walking alone were harassed in affluent midtown NYC (Fifth Ave., Park Ave.), Washington Square Park etc.”
Translation: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH, BLACK PEOPLE!!!”
Alternate translation: “My name is Joyce Carol Oates and I’m a racist.”
Whatever her intention, Oates managed to distill, rather perfectly, the video’s fundamental problem. By placing such manipulative, specific, politicized constraints on the issue of street harassment—that is, the subject is a “nice” white or white-passing lady wearing the “right” clothes, and the catcallers depicted as almost exclusively men of color—it allows the bulk of the audience to divorce themselves from the problem.
Oh, street harassment isn’t about
me. I’m a white businessman. Oh, I don’t have to do anything about
her
harassment. She was dressed like a slut. Not my world, not my life, not my problem.
I can’t express the outrageousness of this manipulation—which Slate confirmed yesterday was a deliberate editing choice
by the director—as well as the great Ayesha A. Siddiqi already did, so please go read her entire Storify. Here’s a segment:
Or as Roxane Gay
succinctly pointed out,
What I want to draw attention to is this: Whether or not the creators of the video intended
to be racist and classist in their presentation—to suggest that men of color in less “affluent” neighborhoods are more dangerous to women, and the women in those neighborhoods in some ways deserve it—that is what they achieved.
That is what Joyce Carol Oates learned from that video.
That is the assumption that was just confirmed for thousands of satisfied racists.
That’s the bias that lots and lots of viewers, men and women, will now take out into the world to either absolve themselves of blame or use to demonize others.
Because I didn’t just see that reaction slithering out of Oates’s brain—I saw it on my own Facebook
feed. I saw multiple white men in my social circle
chasing their tails, alternately triumphant and aggrieved: “Why should I feel bad, when you can see it’s mostly black dudes?”
Except also, there was “Learn to take a compliment, ladies,” plus “Gay guys hit on me too!,” and “Stop demonizing men,” and “You’re not even allowed to say ‘good morning’ anymore,” and, of course, “No one is demonized as much as white men in our current culture.”
They just want so desperately
for there to be a loophole—one designed just for them—so they can keep treating women like shit with impunity.
Never mind what that video would have looked like had the subject been black and walked through a steakhouse filled with rich white businessmen. Never mind the fact that women’s lives have been damaged vastly more by the affluent white men of midtown (and, more to the point, the affluent white men of D.C.) than by the impoverished black men of Harlem.
This is exactly why “not all men” is so fucking toxic. Because misogyny is a problem that all women have to deal with, and from which all men benefit. No, not all men are featured in that video, but all men are raised in a culture that treats women like decorative objects, and that conditions men to feel entitled to women’s bodies and time (whether they choose to fight against that or not).
Telling women to specify “not all men” lets most men off the hook. And we need all of them.
Photo via
Wikimedia Commons
| Screengrab via Rob Bliss Creative/YouTube | Remix by Max Fleishman
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@stavvers
I have been more harassed in white/middle class neighborhoods than in ethnic/lower class ones. it sucks, this vid ...
I didn't grow up thinking I was entitled to a woman or her time. Rape was always presented as a shameful disgusting crime. I will confess it wasn't a hot topic when I was a child. I did grow up seeing crimes like rape go investigated. I did grow up seeing kids of means being allowed to bend or break laws. I watched these men and women grow into adults. Equality is freedom. Freedom is equality. Stop demanding womens rights and start demanding human rights. There is a bigger picture.
As a Black man, this whole feature makes me feel bad for us as a country.
Everyone's so quick to fly off the handle without stopping to think for once.
1. This doesn't appear racist at all. There were a few people of other races who made comments. Also, if you think about it, it is pretty much common knowledge what body type is preferred by many Black men. I'm not going to get into details, but this woman clearly fit that body type. And I will tell you from experience, a lot of Black men will notice it even more quickly when it is a White woman who has that body type simply because it is not seen as the "norm." -Could this be why there were more Black men who said something?
2. How the hell are men supposed to try to talk to a woman that they see out and about that may be attractive to them? Yes, there were a few men who made rude remarks, but for the most part the men saw a lady that they found to be attractive, tried to talk to her, were clearly ignored, then chose to leave her alone. I'm glad I already have a wife or I would have no clue how to approach a woman without being labeled sexist. Please inform me on how a man should approach a woman he has never seen before that catches his eye. Should he simply notice her beauty and leave her alone hoping that one day, by random chance, he may run into her again at some social gathering where he will finally get a chance to let her see what type of man he is? I don't know Im just perplexed.
3. White men who are all "Oh here we go again, jumping on the White man," no one is jumping on you lol. Stop being so defensive. The author isn't addressing men that are White. The author is addressing men that claim this only happens with Black men. Calm down.
Half the things were simple "God-bless you" and "How are you" and "Hey Beautiful". I don't get how that is harassment.
Also Im not racist for noticing its mostly black men. Its a matter of what she chooses to feature in her video, upbringing, etc.
While I agree saying things like "nice ass sweetie" is disrespectful. Most of things going on were simple hellos.
Us girls get flirts. Its a fact of life. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it.
Harrassment is harrassment, it doesn't have a color, it doesn't have a race, and it doesn't have gender. You don't have to live in a big city like NYC to experience it, it's everywhere. Mothers and, most importantly, fathers need to teach their sons from a young age that women are not objects, they are not to be gawked at or claimed as a prize. We have hearts, minds, and bodies just like any man. All children should be taught how to approach and start a conversation with a stranger on the street, boy or girl. Teaching respect will go a long way for our society, if only people knew what it meant.
I don't get it... it doesn't happen in neighborhoods of class.... that's TRUE. I can say that from experience.
@Emily Rose Allen
I can say from experience that it does. It is all the most lecherous when it is an older, white "gentelman" - it is all the more lecherous when you know that they wouldn't do it to a woman who is not of color.
this is the biggest waste of time and I feel dumber for actually reading and participating...of all the things going on in this world, this is what we are focusing on
smfh
You guys really need to stop with this whole racism thing, if you actually look at the video you clearly see that their are people of all races around her, but mostly only African Americans are the ones catcalling it isn't racism to point out a fact.
I'm still gonna have to say that greeting someone kindly on the street is not "harassment". Sorry, but I really can't call anything I saw in that video harassment. If someone does something to bother you, you have to ask them to stop. Not a single one of them touched her, said anything inappropriate, or even looked at her in a creepy way. They seemed very friendly.
If that's the best footage they can get from 10 hours of walking, then I don't see what the fuss is about. New York has a ton of people all jammed into a small space. Of course you're going to run into at least a couple of annoying people!
On another note, next time you try to make a video like this: wear sexier clothes? lol
I was confused why this video pretty much only featured non-white guys, since men of all types and colors shout at women. Just like men of all types and colors are respectful and loving and compassionate.
The people commenting "BUT THEY WERE JUST SAYING HELLO!!" are being willfully obtuse, though. Those dudes are clearly not greeting everyone who walks by, all the other problems with the video aside.
Yes, you have the right to try to say hello to me on the street. I, as an autonomous person, have the right to decide that I don't want to give you any of my time. I know, it's very sad that these days you never know if a woman is going to be friendly or give you the stink eye. It's kind of like how I never know if the guy walking behind me at night is following me home, or just innocently going the same way as me.
Luckily, you don't have to change your routine if a woman rejects you. But if someone bigger and stronger and more aggressive than me decides they want to dominate my time, I have to change how I go about my day, or involve law enforcement.
But it's pretty ugly and destructive to imply that any one race or ethnic group is at fault for this problem. That's nothing but a red herring that makes racists feel vindicated.
My advice to men who feel the need to stop random women though: just assume that she may have to poo really bad. Would you want to get hit on if you were prairie-dogging it no I don't think so
@Tara Lee
yeah, they would want to get hit on if they are prairie dogging. You are ignorant to think you understand morons. :P
@randajarrar
That whole thing became very complicated very quickly
(shrugs) first world problems , oh the humanity of it all, he said "hello" to me how dare he!! trying living in a country were women are still considered property then get back to us.
It is a well known fact that black men like big butts.....LOL! People are so crazy and I am SOOOOO sick of the racists crap. This is not a racist video....the woman that tweeted wasn't saying anything about race! Lets be frank about it though....educated men would be worried about a lawsuit....an uneducated man is gonna holler at you black or white. The way it is. This statement is proudly made by a NON-RACIST BIG BOOTY white girl!
@Amanda Millisa Hargis You may not be a racist big booty white girl, but you sure are a god damn moron. I mean, why else would a white director purposely edit out white men leaving men of color as most of the offenders in the video, gee.. I WONDER WHY HE WOULD DO THAT. THAT COULD NEVER HAVE RACIST INTENTIONS
This hive mind of people saying that women are treated unfairly needs to stop being so unjust.
The fact is this is a pretty white woman walking down for HOURS in an urban area dressed in a nice outfit, logic dictates that some guys will come over and say hello, maybe the guys just want to get over their own fear of the approach, or just win her smile.
None of the guys are doing anything seriously unlawful or demeaning to her either, in a lot of other countries this would could be very dangerous.
Women need to separate the "all men are pigs" mentality with the "men are privileged, entitled etc". Not all men are pigs, and not all men feel entitled to women, if we did there wouldn't be so many single men anxious to even talk to women.
Yes men are privileged, as are WHITE people, as are RICH people, as being a CLINTON or BUSH, as GOOD LOOKS.
Discrimination is everywhere, I don't see anybody complaining the unfairness to short men, asian men, black men, hell black women even (which nobody ever talks about and probably requires the most love).
This whole movement is gaining traction because a bunch of white women basically started saying they hate how men are pigs and always put their paws and harass them, but hello? Are women going to walk over to men and pick them up?
Women are mostly just annoyed that guys come and approach them, when the guy is not attractive to them, or they are not currently looking for someone, from the guys point of view THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING, until you actually talk to the woman.
What men want to agree with is GENDER EQUALITY, not FEMALE JUSTICE. If men are not allowed to approach women, then women should not be allowed to do the same either, of course either rule is stupid, otherwise nobody would go on dates. Also what about abusive/manipulative females, you can't complain about men being pigs and then say women are saints. It has to be EQUAL if you want CHANGE.
Or dissolve the idea of gender all together because its an old idea.
I don't agree with harassment or violence (e.g. groping), but approaching a girl nicely and trying to strike up conversation is NOT HARASSMENT. She is in a public space, even a senator could be approached for a chat.
You girls need to ask yourselves a different question to, would you pick being a girl thats attractive to men, or being a girl where men wouldn't want to approach you at all? I think you all know the answer.
Edited in:
This whole new feminist movement is ironic because its somewhat female entitlement. Is it about equal pay? equal opportunities? equal representation? NO. It's about women wanting to qualify men.
The current generation of women has unparalleled opportunities in science, technology, management, engineering and everything else, yet the participation rate of women in these university is low, because its unsocial, uncool,unhip, not the easy ride.
Contrast this to the post world war 2 generation of women, we had the women who invented computers, invented DNA, and many more amazing women from that generation? These women existed 50 years ago in a way more segregated society, if they could do it - whats really stopping women now?
@Joey Wong Nobody "invented" DNA. Discovered new forms of it, or learned more about its properties, sure.
I'm not sure you can make a claim like that - "female participation rate in universities is low" - without substantiating it with some real evidence. Take into consideration the fact that there are more people on Earth than there have ever been, there are all kinds of new jobs that didn't exist before, and more countries are participating in the competitive international professional stage than ever before. What percentage of men don't participate in science, technology, etc. because it's "uncool"? Is the rate for women actually lower? There are more hard-working female professionals around the world nowadays than there ever have been in human history. So I don't think that's a sound assessment.
While I do agree that what most of the men are saying to her in this video isn't harmful, it's drawing attention to a much bigger issue, that men do it extremely often and women are really annoyed about it. That's all the video is really trying to bring to light. It's not saying men shouldn't approach women at all, but I mean come on, what are the odds that you're going to get to know a pretty woman on the street when she's already busy going somewhere? How often does that EVER happen? It's all about context. If a man approaches a woman at a party, or a club, or a concert, whatever, that's more logical. But for guys to whistle at her or ask her questions or FOLLOW her (which is undeniably creepy) are things that should be exposed, criticized and rejected.
Also...you're a guy. There's not a whole lot you can say about what females experience if you yourself aren't a female. You know what I mean? It's like that episode of South Park when Randy said the N-word on TV and Stan kept trying to explain to Token that he understands why Token was so upset that his dad said that. And in the end, Stan figures it out by saying, "I get it now! I don't get it. I don't get it because I'll never know what it feels like for a black person to be called that word." And Token goes, "NOW you get it, Stan."
As men, we can speculate and opine all we want, but without the experience of actually being a woman and dealing with the annoyance of having to put up with that shit every single day, nothing we say could ever be all that valid.
@Omar Carbona
Hey, good points. I agree I can never fully emulate the experience of being a woman, though I know what it feels like to be harassed. I think you highlighted a good point there - where do we draw the line? You say such behaviours are ok in a club, but who defines that? So the behaviour is ok if its a short skinny guy getting harassed?
It has to be about defined boundaries I think, not a general "women don't like this so men have to..." ,
if so its unfair without = "men don't like this so women have to...." (as well)
then it becomes stupid because it becomes preferences, and we know everyone has different preferences.
You don't need statistics, you just need to look at the skewed men to women ratio in prominent world firms like google where there is high specialty in skill. Just look a team photo of any of these companies and its obvious women are severely outnumbered.
Women complain the lack of high paying jobs for them, but then how many hours have men grueled being a code monkey before becoming a full-time at google? They don't see the sacrifices, like we don't see how
hard a mother really has to work for her baby.
The post world war 2 women, they thought that to be equal as men, they need to work and produce in the same way men does.
Hence in spite of all the gender inequality in the 1950s etc, a woman discovered DNA, a woman invented one of the first programming languages, women invented computing, a woman revolutionised farming, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of women from that generation that went on to make great strides many out-achieving men.
In fact all the way up the the 1990s there were loads of female computer engineers. Where did they all go? Clearly its a choice, because there isn't anything stopping a female from choosing a highly technical and highly paid subject area.
Women also have better grades in high school, why are we not seeing them in droves in computer science, engineering, finance, accounting? I think the answer is kind of obvious - they choose other more socially attractive careers, but if they do that - how can they then go on complaining that a marketing job is not as highly paid as a systems administrator?
Then enact that a man with a high paying job is a result of privilege not of his own hard work, it may be true but without the counterpart proving it, it is your argument that is missing statistics because it doesn't exist.
Again it should be about EQUALITY, we have discrimination in all areas, so we should be vigilant in all of it, not just women's priviledge's in "how they are approached"
@Joey Wong
Seriously, thanks. You saved me about an hour that I would've spent trying to justify why exactly this "social experiment" was ridiculous. I watched the video- and most of what I saw was men just trying to strike up a conversation. I think I even heard one guy say something like "Have a wonderful day"and that's it. He was gone after that. There's a difference between communication and harassment.
Agreed. And she looked irritated that most of them were even speaking to her! Not once did she respond to anyone's"hello" or "hey, beautiful." It's not to say they wouldn't keep talking if she'd spoke, but why not acknowledge someone greeting you if it's not offensive? Even the guy who walked with her for 5 mins did nothing wrong...
@Sheri Smith-Washington I was thinking, "why is she not stopping or turning around?" when he was walking next to her. He had somewhere to be and she was just eye candy for the stroll. They are both gross.
I am Latina and I live this everyday I am out on my own. No matter what I'm wearing... It's usually a normal top and jeans... There is always harassment, everywhere from everybody. It is not the fact that she is white and the men were black! They are just men and they do it... Not matter what their colour is And it is annoying!
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