5/20/08

Hello!

I was checking out the NY hollaback site, which I found quite interesting, and decided to look at yours because, well, I am from Texas. I was flashed and masturbated to for the first time by a man in a pickup truck asking me for directions at the age of 8. A good friend of mine, with whom I compare "flashee" stories (we've both been flashed/masturbated to numerous times), has become a pro at calling the police while encouraging the perp to continue masturbating. I am telling you this to emphasize how commonplace these egregious incidents are and why I was interested in the "hollaback" mission to begin with. I want to know why women tend to freeze and expect outside help when put in these situations, and how we can learn to react more effectively to aggressive exhibitionism and molestation.

From the cursory look I've had at hollaback Texas, it appears your website is bascially a space for rants about awkward men making socially retarded come-ons. I do not consider someone staring at me to be infringing on my rights. Licking their lips, making kissing noises, hanging a head out of a car window to get a good look - all those behaviors are immature and uncomfortable to have done to you by a complete stranger, but I believe they warrant our pity and efforts at education more than our rage. I understand that you aren't getting a heck of a lot of submissions for the site, but filling the space by detailing every incident in which you are the object of a man's awkward attempts to compliment or come on to you just sounds whiny and self-indulgent.