Nicole Blanchard
Editor-in-Chief
A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend about how she was enjoying her first few days at Idaho State University when she said she had been catcalled in the Student Union parking lot.
At first I was shocked. In four years here, I have never felt harassed by another student on campus. Why was this happening in one of the places I feel safest?
But soon I got angry, because the past few years (and especially the last few months) have taught me that no place is safe from street harassment. Not only is it present at our university, but I experienced it this summer in the parking lot of my work, while taking a walk with a friend and, most disturbingly, down the block from my house while walking my dog.
Here’s the thing: catcalling isn’t cute. Another name for catcalling is street harassment because, go figure, people who get yelled at or hit on in public feel as though they’re being harassed.
It’s not complimentary and it’s not flattering. But I can tell you what it is. It’s frightening.
When you scream things like, “Hey sweetheart!” and whistle as you drive by, I’m not flattered. I’m offended because you whistle to get the attention of your dog, not a person whom you plan to treat with respect.
If you pull a U-turn to drive by at 5 MPH and make obscene gestures at me, it’s definitely apparent that you want to take me home…and murder me.
Although there are always exceptions to the rule, my experience has been that, by and large, catcalling is an unpleasant and disturbing encounter for most women (or anyone who has been street harassed).
Catcalling has been the topic of many a real-life rant, but I decided to make it my column topic because it really has to stop. If it has happened once at ISU, it has happened a million times, and no student should have to feel unsafe on this campus.
If you’re one of the perpetrators or you know someone who is, it shouldn’t be difficult to cut out the rude behavior. Your affinity for aggressively approaching attractive people is not more important than someone else’s sense of safety.
Maybe you were really under the impression that you were giving well-received compliments; so let this be your wake-up call. Displaying a middle finger is not how most people respond to actual compliments.
For those of us who aren’t doing the harassing, it’s difficult to know how we can help eradicate catcalling at ISU (and hopefully everywhere else).
If you’re with someone who is street harassing others, tell them to stop. Explain how their behavior could be seen as predatory and aggressive.
If you see someone who looks like they’re being harassed, or if you witness a drive-by catcall, there are several things you can do. Ask that individual if she is okay, or if she feels safe. If you see someone walking on campus or on public transit that looks as though they’re being held in an uncomfortable conversation, consider interjecting into the conversation to offer an escape route.
If you ever feel unsafe on campus, Public Safety can be reached at 282-2515.
