Young woman on roller skates in the city park. A stranger on skates decides to follow and flirt, won’t leave her be. When he’s not looking, she hides, puts on her shoes, and makes a quick exit.
Young woman at work. A drunk customer comes in and flirts, then a former co-worker comes in to chat. Drunk man gets jealous, assaults the co-worker. Police arrive to take the drunkard away.
Young woman at school. The #metoo movement is the talk of the day. Male teacher says, “If only women would wear burkas, we wouldn’t have all these problems.”
Young woman walking on the shopping street. Strange man turns around and asks for her number, then finds out her age.
Young woman at work. Male customer tells her how beautiful she is, asks for her number, then finds out her age.
I am disgusted. I am enraged. I am afraid.
All of this happened to my teenage daughter. And I suspect it is only the tip of the iceberg. Will a guy one day be too drunk or too high to refuse a ‘no’? And if you’re wondering about her ‘work’, it’s at a neighbourhood grocery store.
With the #metoo movement, with the attention on microaggressions and bias, I was hoping society was finally learning to be, well, nicer. Then I hear about such toxic actions taking place so very close to my heart. What is wrong with our society? Why do men feel they have the right to give such unwanted, and frankly frightening, attention to young women?
I call out to fathers, brothers, grandfathers, male friends, boyfriends. Teach those losers! Set the example! Young women — support each other!
This sad reflection of society only makes me more determined to finish my new fantasy series, working title: FISH. (Yeah, it’s been taking me ages. Pfff…) The world of FISH is a matriarchal one where the gender roles have undergone a full 180 degrees. The women gawk at the men. The women have harems of ‘familymen’. The women control the money, the politics, and have the legal rights. And what about the men? They make themselves pretty, take care of the kids, clean the house, and are considered too emotional to handle serious matters. Sure, it’s exaggerated. But, is it really?
Ok, rant over.