Dear Summer

The Summer is here. While many of us will be vacationing, others will be firing up the grill and hanging out at the beach. Historically, summer is a time of rest and relaxtion for most, outfits get smaller and minds wander more frequently. Besides gas prices and the temperature, it is important to note what rises most in the summer time…ignorance…

Recently my wife-to-be came home annoyed and frustrated, sure she had a long day at work and the humidity didn’t help, but after speaking with her she revealed that two men on two separate occasions gawked and made derogatory remarks to her and her girlfriend. Was she dressed inappropriately, (whatever that means)? No, but regardless no one should be subjected to this behavior. This was not a one time occurrence either, most women reading this article, probably more than likely had a similar experience earlier this day, and its just sad. As America continues to blame hip hop, its imperative that we look more into mentoring and parenting our youth. Young boys and girls have no respect for one another, however, this is nothing but a reflection of what they witness from the supposed people they are to look up to. Actually, in the story my fiancé told me, one of the guys was a “dirty old man,” all this to say, ignorance does not discriminate.

The basic definition of sexual harassment comes form the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.”

It’s evident that this definition doesn’t clearly include the street environment. However, examples of verbal sexual harassment from the E.E.O.C. include: “…sexual comments, jokes, gestures, noises, propositions, catcalls or whistling in a demeaning manner with sexual overtones, referring to an adult as ‘girl,’ ‘boy,’ ‘honey,’ ‘sweetie’ or ‘babe,’ asking about sexual fantasies, preferences or history, making sexual comments about person’s clothing, body or looks…” And we all can attest to witnessing this behavior on a daily basis.

Whether traveling in DC/NY/Philly, public transportation is a must for many, and this only leads to a higher probability of harassment. From the crowed trains and buses, to the long blocks walking home, most women are completely vulnerable to this exposure.

Criminologist Robert T. Sigler acknowledges that street harassment toward women has received little attention from both the public and lawmakers. “This activity is seen as recreation by the men involved,” he notices, citing that participants indicate that their intent is not to anger or humiliate the victim. Sigler suggests that men engage in street hassling because it alleviates boredom and provides them with enjoyment. He cites a survey on street harassment that reveals that 80 percent of people view it as a problem and 78 percent express need for legislation against the behavior.

The courts definitely need to step in and take a more demonstrative approach to this issue however, as usual the onus falls on the community. Next time you see a young boy attempting to grab a young girl from the back, yolk him up and educate the kid. Ladies when you see a girl wearing a top clearly too small, pop her in the back of the neck. I know these suggestions are far fetched, but I just wanted to know your opinion. Scheme what’s your view?