There’s this:
“Even when a girl rejects your advances, she KNOWS that you
desire her. That’s hot. It arouses her physically and
psychologically.” – Above the Game, a
“pickup artist” guide
And this:
“Men are notoriously bad at reading women’s minds and body
language. Don’t think that you’re any
different. From now on you must ASSUME
that she is attracted to you and wants to be ravished. It’s a difference in mindset that makes
champs champs and chumps chumps.” – Above
the Game, a “pickup artist” guide
And then there’s this:
“He told police he raped,
choked and fatally stabbed the girl when she rejected his advances as they
drank at the abandoned 18-acre site on a hillside overlooking Waterbury.” –
Associated Press
And this:
“Man Hurls Glass in Woman’s Face After She Ignored Him in City Bar” - London24
And this:
“Suspect commits deadly shooting after reportedly being
rejected by woman in Detroit gas station” – WJBK FoxDetroit
In a recent post, I made reference to the DJ who covered my
friend’s wedding. He approached me,
invaded my personal space, got annoyed when rebuffed, and watched me all
night. His interest was noted by the
bride’s dad, who made sure to give him a good stare down every time he tried to
linger at our table (as if the DJ wasn't his own biggest cockblock to begin
with, but thanks Dez). The situation has been bothering me. I've
been thinking about it a bit more. A good friend suggested that in the
future I accept the "compliment" by saying thank you and moving
on. I'm grateful my friend gave me the opportunity to reflect more on the
situation, although perhaps in unexpected ways.
I don't think my friend was trying to be at all
disrespectful when he suggested I let the DJ's behavior slide and take it as a
compliment. If anything, he was trying to be helpful in a way that could
assist me in letting it go while not wasting emotional energy on the situation. And maybe it seems perplexing that disrespect could
be used to describe his comments at all, perhaps unaware or naive fits the
statement (not the person) better. His comments prompted me to think on a
larger scale in regard to the messages people receive about what is and is not
acceptable in terms of advances and statements of interest. I find it
unlikely any of my current friends, male or not, would genuinely suggest that
anyone, women included, should feel complimented by all people, men included,
who hit on them. Instead, I suspect they would indicate that it is perfectly ok
to reject their advances. I wonder, though, how much of this is due to
the friends I have versus the larger social perspective. The
idea that someone should be flattered or complimented by someone else taking an
interest in them regardless of the intention behind the interaction is
shortsighted, dangerous, and unfortunately pervasive in US society as reflected
in the statements listed above. It's like the dog telling the fire-hydrant to be grateful it's the first one on the block.
My friend also suggested that men are often thinking simply
of a sexual encounter in these instances, and most, when rejected, will move
on. And again, I wonder, how is that a compliment? Guy: "She'll
do." "Hey, you have a really classic look, I feel like I know
you." Girl: "Not interested." Guy: "Too hard, need
something easier, Feminist Bitch" (moves on down the line) "Hey,
you have a really classic look..." So, women should feel complimented that men think they're worth having sex with, and yet, if you aren't interested or
are too difficult to persuade they'll just happily move on to someone
else? Really? Like women are carnival rides? Women who set
boundaries around sex are not "feminist bitches," and the notion that
men get to be indignant about those boundaries and label women is
unacceptable. No one is entitled to sex, and women are not required to
fulfill men's absurd, narrow, entitled requests. It's one thing to
approach someone and be frank that you want to have sex. Just fucking
ask. Introduce yourself, get the other person's name, and then state your
question (this
is a quick way to get “enthusiastic consent” a brilliant concept).
Depending on where you're at, this could go very well or very poorly.
Choose wisely. Why waste time on pretense when it's obvious that is all your conversation is? Sex for the sake of sex is fine. Some people should have more, some less, some probably not at all. Otherwise, build a nice foundation; have a genuine
discussion about something, get to know the other person slightly, and then
ask. Do not, however, pull the DJ-esq bullshit involving horrible lines and an
overbearing entitlement to the woman as your property as soon as you see her. I
think that is what really gets me about the DJ; the entitlement and he insulted my
intelligence. If you have to insidiously persuade,
scam, or otherwise bend the other person's will to have sex, that's a
problem. The DJ was clearly following the used car salesman’s book to
hooking up. There was nothing he could
have said based on his initial presentation that would have prompted me to
consent to anything.
After reflecting on the DJ situation, I realized many men,
possibly including my friend, have probably never been in a situation
where any kind of engagement (positive like a smile or negative like "get
away from me") has been taken as both immense interest in the other person
and permission for anything and everything.
I've worked with enough sex offenders to know the Above the Game pickup artist information by heart. Always
assuming that all women are attracted to you and therefore "want to be
ravished" is not what "makes champs champs and chumps chumps."
When followed, that assumption makes felons felons and non-felons
felons...guaranteed. The positive response is seen as an open invitation,
the negative response is seen as a challenge to be dominated.
Am I overly cautious in situations like the DJ, yes...and no. My excessive caution has served me well in some ways, although not perfectly. Can I step outside of my rigid interpersonal defenses in regard to come-ones and see that not all men are skeezy douchebags? Yes, I know a number of respectful, highly attractive men. I even trust a couple of them. Yet, when I have attempted to be more flexible and use the socially prescribed, polite "thank you, moving on" cues, I have been reminded in the worst ways that my actions only account for some of the outcome.
For example, last year I was assaulted in the middle of a
crowded bar. I was in the company of my partner and four good friends.
The guy who assaulted me was one of the bar owners. He seemed to be
on good terms with a friend, so I let my caution dial back while letting some
of his attitude and comments about my "hot boots and red nails"
slide...I'm not big on public drama. Definitely one of the worst choices
I've ever made. Also, I was in a large group of people and felt safe, as I had
every right to...however idealistically misguided. The night progressed, so did his blood
alcohol content and his obnoxiousness.
Luckily, our table only fit five people so the space limited our interaction
somewhat. It wasn't until near the end
of the night that I started setting boundaries and making "back off" cues. As I was getting ready to leave, and my
partner left to pay the tab, the guy restrained me from behind, groped me,
rubbed himself against me, kissed the side of my head leaving copious amounts
of spit behind, and made a comment about what I "wanted" sexually, as
if he had it on good authority and it involved him. Stunned, horrified, and
struck with fear, it ended when my partner scrambled back across the room after
seeing my horrified face and literally pried him off of me. I nearly
wrecked my car driving home on account of dry-heaves, uncontrollable shivering,
and anxiety. I threw my boots away the second I pulled into my driveway,
and I have another pair I haven't worn since then. I had a painful bruise
where he gripped my upper arm. And I had one of the most difficult, terrifying, and humanity affirming conversations of my life with the friend who knew the guy…after I
went back and forth for a couple of days before finally deciding to talk with
him. Gratefully, my fears were unwarranted and my indecision was unnecessary regarding our discussion as my friend responded in the most supportive way (definitely one of the best decisions in the situation).
The next few months proceeded with a mixture of high
anxiety, and a constant fluctuation between insomnia and nightmares.
Perhaps worst of all, it briefly affected my clinical work, an unforeseen impact. I did what I needed
to in order to regain balance and a sense of safety but it took time. I
felt the need to do it rather quietly without any attention or further
discussion. I also had to process my role in the situation. Coming
to terms with the fact that I was physically powerless in that moment and
completely froze without defending myself was painful...even though I was physically not a match for the guy. After
all, I've trained in self-defense with two high level black-belt women over a
period of years here and there, and I
was in a fairly crowded bar, surely I could have drawn a bit more attention. Could I have made other choices? Absolutely.
Would it have made a difference? Maybe. In that situation, I was damned
either way, I think (although I wish I had screamed "GET THE FUCK OFF OF
ME" so I didn't [irrationally] feel so much like a failure and at fault). Was any
of his behavior, even upon initial greeting, a compliment? No, not even
close. Did I feel “aroused”? Only so far as I simultaneously wanted to
cause him grievous bodily harm and burn all of my flesh off. Given this experience, there was no way the
DJ was getting a pass, especially when I was basically traveling alone and in a
barely familiar location. That rigidity doesn't make me a feminist bitch; I don't need to justify myself in choosing the people I spend time with socially or sexually.
I have no objections to flirting with people or sharing genuine compliments with someone. I do my fair share of both, and I find them fun as well as important in maintenance of social skills and relationships. And, social situations can be really challenging- even more so when it comes to possible sexual interest. The salient difference in the situation with the DJ versus other encounters was the intent and attitude behind the interaction. There was nothing respectful or genuine in his presentation, tone, choice of words, or physical proximity. He made it clear I was an object to be had and nothing more. There is absolutely nothing complimentary about being a dehumanized, targeted object. Nothing. Despite this, socially it is still considered unacceptable or rude for women to react with almost anything but politeness and gratitude when shown male attention (take it as a compliment). This is especially true if you are not exactly attractive by social standards. Also, it can be dangerous for women to respond with anything but positivity in some situations. Violence in general is unacceptable; the levels of violence against women on account of being women are unfathomable.
(I will add a caveat regarding BDSM preferences that fall into dehumanizing people etc. by stating that when these behaviors are explicitly consensual I think the discussion changes almost entirely. There are a great many highly intelligent and often well-educated people who enjoy BDSM while still having immensely healthy relationships. Objectification propelled by entitlement and a disregard for women is the focus here.)
The bar incident is a more overt example of the issues women
face in regard to advances by men. The DJ did not physically assault me,
but the subtlety of his actions does not belie the impact
or the social implications. When you are a generally nice person with
good social skills, nice manners, and respect for people, it's difficult to
envision a) that other people are not the same in similar situations and b)
that responding in a nice, polite way would lead to increasingly worse
outcomes. Striking a balance between being friendly with new people and
making it clear friendly is not an open invitation is difficult. Failing
to recognize and therefore tacitly sanctioning the instances where the message is clear but simply ignored
compounds the situation; that is something that can be changed. A tall order, but necessary for the benefit and safety of all riders...
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