The Fault in Our Catcalls
Both are at a standstill, waiting for one another to lose in the war.
written last 2019.
Where did catcalling begin? When did it become normal? Does the current president of the Philippines and the United States of America have something to do with it? Or did it originate way back in history? When women were being belittled dramatically and seriously?
Who taught men to make women uncomfortable? Did teachers teach them to make fun of women because they’re fragile anyway? Did their mothers tell them to discriminate against the opposite sex because they’re weaker anyway? Did their sisters instruct them to laugh at the female species because they know that their kind is less intelligible than those of the male species? Or perhaps their girl friend told them that it is okay to catcall women because they most probably won’t do anything about it anyway?
Maybe, their fathers encouraged them to sexually harass women because they have sexual desires, and they need to be fed. Or maybe the women were wearing short clothes, too revealing, that made men say, “Hey, sexy!”
You see, my friends, the fault in our catcalls does not lie in merely gender discrimination, or in society alone, but a combination of both.
Although gender discrimination has long been “averted”, it is still seen today. Not as serious as before, but it is still present. If gender inequality no longer exists, then Emma Watson and other feminists would not be speaking out about gender equality louder than ever. Although women have become more powerful than ever compared to the last century, the last decade, or the last year even, we cannot deny the fact, it is still there. Catcalling proves that fact.
Some men say it is the women’s fault because of their short and revealing clothing. Women say it is the men’s fault for not being able to control their hungry desires for sex. Both are at a standstill, waiting for one another to lose in the war.
But whose fault is it? Who will give in?
That is for you to answer.
*Note: This was written last 2019 and the author’s views have changed since then.
