Fuck off, will ya

The catcalling (piropo) vice in Chile has got to stop -- the obscene remarks as well as the 'flattering' ones. They are actually a form of sexual harrassment. From now on, let's call it street harassment

I have a problem with catcalling, and note that I am a guy, and I am South American. It is supposed to be a part of my culture, but I disagree. I actually hate it.

Seriously, what kind of idiotic culture is this where anyone can make remarks about a woman's appearance? It is not part of our anyone's culture. It's rather a bad habit inherited from our sexually repressed past, and although it may be less serious in my generation (I'm 31 years-old), it's still here. Amazingly, these twats in Chile have even organised Catcalling Contests (and in Spain too... yes, you guessed it: that's where we come from). Guys, you've got to be retarded.

But you girls as well. How can you possibly enjoy having someone --totally out of the blue-- yelling at you or blowing kisses or wolf whistling at you? I know you're gonna say 'sometimes they are cute and lift my self-esteem'. Well, if you tolerate people invading your space and you think unwanted attention is OK, then I have bad news for you: you will also have to put up with the lewd remarks and obscenities. The tolerance towards nice compliments creates a safety net where it is allowed to be impertinent, and that leaves an open door to obscenities. So, because you don't want to be verbally abused, then start thinking of all forms of interruption of your space and movement as a form of harrasment, and in this, case, you will see the catcalling as sexual harrassment, no matter how flattering or rude, they belong to the same form of abuse.

I have experienced this annoyance myself quite a few times. The most awful one was a bloody Chilean cop catcalling my ex girlfriend. Of couse I retaliated: shut the fuck up you fucking cop. They returned, rolled down the window and went 'what's your problem, mate? Chill out'. My ex, embarrased, just whispered 'come on, let's go, it's OK'. I had made a scene and I went on and on. But think about it: the cops do it, women accept it. Suddenly, it's me the one blwoing things out of proporion. I just don't get it.

As you can see, it is that bad. It's really, really bad, and it's not only irritating, it can be scary. Many women hate it for personal reasons. It's about time we start retaliating.

Now, with my current girlfriend, who happens to be French, it's been bad too. Crossing over once on Av. Brasil (city centre) one driver goes: "leave him, sweetheart, and marry me instead". First thing that strikes me is why can't that moron keep his eyes on the road to drive safely. Second, what the hell was that? Seriously, why can't he mind his own flippin' business? Who the hell is he? He's someone I have never seen in my life telling my girfriend that HE likes her! Of course one would think that people talk to others when they need help, or asking for directions, or at least to share something interesting, but no, that selfish idiot just wanted to make a point because HE thinks he's cool, or maybe funny, or maybe even trying to tell me 'oh man you're lucky'. But I am not up for this shit anymore. He's a stranger, can't he mind his own business and leave me alone?

And it happens at all ages. Once my dad at a supermarket told someone to go to hell after staring at my sisters breasts... my sister was 13. She saw this scene and she cried. The guy mummbled 'I'm sorry' and left. This is sickening. And I have to insist that the only way to erradicate the street harrassment is simply if we all frown upon this behaviour, and the 'compliments' (!), not matter how 'sweet' or 'harmless', are all considered equally disgusting, together with the lewd remarks or sleazy stares, because they are unwanted attention and an intrusion. They should not be tolerated.

Our fellow blogger Kyle has written a post about this serious problem, and she's angry, and I totally understand her and I believe that most men actually would like to support her. In Chile, where women have been subjected to men, it's aparently OK to treat them with either unusual respect (opening doors) or unusual disrespect ('mijiiita riica'). Kyle's asking us whether it may be a good idea to tell guys off and retaliate. In fact, it is a brilliant idea. Someone has got to do something about this, and harassers need to learn a lesson.

I have met so many foreign girls and I'm yet to meet one who finds this at least remotely funny, uplifting, pleasant or complimentary, obviosuly, because it is so fucking NOT. It's either embarrassingly cheesy, so much that makes me cringe in mortification, or utterly rude and unacceptable. Foreign girls have had enough. If we are opening up to the world, it's time to start treating women with respect, just like a civilised country or at least like a respectful place. Let's build up a society based on respect and equality, where there's no room for this form of abuse.

I have seen ocassionally some French guys catcalling, but it is rare, and at least French men are good looking and speak a beautiful language. Guys, let's face it: we're ugly and we don't speak, we babble. Let's all just stop accepting this crap. The typical grey-suit office worker you find in the city centre telling a girl she's an 'angel fallen from heaven' and that the 'beautiful eyes like the starts' and rubbish like that, that man is simply a sad and pathetic individual, surely married to an ugly witch and that's why has to let off his frustration somehow, but it is his own problem. Other people don't have to hear or tolerate such idiocy on the street or on the public transport. Let alone the sleazy horrible ones who can visually rape a woman... I have seen them. They are absolutely disgusting. I said it before: if you start accepting the nice compliments, you will end up verbally molested. So, girls, don't accept the catcalling, never.

As we can see, there's no much left for the construction workers then (being the Chileans builders among the slowest and more inefficient of the world). Yes, they complain they are paid very little, but I would pay them less every time until they learn that a woman is to be respected and that her privacy is sacred and her looks is not a question to be complimented. She's a stranger. You don't know her. Just shut up and keep working.

A woman is fully entitled to wear a miniskirt and/or a low-cut cleavage if she wants to, and feel free and happy about herself, or attractive for whoever she wants to. The moronic behaviour of the Chileans has resulted in women dressed like nuns to prevent being harrassed. Or else, stupidly, men blame women for the catcalling. I presume women dress for themselves and they are free to wear the attire they take fancy without feeling scared of men's reactions. And that mean yes, if you are a guy and see this beautiful girl in a tiny skirt or falling out of her top, just shut the fuck up and at least don't stare at her like a lion abut to wolf down a piece of meat. Show some decency.

Some months ago it was all over the news the case of Tracy Taylor, an American resident who simply got fed up of the catcalling and went to denounce some builders to the Chilean police. As I said above, even the cops are catcalling women. So there's no much hope.

If we pride ourselves in being a country where we love our friends, and 'even more so if they are foreigners', I invite everyone to think about the street harassment problem and start supporting our gringa friends. Yes, it does happen in the US and in Nort Europe too, but less. At least is frowned upon. We have not seen catcalling contests in other countries because it would cause a stir. In Chile, they say 'take a chill pill, it's not so bad', while women out there are sometimes even petrified, and they dress like nuns.

This is a battle we can't win. At least it'll be good if the Chilean women stand up and say 'the catcalling is disgusting'. I'm sure there will be many, more than we ever imagined.