If so, shouldn’t we be trying to get the crimes reported and prosecuted?

Because that’s what you do when someone commits a crime against you. Suggesting that you blog about it seems to be belittling the entire thing.

Interesting that no one has responded to my point above… so I’ll ask again. If this site had been used by vindictive, scorned women to frame or get revenge against innocent men, wouldn’t it stand to reason that over the course of the site’s first five years, some of those innocently slandered men would have taken legal action, or complained about the site to the press or within social media? Instead, HollaBack has been the subject of quite a bit of attention in local and regional media, as well as social media, and none of that coverage has uncovered any men who were fraudulently targeted.

Women** taking photographs of men** to prevent abuse: OMG WHAT ABOUT ABUSE AND LIBEL?

* = read: ‘men’

** = mostly

In that case, we’re just talking about basic male privilege rather than active misogyny.

How can you know, much less prove, that all of the photos and stories submitted to Boing Boing are legitimate? Is there any attempt whatsoever to validate them? Followup investigation?

How can you know, much less prove, that all of the photos and stories submitted to FARK are legitimate? Is there any attempt whatsoever to validate them? Followup investigation?

How can you know, much less prove, that all of the photos and stories submitted to Ars Technica are legitimate? Is there any attempt whatsoever to validate them? Followup investigation?

Face it, signsofrain, the possibility of abusing a web site with fraudulent content is not enough to discredit said web site. I now state it as fact: “I’ve been aware of these web sites for years, and it has never been subject to inappropriate usage.” but you don’t see any proof. Try again.

I think this is excellent, not only as a tool for individuals, but also as a symbol that we still have a long way to go to reach equality between the sexes. Just look at previous discussions here where the definition of rape is still not understood by some of us men.

I am ashamed this is happening.

Also, any social media platform has the potential to be abused. Someone might use a WordPress blog to spread lies about their boss, or post compromising photos of their ex on Facebook. Why isn’t anyone here advocating against these sites, since they also have the potential to be used to wrong someone?

As others have pointed out, it’s extremely telling that many people here seem to care far more about a hypothetical man who maybe, possibly could be hurt by this site than about the millions of women who face harassment on a daily basis.

Maybe all the users are honest. I’m just saying that in my experience with humans, the internet and anonymity that usually isn’t the case. I certainly agree that respect towards women is hugely important and that we need more of it. I’m also willing to give this site a pass on the grounds that it’s on the good scale of vigilantism. But give it a long thought: if somebody posted a lie, how would you really know? Especially one without a name is very unlikely to get back to the source. If it could happen, and if you accept that not every person is honest, isn’t it likely that probably by now, or at least eventually, somebody misused the service? If you feel it’s still worth it because most people are honest, that’s fine, but I think it’s important to at least acknowledge the possibility for abuse, rather than insisting on a truth value none of us can know for sure.

Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_vigilantism. Read up on yelp. The idea of using the internet as a platform to shame people who wrong you is far older than this site. I’d point to “Dog-shit girl” a Korean girl caught on film failing to pick up after her dog. She was humilated and harasses by strangers for months afterwards, getting forced out of school and society (is that a fair punishment? Personally, I’d lean more towards fines then endless harassing calls and threats). I’d point out Yelp, regularly accused of blackmailing restaurants with the threat of bad reviews if they don’t advertise with them. I think if you asked, most of the people who posted questions about the use of this feel that way about all internet vigilantism, not just that designed to help women.

So to be clear, in case I’ve given the wrong impression here: I don’t think catcalls, gropes, unwanted language of any kind is appropriate or ok. I think it is an issue that’s important for public discourse, and that the right thing to do when you see someone being harassed is to inform the harasser that’s not ok. I don’t object to the site on the grounds that women are in any way, shape or form more likely to make false accusations. I don’t even, at the root of it, object to the existence of the site. But the idea that an accuser is always telling the truth is a dangerous one. This wasn’t a knee jerk response to the site based on a subconcious prejudice against women: I’ve thought about the ability of the internet to empower the harassed and ruin peoples lives long before I read this article.

Further, if you’re hanging around women who are that vindictive, then you need to reevaluate who you associate with.

Finally, as a straight, white (well Jewish) male that lives in San Francisco and likes to dress up, I’ve had plenty of gay men ogle me. I’ve had shop keepers ask me to spin in place so they could check me out.

I personally find it a bit flattering when a gay man hits on me, but that’s because I have no fear of being attacked or touched inappropriately. I imagine someone who feels vulnerable would feel differently. A website like this is empowering for them.

Meanwhile, harassed women everywhere have experienced the ability of reality to empower the harasser and ruin their lives long before they heard of the internet.

Someone should teach them that they oughta keep that behavior for their visits to the strip joints and burlesque halls, where it might be tolerated.

Here’s a tune they can hum to themselves instead, if they should ever feel tempted to do anything so obtuse and un-gallant as to cat-call some bird passing by:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc5DUZintK4

Manners, people.

When I’m harrassed on the street, I take away something from that exchange, whether I respond or not. That thing is usually harm, sometimes even flashbacks to past assaults. This site lets me jettison that harm, and it soothes to hear someone say ‘you were right to feel shite about that, what that man did was wrong’, for once.

Hollaback exists to make the experience of many thousands of people visible. I have visited the site and the stories there have helped me come to terms with my own experience and that of my peers: from being beaten for fun by a group of young men; sexually assaulted by a friend; to testifying in court because a man forced his way into my home and onto my housemate (then seeing the same man shopping with his family the next week). Experiences like this are not out of the ordinary for women living in the UK and elsewhere.I have, however, never submitted a Hollaback. I admire the people who can, and who stand up to harassers. Long live Hollaback.

Just because it is easy and everyone does it doesn’t also mean that we as a society should tolerate such abuses. Technically defamation and bullying is easy within people’s local communities, but that doesn’t mean that people engage in such behavior on a regular basis.

You are implying that you are willing to turn a blind eye to the online bulling of both teenagers and the improper shaming of adults simply because the internet makes in easy? I truly hope that wasn’t what you wished to imply.

Though if 4chan and /b/ get on the case, it doesn’t really matter if they are named…But more likely they’d be the ones doing the cat-calling, etc.

That said, I’m not against the site in an way. I’m sure somebody will eventually use it for evil, and I hope that when they do they’re caught and punished.

I assume they decry street violence against people of any and all genders, according to that.

BTW, I bet that in a post that is mostly about street harassment’s impact on women, you probably don’t need to “point out” that men are also sometimes targets of street harassment. Most women and LGBT people are already fully aware that street harassment has many faces; people working to end street violence will also be aware. Most people who aren’t men experience street harassment on a routine basis. Think about the fact that at least half of the world’s population–if not more–is already more aware of street harassment and its many forms than most men will ever have occasion to be, before you decide to patronizingly “point out” something to them because you assume they’re not aware of it.

Also, I’m not sure if this is much good against harassers in moving vehicles, though. In a couple of cases of thrown food, I’ve tried to whip out my phone to catch the license plate, but they were moving too fast. I’d sure hate to have been any of those people who were subject to paintball attacks, either.

Frankly, this should be applied to rape laws, too.

I just…I just never knew the extent of the suffering.