Woman in NYC cat call video is suing..

[horatio83]

Hi, I'm beamMe. I'm gay, though, admittedly, also white and male. I'd like you to explain to me more that homophobia-thing.

Being gay doesn't mean you cannot be a misogynist or more general, being part of a mistreated minority doesn't automatically imply that you cannot be a bigoted pile of crap.

 

[beamMe]

Hi, I'm beamMe. I'm gay, though, admittedly, also white and male. I'd like you to explain to me more that homophobia-thing.

Being gay doesn't mean you cannot be a misogynist or more general, being part of a mistreated minority doesn't automatically imply that you cannot be a bigoted pile of crap.

Nice.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Um no. But to smile and say hello to a woman you find attractive in a book store who is coincidentally perusing your favourite genre, is there something wrong with that?

A simple smile and greeting at a book store is fine. But ideally the next thing you say should be something about the genre, books on the shelf, or authors who write those books, rather than a personal remark.

If the conversation continues, fine. Maybe work up to "would you be interested in continuing this conversation over coffee in the food court?" (just an example from my own personal experience, as the last time I met a guy in a bookstore, it was at a mall).

If the conversation doesn't continue, just chalk it up to a brief, pleasant "smile and hello" and go on with your day. You haven't lost anything except less than a minute that would otherwise have been spent saying nothing at all.

Yeah, this isn't difficult. Where some guys err is in thinking they deserve an acknowledgment, a response, or further interaction.

Guess what, dudes? You don't.

Yep. I posted this upthread as a link, but maybe it'd be more noticed if I embedded it:



It's really pretty simple, as Timewalker outlined. There's nothing wrong with politely introducing yourself and attempting to strike up a conversation. But there shouldn't be any expectation of reciprocation. If it happens, great! If not, no worries. Anything else is an embarrassing presumption of entitlement.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Since the personal comments are continuing, this is getting shut down for now. Shame because there was some decent conversation amidst the insults.