General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Of bears and men: How big does a risk have to be before you "have to" walk around scared? [View all]Ocelot II
(116,599 posts)It's not a matter of the statistical probabilities of being attacked; it's a matter of the constant and very real threat. The fear arises from the fact that sexual harassment by strange men is constant even if actual physical attacks are less common. And you don't know whether the random guy who's calling you rude names, offering to do things to you, exposing himself to you, or otherwise being a pest will go even further. It's terrifying, and there isn't a woman alive not in a cloistered convent who hasn't been subjected to this kind of thing. So, not knowing whether the creepy guy on the street is just a sick fuck with a big mouth or is an actual rapist, you watch where you're going, you avoid dark parking garages, you don't go out at night alone, and you're afraid. Women are prey animals like rabbits and deer.