Posted by: Matt
Comment: #1
Mon Jun 9, 2008 2:11 PM
As a single male who likes to hit on available women, this frustrates me. The man is engaging in what appears to be normal courtship behavior, and he's being branded as a stalker and pervert for it by this letter writer. This is now twice that Amy Alkon has had to defend the man's behavior and tell someone that she's overreacting. Alkon is right, of course, but what bothers me most is that so many women out there apparently think that some guy is dangerous (or at least a sexual harrasser) because he shows some interest in a woman. I bet he'd bug off if indeed she took the direct approach instead of stringing him along with "shoot me an email" and similar phrases. She (and now, this 2nd letter writer) don't understand that such language actually encourages his behavior? Why would you do that if it's unwanted attention? Harassment by definition is behavior which persists after the perpetrator has been asked (directly!) to stop. I feel sorry for the guy - I even lost a job awhile back after someone accused me of hitting on her lesbian girlfriend, when all I was trying to do was get the woman to help me test some equipment.
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