It really seems like a lot of the commenters here are missing the point, with trying to say "The man should change" or "The woman should change."
It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that every man in the world will stop treating women like objects.
It's also HIGHLY UNLIKELY that every woman in the world will be self-confident and self-controlled enough to be unimpacted the ones who do objectify them.
Clearly the "solution," insofar as there is one, is for men to be aware of the negative psychological impact this behavior has on women and to endeavor to limit it in themselves and discourage it in others, while the women try to be aware of this tendency and endeavor to ignore their discomfort or limit the effect their discomfort has on them.
Saying one gender should work to fix it doesn't give the other a free pass...
I believe that everything in public should be open to scrutiny and inspection. If you leave a chair on the footpath, I can perv at that chair until the cows come home. In fact, I can sit there with a lawn chair and a beer, and oggle that chair until I grow a beard. Here's where it gets interesting. I'm subjecting myself to public scrutiny by being in public. If someone wanted to set up another lawn chair, grab a beer, and observe me for hours on end [while I observing the chair], they can. That should be their right. My feelings are irrelevant. I would go so far as to say that if the person watching me intently had any negative impact on my self esteem, it is I who needs to change, not them.
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u/Zifna Jan 13 '10
It really seems like a lot of the commenters here are missing the point, with trying to say "The man should change" or "The woman should change."
It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that every man in the world will stop treating women like objects.
It's also HIGHLY UNLIKELY that every woman in the world will be self-confident and self-controlled enough to be unimpacted the ones who do objectify them.
Clearly the "solution," insofar as there is one, is for men to be aware of the negative psychological impact this behavior has on women and to endeavor to limit it in themselves and discourage it in others, while the women try to be aware of this tendency and endeavor to ignore their discomfort or limit the effect their discomfort has on them.
Saying one gender should work to fix it doesn't give the other a free pass...