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This is pretty much where I am regarding these figures. Just about all women have stories of being cat called, groped, had guys act menacing when turned down, or the like. I'm also at the point of believing women when they point out that some unassuming dude in our social network has a rep for being creepy with their DM's or behaviour towards women when no other guys are around (in a real sense like leering at, touching, or hitting on another guy's girlfriend for instance). I remember a socially awkward friend of mine that I had to tell off for leering when my girlfriend at the time complained. To his credit he pulled his head in and changed his behaviour.
But that's about it. I consider most of Feminism's claims to be deliberately misinterpreted statistics like the above for the purpose of reaching their political goals.
I've been in situations at a club or a party where a guy has tried to lift my shirt or grab my ass when I've made it clear that I'm straight. It's not fun and made me genuinely upset when it's happened, but its not rape and didn't warrant filing a police report of all things.
I think there needs to be a distinction between boorish behavior and sexual assault. We should condemn the boorish behavior but it is different in kind; not just degree from sexual assault. Feminism has sought to blur the distinction.
Agreed. There's political value in equivocating statistics like that. Same deal with gun death statistics being used by gun control advocates, but avoiding mention that some may be suicides. Or defining both slapping with an open hand and beating someone with a baseball bat as 'assault'.
Boorish behaviour and groping isn't rape. It's bad and should be stamped out, but its not on the same level.
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