WILL
Bors
BE
Bors
By Carmen Scott
Have you ever been
called shorty,
sunshine, sexy or
sweetheart when
your name does
n’t even start with
the letter S? Have you ever been
jeered at, hollered at or followed
by members of the opposite sex
simply because you crossed their
line of vision? Have you ever been
brushed up against, grabbed,
groped or otherwise violated by
someone you don’t even know?
Has anyone ever licked their lips at
you or looked you up and down as
if you could be found on a KFC
menu? If you answered yes to any
of these questions, chances are
you’re female, and chances are
you’re fed up.
As a 19-year-old female I can
expect unwelcome male advances
at each and every social function.
For 100% of women my age,
harassment has become an unwant
ed fact of life. Guys seem to ratio
nalize such conduct as a form of
courting or flirting with the oppo
site sex. But 1 want to know, how
many quality relationships actually
began with a “hey girl” and a lick
of the lips? Their behavior can be
more accurately defined as a form
of harassment, and in the game of
love, harassment doesn’t get you
anywhere. UNC-CH junior
Shannon Burke points out that,
“You might win a cheap feel but
you lose in the long run because
clearly, you’re not getting my
phone number.”
Oprah Winfrey recently dedi
cated a show to the phenomenon of
teen on teen harassment. Many of
her male panel members argued
that the way a girl dresses can
often invite unfavorable attention.
Leah Irvin, a UNC-CH sophomore
says, “a girl’s dress does not
always reflect her personality; and
even if she is looking for attention,
it doesn’t necessarily mean it
should be negative. Besides, she’ll
have to put up with the attention
whether she’s in jeans or a G-
string.”
Others might argue that lack of
a voiced objection will encourage
males to continue their improper
behavior. The reason a female
doesn’t always say “don’t touch me
or get out of my face,” is because
she doesn’t know who you are.
She does not know what will set
you off, she is not familiar with
your psychological history and she
does not know if you have a crimi
nal record. She does know, howev
er, that you were never taught to
respect a woman; why should she
assume you were taught never to
hit one? The safest thing for her to
do is to simply walk away.
According to a study performed
by the American Association of
University Women, four in five 8th
through 11th graders have experi
enced some form of harassment by
the opposite sex. For one third of
them, the harassment started as
early as elementary school. In the
past, parents and teachers have
written this type of behavior as
boys-will-be-boys; but how do they
write it off when the behavior sur
vives from school playground to
college campus? Is it still the stan
dard “boys will be boys” excuse?
If that is the case, I have just one
question; When do these boys ever
become men?
December 1999
4