By: Emma Sikes
Unbeknownst to some, violence against women is ever-present in our modern society and has had a recent spike in New York and Savannah alike (the 1st and 2nd cities as far as I’m concerned). I’m of course referring to the strange epidemic turned pandemic of men assaulting random women on the street, in broad daylight. The virality of these incidents hinges on the fact that the women in question took to Tik Tok to air their stories of the attacks. The widespread awareness is due to the fact that one of the women had a large following on the app and posted a video moments after it happened showing her bruised face and a detailed account of the incident. I recognize this isn’t the first time women have endured acts of violence, and I sadly believe it will not be the last. In the so-called digital age that is “crippling our society as a whole” as crotchety men in their 70’s running our government would say, women have the luxury of streamlining the narrative and warning their fellow woman more quickly through posting. It’s all so eerily convenient that the app women are clinging to for reporting and support purposes could soon be banned in the US. Gloom and doom this, spooky, scary that; what are we women supposed to do in the face of this tragic trend?
Here’s a few ideas my gal pals and I have come up with to keep safe, and keep sane.
These attacks have historically been punches and I dunno about you, dear reader but I am about as likely to dodge a surprise punch as a sloth is to do anything in a timely manner. (Are sloths actually slow or is that a stereotype “the movies' ' perpetuated?) Taking into consideration my not-so-fast reflexes I have devised an alternate plan spearheaded by genius and nonstop giggle-manufacturer, Grace Serrano. It is: to carry a can of pink spray paint, and God forbid an attacker rears his ugly head, you are to coat that motherfucker. Making the attacker more easily identifiable if they dain to attack again or get away without you getting a good look at them. I believe her plan to be fool-proof and result in the upward climb of neon pink spray paint stock. The logic behind the “Stick-around Spray” tactic is that the shit is very hard to scrub off, per spray paint expert, Grace.
A suggestion I will certainly be adopting is to talk outloud to myself, in an attempt to scare away unwanted forces. Randomly allowing your inner monologue to be uttered aloud and turned up to an uncomfortable volume in public will no doubt wart off your attacker and possibly force them to have a greater understanding of the female condition and how hard it is to exist in this climate. #ourplanetisburningalready
All of this may seem archaic and overwhelming, and it is, the outright targeting of women who are alone and just walking is scary, and affirms the importance of the buddy system some of us chronically independents’ aren’t too fond of. And as much fun as the loathing of insecure men who think it’s ok to put their hands on random women is, the reality is that some of them are no doubt suffering the effects of severe untreated and undiagnosed mental illness and possibly houselessness. Circumstances that of course, do not excuse the behavior, but must surely be taken into account when discussing this topic. More things to leave you with… Are men also suffering similar attacks, they just aren’t reporting them publicly for fear of ridicule and insinuations of inferiority? It’s totally possible and really, the bottom line is; nobody deserves to get socked in the face randomly for absolutely nothing, let’s start giving reasons before we punch, people! (And “Just cuz” is not a good enough reason and should result in the subsequent punishment of a huge WWE type guy using the attacker's face as a punching bag.) An eye for an eye and all that. #HammurabisCode
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