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Somebody's not paying attention to those anti-groping ads on the T
By adamg on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 9:53am
Fabulously Out There reports on a perv rubbing up against her on the Blue Line:
... My suggestion for you: Go to the store. Get yourself a nice Penthouse magazine and your almost used up jar of Vaseline and some tissues and, you know, take care of business at home, because next time, this German might actually SAY something to you, and trust me, there is a lot cursing depth in this blond head. ...
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Comments
She wants Personal Space on a Blue Line train?
Didn't we just cover crowding on the blue line and increased ridership, which is in fact a 6% jump and the most riders the MBTA system has ever seen?
I remember when I used to commute just a few stops on the blue line. Even at 9:30-10AM, the cars would be packed to the gills at State, and I'd have to wait a good half minute for the car to empty before I could get on. That was more than a year ago.
I've asked before, I'll ask again: what is with this groping hysteria lately? I have never heard a single female friend complain about it. I hear a lot of complaints about drunks, stereos, smelly stations, dirty seats, and crowded trains. But groping? No.
I've never specifically asked, and I'm not saying it never happens. However, it seems we have a lot of princesses that think they're entitled to a ride on public transit at rush hour free from being brushed against or having body contact. Yeah, having your personal space 'violated' by that [smelly/fat/ugly/obnoxious] person sucks. Welcome to Rush Hour on Public Transit.
Maybe they'd like to hear about the time I once spent 30 minutes in a stopped Orange Line train, sandwiched *hard* on all sides by people of all genders, because of that fucking "mooninite" crap. When we did get to a new station, the platform was full, and of course people pushed their way onto the already full train. By the time we got to North Station, it was almost difficult to breathe.
Okay ...
Oh, so now a woman who dislikes being used as a masturbational aid is just a misanthropic princess? Just because you haven't experienced this, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen or exist.
Doesn't the fact that a decoy cop dressed like a typical college student is able to take down several pervs in a shift mean anything to you? Of course not - it wasn't about you!
I'm sure if someone actually does grope you, we will hear about first on UHub and how all law enforcement should come to a halt until they find your assailant. Until then, it is just a hysteria and dislike of people.
Uh huh.
stop putting words in my mouth
Oh, so now a woman who dislikes being used as a masturbational aid is just a misanthropic princess?
Never said that...
Just because you haven't experienced this, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen or exist.
Did you miss the BOLDED text?
I'm sure if someone actually does grope you, we will hear about first on UHub and how all law enforcement should come to a halt until they find your assailant.
Is there no end to your hyperbole?
On the fence
Well, you did use the phase "groping hysteria" and called FO a princess when you assumed she was merely bumped on a crowded train.
Believe me, when part of someone else's anatomy ends up pressed against your crack and stays there, you can tell when it's accidental.
On the other hand, SG definitely went overboard with her supposition about your reaction if the tables were turned.
That would be a difficult task
... to put words in your mouth, especially when things like this quoted section of your post are exiting at a high rate of speed:
As for "SG went overboard", well, let me find Brett's epic "a cop almost ran me down in JP" screed from the UHub archives, if she hasn't expunged it.
Be that as it may
It seemed that part of your post was not added to further the dialog but to attack Brett and as such colored how I perceived the rest.
She's no princess
OK, granted I've only ever actually met her once, but she strikes me as pretty unflappable - and she takes the Blue Line all the time, so it's not like she's fainting at the mere touch of a man. If you read her description, this was more than just some guy thrown against her when the train jolted or something.
I admit I don't generally take the T at rush hour (that's what happens when you live in Roslindale and work at a company in a western suburb), but back in the day, I used to take the subway in New York at rush hour, and it gets pretty crowded on those trains and yet, somehow, I managed to avoid rubbing myself against women passengers.
not sure how I missed it
If you read her description, this was more than just some guy thrown against her when the train jolted or something.
Yep, on a second re-read of the column, you're right.
Read the Original Post
She says in her post it wasn't crowded enough to explain away rubbing rampant against her backside.
I was once groped on the Green Line and was too shocked to do anything other than whip around and stare at the guy (who promptly
got off, erexited at the next stop).I have since thought of all sorts of clever/effective responses but, thankfully, haven't need them since.
A dangerous game
The only time this happened to me on the T, I was dressed up for a Christmas party and wearing high heels.
I looked down, noticed where the guy's feet were positioned (if he's that close, his feet are too), and then stomped the perv's foot so hard with my full weight on a tiny heel that I had to repair the shoe with superglue.
Worth it? Oh yeah. He even stifled his scream and limped off as quickly as he could. I wonder if he ever tried that again?
Good work, SwirlyGrrl
I am pretty sure the guy never did it again. No more open season on women and girls!
No really...
Appreciate the supportive comments from Kelly, Swirlygrrl, Adam and also Brett.
Trust me ;) I am no prude....there was no mistake. Now, maybe he was more excited to see someone else and not me, but he certainly made his excitement felt on my arse, not someone else's.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. :)
da nile - just a river in africa?
I think her post speaks for itself.
I don't think its reasonable to characterize her reaction to this kind of behaviour as hysteria or to imply that repeated reports of groping are bunk and that the real problem is overcrowding of trains. I would have to disagree with those proposition.
Imagine the conversations when Johnie alter boy finally mustered up enough courage to tell his parents Father Diddle touched him in a bad way. The response would go something like this, I'm sure Father Diddle never meant to touch you in a bad way. The result? Boy, can't turn to the people he trusts most to protect him from the person he trusts least.
I wonder how big a problem
I wonder how big a problem groping actually is, and I wonder about detrimental effects of the ads.
Here's an example to illustrate a possible detrimental effect. A couple years ago, while riding on the Green Line, the train was taken out of service and we got switched to buses. I'm male. On the packed bus that I was on, this middle-aged woman standing next to me began bumping into my buttocks with her front. It was clear that she was the one that was moving, not me. At least twice, I managed to shuffle outside the range of her movements, but then it would resume. My buttocks is nothing special, and I'm pretty sure the woman was completely oblivious that she was practically following me around to rub herself against me. Had the genders been reversed, and had I been conditioned by ads that perverts were a huge problem, I would've probably wrongly assumed he (she) was doing it intentionally. An innocent person might've been maimed with my high heels, or arrested and branded a sex offender, due in part to ad-fueled paranoia.
38 complaints filed in the
38 complaints filed in the last six months.