I was responding mainly to the poster you showed, Trace.
But also this:
Quote:
To put it in perspective, while some women get sick and exhausted from beating the horde of potential lovers away with a stick, many women and almost all men can occasionally go through a few years without anyone approaching and saying anything that can remotely be interpreted as complimenting or nice.
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Most cat calling isn't about potential lovers complimenting the objects of their desire. It's a power trip (as Sundae pointed out). And it's not about the women for whom this happens, and the women for whom it doesn't - we're the same women. As you say, it is perfectly possible to go for quite a while without anybody saying anything nice or complimentary to you. It's also possible then to get a flurry of incidents across a year or so.
An actual compliment is a lovely thing. Despite the fact that I have a real problem with the idea of catcalling and some of the assumptions and permissions that underlie it - some random bloke (or group of lads) makes a genuine, if clumsy attempt to express appreciation, I generally take them at their word and smile or laugh as appropriate. I generally choose not to take offence if none seems to have been intended - and if I've not been put into a horrible and publicly humiliating position (has happened) by their attention.
But the root assumptions that underlie catcalling are pretty unpleasant to my mind.