Male Bystanders to Street Harrassment – Erik Kondo

No discussion on street harassment is complete without an examination of the role of male bystanders. In this case, the bystanders are defined as being neither participants, nor friends or associates of the harasser. The bystanders are strangers with no ties to either the Target of harassment or the Harasser. The question of why “no … [Read more…]

The Dynamic Dual of Social Dysfunction: Catcallers and their Protesters – Erik Kondo

The 10 Hours of Walking in NYC video is now up to over 30 million views. It has spawned a tremendous amount of back and forth argument on a subset of street harassment known as “catcalling”. Catcalling is a one-sided street interaction between strangers, usually initiated by a man to a woman, which has some … [Read more…]

Understanding the Communication Continuum: Visual, Verbal, and Physical Communication – Erik Kondo

Face to face interpersonal communication can be roughly divided into three methods. These methods are visual, verbal, and physical. These methods also escalate in intensity with visual being the most indirect and physical being the most direct method. Visual communication can be thought of as body language. Body language is a highly effective means of … [Read more…]

Why it is usually so hard to respond to street harassment. Why “Not interested.” makes it easier. – Erik Kondo

Why it is usually so hard to respond to street harassment. Why “Not interested.” makes it easier. The nature of verbal and visual street harassment makes it difficult to respond effectively. When the harassment comes in the form of a single unexpected comment or behavior, it most likely catches you by surprise. Therefore, you must … [Read more…]

Why Street Harassment Can Be Harmful to Your Well-Being – Erik Kondo

Street harassment encompasses a wide variety of inappropriate behaviors. Therefore, for the sake of discussion, I will focus on a single commonly used phrase “Hey why don’t you smile, beautiful?” This innocent sounding statement is packed with negative implications: 1. Your are not happy. 2. You need to smile to show you that you are … [Read more…]

“Not Interested!” – A Pre-determined Response to Street Harassment – Erik Kondo

****************** NOTE: There is a HUGE VARIETY of street harassment. There is also a HUGE VARIETY of people who are harassed. And a HUGE VARIETY of people who harass. Therefore, there is no single solution or response that works. In fact, there is a HUGE VARIETY to what can be considered “working”. The “Not interested!” … [Read more…]

Conceptualizing an End to Street Harassment – Erik Kondo

PART I Keep It Simple and Straightforward with Progressive Boundary Setting Street harassment is a complex issue. Solutions to complex issues require a means to help conceptualize and convey them. Societies are based upon rules a/k/a boundaries that limit unwanted behaviors. These rules must be COMMUNICATED. If the rules are not RESPECTED, then they must … [Read more…]

Commentary to the Article: I Was Groped on the Subway – Erik Kondo

 PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE FIRST: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/i-was-groped-on-the-subway/?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=OP_IWG_20130513 The previous story is worthwhile for commentary because it is a fairly common example that illustrates a number of important concepts. The 1ST important concept to grasp is that the primary reason the woman doesn’t respond to the man is due to FEAR OF NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES of her taking action.  There … [Read more…]