In the new shooter game "Hey Baby", women who are being street harassed shoot and kill their harassers. I have a personal interest in this game. I read about it this morning in a Salon article that was posted on a friend's Facebook page. At one time, street harassment was a particular concern of mine. I wrote a song called "Hey Baby" about this very subject in, like, 1990. The song is a list of disgusting catcalls that I endured as I walked around the streets of Manhattan, usually wearing short, tight skirts. My "Hey Baby" is on the internet, but I won't post a link to it here, because the sound of my own voice makes me cringe. Also, I live in fear of my mother-in-law or kids ever hearing me using such inappropriate language. It is "Rated I," as we say in our house.
After I wrote "Hey Baby," my mother said, "Someday the comments will stop, and you will be sorry."( Or maybe her "wisdom" was prompted by a similar street harassment diary that I did for Sassy?) I remember being infuriated, like, Mom, I am making a statement here about the plight of women, and how could you not get it? She was right about one thing, though, the day has come when I am very rarely street harassed. (For one thing, I no longer dress provocatively or live in Manhattan. And I must say the ravages of time and child birth have taken their toll.) I can't say that I particularly miss it. But if I am being really honest here, I have to admit that the occasional cat caller these days makes me think just one thought: Still got it!
So back to the game. Commenters on Salon felt it was outdated, and the graphics made it seem like it was made 12 years ago. I am against all shooter games, obviously, even if the object is killing street harassers. Is this some misguided attempt to get more females interested in gaming?
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It's easy to see that the men who write video games love to shoot other men and women, so they just thought that women would love it, too. They probably never thought that the sexual thrill they get from domination of others isn't as firmly entrenched in the heads of women, who have other cultural lessons to learn, and only pick up male-specific ones by osmosis.
ReplyDeleteI remember that song - LOVED it! Yay Chia Pet!
ReplyDeleteI once had the strange experience, as a teenager, of standing around in a parking lot, down the (Jersey) shore, with a couple of guys who were harassing women who walked by. The most disturbing part was that after every woman ignored them, they would mutter "bitch". Also one of my roommates in college was truly convinced that she was especially appealing to the cat-callers of the neighborhood. We tried to disabuse her of that notion.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog today after reading your Q&A with Frisky. I just devoured all your entries in one sitting. It's been a long time since I read Sassy, and I forgot how much I like your writing! Have you ever written a book?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, everyone. Ashley, no I have not yet written a book, but I certainly have spent a lot of time talking about writing a book.
ReplyDeleteConfession: a few months ago, I was recipient of cat calls from two young boys (looked no older than 13). My reaction was shock (really?!) and then I was flattered and also creeped out about being flattered. I'm 36. I was jogging in knit pants with a hoodie--not provocative. Still got it? Maybe? (or maybe they were trying to be funny).
ReplyDeleteI think calling people from cars is heinous. But as an experiment (I was a Women's Studies minor) I decided to catcall men from my car. It is really hard to not run them over. When you turn your head to yell "sexy" comments at others your (or maybe my) hands tend to turn the wheel. After nearly killing two or three unsuspecting victims, I stopped. Catcalling is a disgusting skill, but still, a skill.
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