Blank Noise Project

I learnt about The Blank Noise Project via Sarika. I couldn't get myself to contribute to this "blogathon" because there were way too many irreconciliable strands personally. So I thought I'd let everyone else do the writing on this. Then Amit wrote this brilliant post that pretty much says everything I wanted to say on the topic.

But a small conversation with Gaurav prised out a small point that had remained dormant in my head. That if you're in a group of guys, there is a definite amount of peer-pressure to gawk and comment. If you don't behave like them, you're considered a simpleton (or whatever other inferences the group chooses to make). Of course, no one knows who draws the line between "admiration" and "leching". But if you're a third-person observer and if you see a girl walk by, instead of looking at her, look at the clumps of guys around. And pause a little to think.

There are degrees and there are degrees, but since the people reading all this will in all likelihood be a bunch of bloggers who're not likely (hopefully) to shove women around in public, this shouldn't be just about the more obvious physical abuse.

Update: (Oh, and nice excuse to bash up the movies) As a child I remember always thinking it weird that the villain got beaten up for chasing the heroine while the hero did pretty much what the villain did but instead was rewarded with a coquettish glance and with more melodious background music. Hmm...