Chick Tries to Catcall Dudes and It Goes Exactly How You Would Expect it To Go
NBC – A new video that simultaneously lampoons and builds on the recent conversation about “catcalling” — the phenomenon of (usually) men sexually harassing passersby in public — is making the internet rounds, this time by reversing the usual gender dynamics. In the week since it was posted to YouTube, the clip has already racked up over a million views. The video, the brainchild of comedy duo SJ Son and Ginny Leise, is a tongue-in-cheek experiment the two are calling “Drive-by Street Harassment,” a reference to a type of harassment in which the someone whispers an offensive comment quickly to the victim while walking by. Son says the duo weren’t out to make a social justice statement with the project. “We went into this video not really with an angle of any sort, it was really just to try something out and then observe and report,” Son told NBC News. “It wasn’t a ‘let’s stick it to them!’ kind of thing.”
The social experiment had practical origins for the pair. While thinking of ways to promote their ongoing comedy show, Son and Leise themselves became victims of the “drive-by”-style harassment they address in the short. “[Incidents] happened to us at the same time while we were walking around in Greenpoint [Brooklyn]…we were like ‘let’s turn the tables and see what happens,'” Son said. Perhaps ironically, even while making a video that intended to inverse the usual power dynamic of street harassment, the creators found they still had to worry about their own safety. “We were both very concerned about safety because we had no idea how men were going to react,” said Son. “It’s a little bit scary to approach someone and have that kind of audacity and be aggressive like that.” The real punch of the video is perhaps the most telling — few of the men in the video seem to take obvious offense at Son’s racy and graphic remarks.
Original catcall video:
Couple takeaways from this video:
These might be the most stereotypical unfunny chicks who think they’re funny ever. And I’m just helping them by posting this video and giving them exposure. So that sucks. But it already has a million views and it’s going viral anyways so I might as well talk about it since it’s blowing up. But holyyyyy shit it’s wild that these chicks think they’re funny.
On the upside, the only way this video gets made is by a couple girls who aren’t out there fighting the social justice fight. Because it goes exactly how you would expect it to go and kind of kills all of the outrage about catcalling. Almost every guy thought it was hilarious and awesome. And there was one old man who just wasn’t having any of it. Pretty much exactly what you’d expect when you mention sex or compliment a dude.
I have created an entire backstory for this guy in my head and I’ve basically decided he is exactly me in 10 years except he probably has more money.
At least I’ve got that compliment to look forward to one day.
If a mousy little chick ran up to me on the street and said “I love your dick” and then just walked off, I would be ecstatic. Probably would chase her down and ask her a bunch of questions. The biggest one would be “Why?” Like why would you want THIS dick? I spend so much time trying to convince other women to want this dick and you just want it for no reason? Is it my shirt? Are you insane? Is this a prank? Either way my confidence has just gone through the roof. Compliment City, Population Me for a change.
And that’s why it’s tough to get up in arms about the whole catcalling thing. Sure there are dudes who are creepy and weird. But as far as being on the receiving end of sexual advances go, I’m like a dude dying of thirst in the Sahara and chicks are sitting on a pool float in the lake. I’d kill for a drop of water and they’ve decided to Facetime me to complain about getting splashed. Excuse my lack of outrage but this vulture is already trying to pry out my eyeball.
If I’ve learned two things in life it’s that you don’t complain about the weather in Atlanta when you’re talking to people sitting in a polar vortex and that if chicks complain to guys about how much other people want to have sex with them, the guys shouldn’t and won’t care. And those two things are based on the same principle. So really just the one thing.