An incident on the train.
Today I got accosted while taking the train home from school. As I approached the platform, and noticed the doors were drawing to a close, I sped up and made it into the last car just in time before the doors snapped shut behind me. Crammed in the train like a sardine in a can I noticed that 5 of my surrounding passengers, much like over half of the people on the train, were cloaked in blue and green jerseys, with different numbers and players scrawled on the back, painted on hockey pucks and numbers adorning their faces. They were already drunk. It was 4:30pm on a Wednesday. If i’ve learned anything over the past few weeks from the hockey pandemonium that has swept over my city, is that sports gives people license to act in a certain way. Upon my arrival into the car I noticed in particular one of these drunken hockey fans. He was screaming “Go canucks” along with the rest of his gang, but he was staring at me. I adverted my eyes. In the corner of my eyes I noticed him grab the pole in the center of the car. Two feet away from where I was standing. He started rocking toward it. Thrusting. Back and forth. Intent gaze focussed on me. “This is for you.” he yelled. He pointed at me.“This is you.” I turned my person to face the front of the train, desperately wishing I hadn’t made it through those doors. Apparently this offended my assailant. He looked at another innocent bystander, the girl next to me and said “Is that your girlfriend? Oooohh, Did I upset your girlfriend?” I was disgusted. I felt unsafe. I felt confused. Because I didn’t know what to say. I could not respond. What could I have done? I am thankful that train ride was only a few minutes long until we got to the next stop. I promptly got off the train at 41st.
And then I raged inside. Mostly, because I was silent. I didn’t do anything. How could I have not done anything? I’m a feminist! I took Women Studies! I should know how to handle these kinds of situations. I should’ve handled it.
But I didn’t.
After I arrived home, when I turned to my daily ritual of internet distraction, I came upon this post in my tumblr feed.
Now I know what i’ll do next time. I’ll do something.
And If you are failing to see the problem, and have not read the above link, let me point out the following excerpt from Kate Spencer’s post to help explain why this kind of behavior is unacceptable.
“When I’ve explained sexual harassment to men in the past I’ve been struck at their confusion over why it is a big deal. How is someone whistling at you threatening, they ask? Here is what they don’t understand. Those moments, which may seem insignificant and small, create an unsafe environment in which women are forced to live…These moments force us to operate in a state of fear. They define who is in control and who can have their control taken away. “
