On the heels of that “woman walking and getting catcalled” video, I’ve got another idea.
One that’s like at least ten percent less serious: internet catcalls on the street. I mean, we’ve all thought about how much worse “harassment” is online than the kind we do IRL, right? It’s the reason people issue restraining orders and bullied kids end up tying nooses from the hanging plant hooks on the ceiling of their parents house only to feel even worse when it won’t hold their weight (which, double bummer, was the whole reason they got teased in the first place). And stuff gets type-said to women by dudes who’d never mouth-say it. And women to men. And trannies.
So, what if we said these things to strangers IRL?
“That’s boring. It’s been done before.”
Okay, then. What if we got people you really wouldn’t expect saying them to do it? And not knowing what they have to say until the last second? Like, we hand an elderly, distinguished looking gentleman a slip of paper with Trololol420’s comment from Youtube or Instagram written on it. He doesn’t know it’s going to be a catcall or what it even says. And he’s not allowed to unfold the paper or read the comment until the next person’s about to walk by. As they approach, he must read it, commit it quickly to memory, and then repeat that comment out loud to the person – regardless of what it says. And regardless of whether that person’s a frail framed female or some giant leatherneck marine just looking for an excuse to bury his knuckles in the side of a skull.
The fun of this one has layers to it depending on who’s doing the catcalling.
Also, there’s the nervous anticipation of the reader-to-be. The discomfort-confusion cocktail on his face as he reads over the one liner he’s about to say quietly to himself. And then what can only follow – an awkward delivery of this thing he’s reluctantly repeating out loud (half of which he’s probably gotten wrong because he’s forgotten in his anxious state), apologizing with his eyes the whole time as he’s watching the person he’s just cat-call-commented emotively react.
As a “hidden camera” thing, it’s fun and random so long as no one gets shanked before they can say it’s a prank. But, if we wanna get deep (like, so that people will be motivated to actually take part in this experiment of mine), I suppose there’s at least one good takeaway: Words in general have power and people forget that (and are thus more involuntarily hurtful) in a forum where being careless with them is so temptingly easy – more so than they do on a sidewalk.
So, that’s definitely my motive here.
Definitely not just me wanting to see people make idiots of themselves.
And maybe get punched.
