The Watch-Men

When I travel I tend to spend an excessive amount of time watching others.  It can be quite the consuming hobby.  One can learn a great many thing when they just look.  No participation, just simple observation.  My observations have resulted in some fascinating findings.  Nothing revelatory I'm sure but here it goes.

I have watched countless women watching their man watching other women.  It gets sad how blatant men can be about their ogling.  Like on a deep societal sadness kind of level.  Women are kept down by a look:  The lecherous look of a man only concerned with what his eyes tell him.  The woman being gawked at and the woman with the man are both depreciated by the insensitive and worn out axiom that 'men are gonna look'.  'That's how men are', 'men need to look', 'it's part of their biology to be visual creatures'.  Bullshit.  Women are just as visual.  The difference is we don't act like savages, rubbing our corneal clits in public.  Men do it out of selfish routine to feed the protuberance in their pants and nothing more.  It keeps the consciousness of man down as well when he reduces the opposite sex to a mere physical conquest.  How can we advance past gender stereotypes and entrenched roles when we keep running through this cycle?

Man and Woman meet.  Man proclaims his affection, in whatever form that may take, for Woman.  Woman reciprocates.  Woman feels secure in relationship.  Man sees another female in the distance.  She is scantily clad(it's her fucking right to where whatever the fuck she wants).  Man takes notice to the extreme.  Man has mini fantasies of bending new Woman over something hard and stiff and breeding.  Woman with Man feels lost in her own insecurity and questions relationships foundation.  Woman in the distance feels objectified and uncomfortable...for herself and for the poor Woman with Man.  Lose, lose.

Here's the deal.  I watched a man standing in the ocean with his gorgeous, bikini clad supermodel of a girlfriend/wife.  He practically broke his neck trying to peep on a woman passing by in a g-string.  Why?  What does the man gain from this behavior?  Has he never seen an ass before?  Are there secrets buried in this particular ass that could potentially save the world from all of its ills?  If so dude, get on in there! What happens to his brain during this time?  It seems to me all is shut-down except his need to feed the pant monster.  What is he thinking?  Is he thinking?  Is he able to form conscious thought about how his behavior benefits society or not?  Trust me, it does not.  His actions do not.  Not, fucking not.

Yesterday I was at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change.  In front of me was a handsome couple.  They were both dressed quite well, obviously on a date.  Regardless of how far in their journey together they were makes no matter.  Especially to the eight dudes across the street who stopped conversing to eye the poor girl up and down until I felt uncomfortable.  Perhaps I'm just more empathetic than most but it felt pretty shitty being a part of this awkward and totally avoidable moment which went on for the duration of the longest light in history.  Some of you may say, "You're just jealous they weren't staring at you."  I get enough stares and catcalls and ridiculous behavior from the opposite sex that when I don't, I feel a sense of relief and anonymity.  I much prefer to be obsolete to men for I am strong enough to be independent of their leers and jeers.  Others are not so lucky.  I feel for the others a great deal.

I feel bad for the Women who must watch their Men fully consume a perfect stranger based on mere appearance.  I feel bad for the Woman who must pretend as though she does not feel eyes undressing her constantly on the street, at work, in the grocery store for fear of retaliation if she speaks up.  I feel bad for our society when women must avoid confrontation and then guard oneself because the onslaught of unwanted attention is overwhelming at times.  You'd be surprised how often I can look at a man and know exactly what disgusting thoughts are racing through his pea brain based on his body language and facial expression.  We are after-all pack animals with keen observation skills.  We've evolved this way for many reasons, one such is for our protection.  I shouldn't have to be on-guard everyday, all day. I know what you're thinking.  'Just ignore it.'  'You should feel grateful anyone looks at you at all.'  I say no.  I say no to those thoughts.  I should feel free and safe to walk down the street without feeling eyes all over my body.  It's my body.  People say looks can't hurt you.  They're right.  Overtime they just slowly erode a persons sense of identity, self-worth and confidence.  Keep your eyes on your partner.  If you want out, get out.  Nobody is forcing you to stay in the relationship you're in except you.  If you want to show interest in a girl and you're single, do so in a manner that respects her personal space.  Your gaping rubbernecking serves nothing but your own selfish needs.  Think of how your actions sit with other people and we'll all elevate our civil consciousness together in a way that serves the greater good instead of just the junk in yer pants.