went out 2 campus 2 eat with a friend and i get catcalled a lot by passerbys and motorists. it's white noise to me at this point its basically part of my daily routine but he is shaken and upset. when i tell him not to mind it he minded it even more.
he's quiet and thinking all the way to the convenience store. i ask him if he's ok and he says it's fucked up that im the one asking that question. so he asks me if im ok and i said ya, but i wasn't always ok, first time it happened i felt like i was less than a person but now i realize it's the men who are subhuman. he says im right and is uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the time.
before we part ways he tells me of course he knew about the existence of catcalling, and of course he knew it was awful, but he realized knowing was way different from understanding, and when he saw me react to it he realized how little he understood about it. he felt helpless and hated there was nothing he could do for me, his friend. he said womens rights have come a long way but not long enough. he's getting emotional and im thinking oh shit he's gonna cry but he held it in. he can't quite accept that this cheerful mischievous classmate of his had to endure all that everyday just to go to school. man he's really torn up about this, i thought, it's not a big deal 2 me but since it's new 2 him ill help him through it. i made him buy me an ice cream and he was so happy to do it and he concluded that men should pay a tax to women and everyone they oppress. i said OK what should we put a tax on and he said idk stuff like breathing i guess?
idk where im going with this but it's weird watching someone my age go through what i went through when i was like 11
