TO THE EDITOR:
In a recent article about a student project mapping out catcalling on campus, there was no mention of the perpetrators: men. Instead, the author wrote that catcalling “has affected hundreds of students.” It is as if the catcalls come from out of thin air. It is no secret that the overwhelming majority of catcallers are men and that it is a problem women have to worry about.
But journalists and many advocates talk about sexual harassment by using the passive voice and in ways that mask the perpetrators. Rape, domestic violence and sexual harassment are all gendered acts rooted in sexism. It is critical to name who is doing what to whom. We cannot change a problem that we cannot name.
A helpful way to name the perpetrators when talking about this type of behavior is by describing it as a form of “male-pattern violence.” I encourage everyone to name the perpetrators of male-pattern violence so that we can have a conversation about what real violence prevention might look like.
Corey Frost
Graduate student
School of Law
