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in need of a behavioral psychologist! how should someone deal with "street harassment"? my situation is not technically workplace harassment, but it's close.
everyday upon getting to work, the same douchebag group of men that hang out in front of my building, never fail to leer at me confrontationally and do the "psst psst" routine. this has been going on for a year and half now. yes, as my user id implies: i'm about ready to lose it.
just to give you some context, this is a group of about 6 construction laborers that work for a flooring business which is right next door to my storefront. they just loiter in front of my storefront in the mornings (they're there before i even arrive to open up shop) until it's time for them to leave on a job. it's clear that they hang out in front of my store rather than their own in anticipation of my arrival, so there is no way of physically avoiding them. anyway, i've tried it all: i've said hello in a nice way, said "excuse me" in a neutral way as i've walked past them to get to my door, i've ignored them completely. they will not back down. i'm sure that my non-plussed demeanor has somehow offended their egos and now they are hell-bent on making me feel as uncomfortable as possible.
listen, i can deal (barely) with the occasional sexist cheesy f*ck making a gross comment while i'm walking down the street - but EVERY MORNING, the same hard, lascivious stares and comments in my face by a whole group of guys... please excuse me when i say that i'd like to take a 2x4 to their balls and show them who's boss. (i'm sorry to any male readers who find that offensive, but i'm certain none of you could possibly be as gross as the cretins i speak of).
i've considered going to their supervisor to say something but my instinct tells me not to - the fact that they seem angry now isn't a good sign, and to make them angrier seems foolhardy, as irrational machismo knows no temperance.
from a psychological / b.f. skinner standpoint, do any of you think there's a way to behave on a social level to get these creatures to leave me the hell alone? i've taken from the rulebook of dealing with stalkers which says not to give any sort of reaction at all (positive or negative). chances are that their behavior will "spike" (get more intense) before they finally see that nothing will work to their satisfaction, then they'll get bored and eventually stop. well, i don't know what sort of behavioral curve we are on right now, but nothing is improving.
even if you have no advice for me, it's all right. i just needed to decompress before dealing with these people again tomorrow morning...
everyday upon getting to work, the same douchebag group of men that hang out in front of my building, never fail to leer at me confrontationally and do the "psst psst" routine. this has been going on for a year and half now. yes, as my user id implies: i'm about ready to lose it.
just to give you some context, this is a group of about 6 construction laborers that work for a flooring business which is right next door to my storefront. they just loiter in front of my storefront in the mornings (they're there before i even arrive to open up shop) until it's time for them to leave on a job. it's clear that they hang out in front of my store rather than their own in anticipation of my arrival, so there is no way of physically avoiding them. anyway, i've tried it all: i've said hello in a nice way, said "excuse me" in a neutral way as i've walked past them to get to my door, i've ignored them completely. they will not back down. i'm sure that my non-plussed demeanor has somehow offended their egos and now they are hell-bent on making me feel as uncomfortable as possible.
listen, i can deal (barely) with the occasional sexist cheesy f*ck making a gross comment while i'm walking down the street - but EVERY MORNING, the same hard, lascivious stares and comments in my face by a whole group of guys... please excuse me when i say that i'd like to take a 2x4 to their balls and show them who's boss. (i'm sorry to any male readers who find that offensive, but i'm certain none of you could possibly be as gross as the cretins i speak of).
i've considered going to their supervisor to say something but my instinct tells me not to - the fact that they seem angry now isn't a good sign, and to make them angrier seems foolhardy, as irrational machismo knows no temperance.
from a psychological / b.f. skinner standpoint, do any of you think there's a way to behave on a social level to get these creatures to leave me the hell alone? i've taken from the rulebook of dealing with stalkers which says not to give any sort of reaction at all (positive or negative). chances are that their behavior will "spike" (get more intense) before they finally see that nothing will work to their satisfaction, then they'll get bored and eventually stop. well, i don't know what sort of behavioral curve we are on right now, but nothing is improving.
even if you have no advice for me, it's all right. i just needed to decompress before dealing with these people again tomorrow morning...
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