Saturday, May 10, 2008

Dirt, metaphorical

men leer at women here. it's expected, according to some social contract nobody asked me to sign, and they deliver. but weirdly, it doesn't feel dirty. it doesn't really feel like much of anything. it's certainly not sexual; they don't seem to want anything from you, not even a reaction. one guy driving a delivery van the other day stuck his tongue out and wiggled it at me obscenely -- but he never stopped looking around at street signs the whole time. it was all very formulaic: "humboldt, fitz roy, woman -- right, do something nasty --bonpland..."

it's leering without lechery, men leering at women for the sake of other men, with whom their personal -- human -- interactions take place. women appear to be utterly beside the point. it's the purest objectification i've ever experienced, and i'm not really sure how i feel about it.

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