So glad my college days are behind me. Nature and human physiology compel men to notice women they find attractive. Especially when they wear summer dresses or pencil skirts.
*cough*
Even when they're elderly, men still notice pretty girls. If you've ever seen the way an old man lights up like a Christmas tree when a cute young gal smiles or gives him a hug then you know what I mean. It's just how most men are wired (at least the straight guys that is) even if some try to pretend otherwise these days.
One of my favorite Dean Martin songs celebrates just being out on the street and appreciating the abundance of feminine beauty. Today I guess he'd be charged with stalking, or maybe for 'staring.'
Regarding the Ohio State thing specifically... I found this earlier today. --
http://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/ohio-state-counts-staring-as-sexual-harrassment/
They posted a graphic from Ohio State's online Student Wellness resource showing the difference between 'Sexual Harassment vs. Flirting.'
Men aren't psychic. We have no idea how a gal they're interested in will respond to flirting. They may be able to use intuitive clues like body language but even then that's not a guarantee that it won't be misread and you won't set someone off. Today, if a guy walks up to a gal and says
"Dang, you sure are pretty," he can get any number of reactions, from
"Well thanks! Hey, you're cute too!" to
"Thanks..." to
"Pig! I'm speed dialing the cops and my lawyer." The end result? Guys become way, way more reluctant to even approach gals they're interested in. Even when it's sweet, well-intentioned or innocuous. A comment that might make a young woman respond positively and receptively to a guy could just as well be met with a raised voice and angry accusations of sexism and misogyny. I can see where young men, especially in college, throw up their hands and say
"Screw it! It's not worth the risk of starting a conversation!" Cripes, I bet some guys at Ohio State are worried they'll have a female lab partner now.
"God, will she think I was cleaning this beaker too suggestively?! I don't wanna get kicked out of school!"
I say that with hyperbole but the concern now is quite real. I have two much younger cousins (twins, male and female) who just graduated the same college this past spring and who are both grad students now at different schools. For the last two years of school the sister told her brother not to approach anyone, but if he was interested in someone float it past her and she would tell him if the gal in question would react positively or negatively. Not in regard to going out with him, mind you, but in regard to whether or not that person was open to even having a guy talk to her. When he was explaining this to me at his graduation party, it didn't surprise me. He asked me what I thought about it; I told him if I were him I'd focus on grad school and then find someone he went to church with (he and his sister are very active in church life). But I was sad for him. He lives in a culture that places value on finding offense in things. I didn't have that when I was his age. Back in the early 90's you could talk to a gal you were interested in, either hit it off or get shot down. You either went out (or went back to someone's apartment... hey, it was college) or you went merrily on your separate way. It was great.
If we keep going this way gals are going to wonder why men stopped talking to women altogether and where they've all gone. The answer? They'll be home, watching MFC, where they won't be judged and shamed for staring. So... this may turn out to be a good thing for camgirls! Heh!
Just my two cents. Hope it's not offensive; just trying to explain it from another view.
