Blank Noise Spectators

Dhruva Ghosh

I supported the victim passively because I have seen that victims react acidly or indifferently to active help, and this usually tends to encourage the perpetrator/s further. Passive help or support seems to be a good initial option in a situation where the victim is unknown. Further actions can be decided based on the initial reaction by the victim and/or the perpetrator.

This has happened a few times. While 'experiencing' is limited to 'being a third person in the situation',in the I have made apparent my displeasure when I spotted men rubbing up against women and/or feeling them up. While that harldy counts as 'making a scene', the reaction/s were generally not too positive, including those of the victim. In some cases I found myself glared down by the victim. If I were to make jest of this, I would have suggested that they were enjoying it. Maybe silence is socially conditioned, to the point of being actively enforced. Surprisingly, some members of the public showed varying degrees of (mostly passive) support from time to time.

I felt like an bleeding-heart idiot, mostly.

How would you like the public to react?
Just a vote of active disapproval towards the perpetrator, and a vote of encouragement towards the victims who speaks up would be a good start.