After attending last Tuesday's Mardi Gras celebration in the Gaslamp, I have one thing to say: I don't plan to ever go again. The entertainment was decent enough, and I mostly avoided the overpriced drinks by filling up at a little pre-party, but the feeling of large groups of men surrounding my friends and I, insisting on seeing our breasts, was an experience I could definitely have done without.
The decision to accept my friend's invitation to the event was a last minute one. I figured, "What the hell, you only live once." I knew there were going to be a lot of drunk, horny guys throwing beads around, but I've always thought I was tough enough to take care of myself. As my two friends and I held hands through the crowds, often being closed in by 10 to 15 men yelling, "Show your tits!" I honestly felt scared.
Needless to say, we made it through the night OK, and we did manage to meet some semi-nice guys who were willing to give us beads without seeing our goods. I left the experience wondering what it is about male mob mentality that can turn the average Joe into a sexual predator. I've never seen large groups of women acting this way when given excessive amounts of liquor, so what is it that makes a man think it is OK to harass, grope or even assault a woman at a rowdy event?
There are plenty of examples from the past of male mob mentality going way over the edge. In 1999, at least four rapes occurred at the Woodstock '99 event, according to www.salon.com. Only four rapes were officially investigated, but intervention workers said they witnessed many more rapes or other forms of sexual assault in the mosh pit.
At the 2000 National Puerto Rican Pride parade in New York's Central Park, 49 women and girls were assaulted by a large group of males, according to www.cnn.com. The spontaneous mob enclosed the females, covered them with water, shoved them, tore off clothes, groped their bodies and robbed them.
A 2001 Mardi Gras event in Seattle led to riots, according to The Seattle Post Intelligencer. A journalist took photos of a woman being held down, stripped of clothes and groped, which were turned over to investigators. That riot led to the death of Kristopher Kime, who was hit while attempting to help a woman being beaten by a crowd of men.
These are all extreme cases of violence that hopefully will never be repeated, but the kinds of attitudes this behavior springs from seems prevalent. I have gone to more rock concerts than I can count, and I know firsthand how hard it can be for a girl in the mosh pit. You just have to remember to always stand with your arms across your chest, don't wear a tank top that can be pulled off and, if you crowd surf, count on being groped.
Men may think it's funny to yell obscene things toward women at Mardi Gras, and I suppose that is only to be expected, since many girls are willing to flash their cookies at the crowds. Not every girl who likes to party necessarily likes to flash strangers, though. Personally, I expect dinner first. It is unfair to assume that every girl in a low-cut shirt with a drink in her hand is automatically a floozy.
It's a man's world we live in, whether I like it or not. I do not intend to stay at home just because there are a lot of perverts out there. I am going to have fun in this man's world, even if I am just a girl. It would be nice for once, though, if I could go to a club without the risk of some sleaze-ball trying to rub his privates into my backside, or if I could go to a bar without some guy old enough to be my father trying to buy me drinks in hope of sexual compensation.
So here is my message to all you guys out there who think it's OK to intimidate girls into flashing their flesh at an event like Mardi Gras: Imagine what your mother would think. How would you like it if your dear old mom saw your behavior? Or what if someone tried to pull off your sister's top at a rock concert? I don't think you'd like it very much at all, and neither do we.
-Gaia Veenis is a journalism senior.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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