I see your point about cat calling, and gestures like rolling down your window etc. are only one step away from cat calling. l’ve always despised catcalling, even before the birth of Woke. I think my contempt, however, was motivated by a kind of classism with elements of racism. Cat calling was low class, not something that a nice upper class white boy would ever do. That’s why I’m confused by your claim that you never experienced this kind of attention from POC. Perhaps you live in in a part of New England where there are very few POC. If you lived in parts of the American South, the lack of attention could be motivated by the fear of becoming the next Emmett Till. But from my experience in the Urban North, and the experience of women I’ve talked to, the majority of cat calls they receive are from POC. , However, this is one case where I would agree with Comrade Morlock that what appears to be a racial issue is really a class issue. The men who do this sort of thing are trying to assert power to hide their own powerlessness from themselves. They are too poor or ugly or scared to actually court or otherwise establish a relationship with a woman, and they resent that a woman has the power to make them feel a desire that will never be fulfilled.

As for staring, I used to believe that if I didn’t say anything I wasn’t communicating anything. I’ve since learned that sometime stares say more than words, so I try to keep the time I look at a beautiful woman under ten seconds, and if my stare seems to make her uncomfortable I look away immediately. But I’m not going to stop looking. There’s so little beauty in the world, I’m not going to deny myself the chance to see whatever comes my way.