Coffee Shop Short Story

1387 Words6 Pages
Coffee with my girlfriends is a tri – weekly ritual. A step counter device, which read a dismal eight hundred steps, stared back at me. Considering I needed to clock in ten thousand steps for the day, walking to the coffee shop rang as a solution in my head. No harm in walking to the coffee shop! Except, that I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and consequently the harm is immense because, at this particular corner of the globe, Men Are Trash. Dressed down in track pants and a tee; I need to point out, I was not provocatively dressed, this is an apparent motive for rape, being sexually harassed or "asking for it" in South Africa; cool air brushed against my messy hair as I appreciated the beautiful South African weather and the meditation that walking supplies. 2012 Taxi Rank rape violence "Women were being assaulted for wearing mini skirts or…show more content…
He simply says "Ah beautiful ring for a beautiful lady, have a good day." No man sounds his car horn at me, there's no shouting out of windows and the likes, I don't feel bothered, on the contrary I feel respected, undoubtedly, I like this feeling; it puts a smile on my face. It feels good to be appreciated in this kind of way. When writing this blog, I was skeptical about comparing South Africa men and European men in general. But, I find much caution is taken to not offend these "men". Are you the "man" that joins in the cat calling when your friend does it, as a lady walks by or are you the man that smacks your friend across the head and tells him to stop it? Are you going out of your way to be the man that isn't trash? Poor Societies The prevalence of domestic violence and rape are at a catastrophic high, particularly in rural South Africa, where disregard is given to a woman’s dignity and
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