Now, Greg Wallace!

That describes much that goes on in life, if we are not allowed to comment on or even question why people do what they do it begs the question whether this thread should even have been created.

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On this we agree and I usually avoid this type of thread.

I hesitate to join in, but I do want to say that I think we do (society does) need to ask questions about why women feel unable to deal with sexual harassment in the moment, to crush it at source, to show that they merit better treatment. This is not victim blaming. This is taking a hard look at how women have been “socialised” to believe that they have to put up with crass male behaviour. This starts in early childhood with how they are treated by their fathers and other adult males they come across and what they see in the media about how women are “supposed” to behave.
I was hugely fortunate in my father who treated me with total loving respect. At 18 in 1965, having just left school, I joined a department within a chemical company. I was surrounded by young men, in their 20s and 30s. If you’ve seen “Mad men” it was a similar atmosphere. On one occasion I was bending over the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet - classic “Carry On” pose.
One of the men came past and slapped me on the bottom. I rounded on him. I can’t remember what I said. He never did it again. Nor did anyone else. I was fortunate. I knew I was his equal and deserved to be treated as such. I’d learnt that from my father and the school I went to.

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Similar situation, in my 20’s working at my friend’s pub of an evening.

No-one took liberties with me, although there was a lot of friendly banter. I was married and thus “off limits”. :wink:

However, one chap (a local doctor!) always seemed to brush his hand across my backside as I sashayed past, delivering pints or gathering empties. I did my best to avoid him.
More than once, I’d quietly asked him to stop such behaviour but he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

Then one evening, the pub was packed and the dratted man grabbed at me. I rounded on him and bellowed at him. The room fell silent (not sure anyone had heard me lose my cool before).
I was so furious I nearly threw the drinks over him, but I stomped back behind the bar instead.
My friend came from the other bar and asked me what was happening. I told him and he was incredulous… but he’s a Doctor!
so darn what… he’s a dirty old man!

and the dirty old man had his wife sitting with him and she had the nerve to come and tell me “he’s only being friendly, he doesn’t mean anything by it”

I was so furious I asked for him to be banned and he was “advised to drink elsewhere until things quieten down” so even the Landlord didn’t fully understand how I felt. Nor did he recognise that such behaviour is simply not acceptable.

gosh, this has reawakened a fury which has been dormant a long time.

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Ooh that’s reminded me. On a packed tube, I was wedged against the door which opened and a man forced his way on. The train moved off. And suddenly I felt a hand making its way under my coat. I tried to move, but there was nowhere to go. I too “bellowed” - “keep your hands to yourself”. The entire carriage went silent. His hands shot up to just under his chin and he fled from the carriage at the next station.
Obviously, in an ideal world this wouldn’t happen at all. But it does and women need to know they have every right to round on the appalling behaviour there and then, not “put up with it” not “pretend it doesn’t matter” not simper and say “it’s what men do” and not wait years and years before having the courage to open up about it.
I was proud of myself. I probably laughed about it with friends, it hasn’t been a dark shadow there in the background.

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well done!

I’d have stabbed him with my umbrella :wink: and made him bellow !!

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Given recent misdemeanors , poor and sometimes abusive behaviour of male presenters, ( I really can’t think of a female one that has behaved in this way?) perhaps it’s time for the women to step in and save the day.

Ha ha, when that happened to me I grabbed the hand , raised it into the air and shouted " who does this belong to , I just found under my skirt" .

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I’m nor a fan of Djokovic either - lol - and so on!

What’s not kosher with Cockney’s me o’l china, me o’l Gran, me finger’s finger, brown bread when i wa a God forbid and she still had a full barnet never needed a syrop.

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I was talking about Top Chef! And whoever was with Philippe Etchebest on that season.

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Don’t worry, they’re a dying breed nowadays.

What would be the radius of the sound of Bow Bells? Probably smaller now with greater ambient noise (or am I being clueless?)

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I aways liked Rod. A no bullshit sort of person.

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Yes, it’s shrunk a lot.

I was born in Lambeth in '53, so I might be on the cusp of cockneyhood.

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Naah. Lambeth’s Saarf London, so no chance.

We have very acute hearing.

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Saarf of the River? Come on John, that’s a differernt country.

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Don’t know, I’m not a Cockney. As I wrote one of my Grandmothers was, but I’d still give Sainsbury’s a good run on the rabbit.

Saaf Londoners, don’t Adam it :wink: