American girl in Italy, 60 years later

It occurred to me that Chai and Arella's reactions may be connected to unfortunate personal experiences in their own past. I do not want to devalue their honest personal feelings.

Again it's my personal reaction but I find that remark condescending.

(It is not necessary to give your opinion on my remark about Chai and Arella having honest feelings. Chai and Arella can speak for themselves on that.)

As I said, it's my opinion - and I'm sure you meant it with the best of intentions but I read it as condescending - as in 'you must be damaged by some past experience to think a picture of a women with that expression, alone with a dozen men staring at her is in anyway creepy'.

That was a really shitty, patronizing thing to have said. Congratulations, Bubba . . .

Thank you set.

I wanted to say something just like this, but I couldn't think of how to phrase it where I wasn't going to get the responses of "you don't know that"

Actually, I found the remark insulting as well, and condescending.

Staged or not, I think we project our own life experiences onto the interpretation. As a woman, especially when I was in my teens and 20's, being leered at made me feel uncomfortable and soiled. It was not flattering or fun.

Well said.

Greenwitch is so right when she says a lot of men just don't get certain aspects of this.

She did not call other people "hysterical" for disagreeing with her, either.

Nor did she demonstrate contempt.

Hysterical was not a reference to your reaction to the photo.

As far as your reaction to the photo, I criticized your characterization of the woman as "scared shitless" to be an exaggeration.

Post: # 4,707,041 page 6

Chai, in the original post:

Contrary to what the article tries to dispel, no matter how long I look at this photo, the creepitoid factor remains at 10 on a scale of 1-10.

In fact when I actually pay more attention to certain men in the photo, my feelings of violation, being fearful and shamed rises to 14.

The first paragraph of the article reads....

A stunning young woman walks down a street in Florence, her head held high. All around, men playfully gawk at her grace and beauty. Just then the camera shutter snaps. "American Girl in Italy" is among the most popular snapshots of all time, and it's turning 60 years old this month.

I see a woman who looks scared shitless and about to break into a run. The guy in the necktie to her left looks like he's grabbing his junk and saying something vile. The one next to him looks like he's already invading her space, and is going to in the next instant step forward and block her way.

She's discussing her feelings.

If he then calls her feelings "exaggerated," then he's being invalidating. (Basically, he's telling her how to feel.)

Psychological invalidation is a form of abuse.

Dare I say that you have been a bit hysterical on this thread?

Lol at the downvotes. U mad, bro?

A troll is someone who deliberately tries to antagonize someone.

Green Witch did not first flat-out state that other people were wrong, and then try to minimize her opponents.

She did not call other people "hysterical" for disagreeing with her, either.

Nor did she demonstrate contempt.

Bottom line, Green Witch did not act like an ass, so no one called her an ass.