Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Is catcalling harassment?
Position1 of 2›

Yes, catcalling is harassment

This position holds that unsolicited remarks about a stranger's body in public are harassment because of their effect on the person addressed: unwanted, unavoidable, and carrying an unknown risk, whatever the speaker meant by them.

Supporting arguments · 2

  1. Harassment is defined by its effect on the person addressed, not by the speaker's intent
  2. The remark carries an implicit threat because the person addressed cannot know what follows it