It's a shame at how many men don't realize this.

I actually think there's a bit of feigned ignorance going on here. I refuse to believe that men are totally ignorant of how it feels to be cat-called. They just pretend that they are because feigning ignorance allows them to keep on doing it. It's like when men pretend that they "don't see dirt" in an effort to get out of housework. It's all put on.

Here's the thing with cat-calling: It's never an attempt to hit on a woman. It's almost always done in the presence of other men. It is literally for the benefit of other men, to demonstrate his manliness/virility/straightness to other men.

Men are homosocial.

I really dislike this quote because it highlights how men are unable to think of us as humans till they are personally put in a threatening position.

And even then they will stop only because they feel threatened or scared for themselves, not for women.

A lot of the comments are referring to catcalling, which I agree that men know what they're doing when they do this and that telling them something like this quote wouldn't help the typical catcaller.

Reading this I had assumed this man referred to all the men who try to talk to women in public and get offended when it comes out super wrong because they don't see women as people and don't understand that we'd rather be interacted with normally, and not with cheesy pickup lines or having strangers straight up asking for our number because "we're pretty". I'd bet money that no man would ever ask for another man's number in the street because he'd "like to know him better" (without implying anything sexual of course, because there's a pretty high chance that gay men actually do this to other men, but in that case I'm pretty sure no one is pretending that it's "for friendship" or "platonic" when it goes wrong).

But then again, so many men react to any criticism of "cold approach" in bad faith and throw up their arms in the air while yelling that they "can't talk to women anymore". It's not about not talking to women whatsoever, it's about NOT BEING CREEPY, talk to us like you would talk to another bloke, it's not that hard. But then again men wouldn't do it to another bloke, they jump through every possible hoop to ignore one another's existence and yet they think it's miserable that "no one ever sees them" or that "no one cares about them". They're so broken it's unbelievable.

Doesn't help that in their fantasies they would love for a woman to "cold approach" them in an overtly sexual manner. They keep themselves blissfully unaware of the possibility that in this alternate fantasy reality of theirs where everyone is cold approaching everyone, they might be approached by unattractive women or creepy dudes...

Long story short, common sense, self awareness and empathy would go a long way but what else is new.

I don't mind compliments but whistling or invading my space is where they cross the line. I'm a human being first so respect should come first too.