pisceandreamer: Can we get these women an intensive six-month course in krav maga and then let the men see what happens when they get all gropey?

While I'm all in favor of people who grope learning their lesson the hard way (and nothing says the hard way like having your hand broken), it sort of ignores the large social context these sexual harassments take place in. I have a friend who has lived in the Middle East, primarily Egypt and Jordan for years, and it's hard to describe the scope of it. She said all the time on the bus she had people grab her ass, her boobs, all over. Even though she was fluent in Arabic, she avoided learning the dirty words (practically the first thing most foreigner learn in most places) because walking down the street people would call out things she knew were dirty and suggestive and didn't want to know exactly what they were saying.

And women, from the time they are little, are trained to just...take it. To fight back is to risk serious physical violence, and the authorities aren't necessarily going to be on your side when they're called. Now, if you're traveling with a man, no one is going to say anything because *he* would have to defend the honor of *his* woman. But a woman by herself, why she's just a whore, a slut, public property for everyone to abuse.

So good on these women for speaking out, because much more effective than teaching women martial arts is teaching them that they're full people, worthy of respect and equal treatment.

Mildot: picts of hot egyption women???

I think you're confused. The Picts were a group in Iron Age Britain. I doubt you'll find too many of them in modern-day Egypt.

Lee Bruns: well, the US did nothing when the Taliban took over in Afghanistan because it was none of our business.

Actually, I would say after decades of propping up a brutally oppressive regime in Egypt, pretty much for the sole purpose of keeping Israel happy, what happens in Egypt is our business. It's not like we're some innocent observer here.

Mildot: Looking over this thread, I can see I am not the only one who is being a bit insensitive to the plight of these women, but so far I am the only one whos been told to go fark myself. HELLO PEOPLE, can we act like Obama and spread the wealth a bit?

3/10

Really it should be a 2/10, but I usually mark up a bit for extra effort, and you're very persistent.