Letters posted here are associated with the following article:

476
Letters
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 12:00 AM

Porn in a flash

A troubling surge in creepy "upskirt" photography has lawmakers in a twist -- and the body parts of women posted all over the Internet.

The letters thread is now closed.

View:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 08:56 PM

Creeps are creepy.

How pathetic is it to gawk at underwear?

How infantile is it for a grown man to act like a First Grader?

Do these guys with such arrested development deserve a kick in the crotch or our pity for being such immature losers?

The female object of creepo's obsession has lost nothing.

The male leerer has reduced his manhood into childish insignificance.

Laugh at, or feel pity for these furtive freaks.

They are both pitiful and funny in the saddest way.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 08:57 PM

Bigguns is absolutely right: don't start a physical fight with these pervs

Bigguns wrote: "Sure, talk tough on Salon if that vents some steam, but don't forget that men kill women every damn day with just their hands and that everyday, crowds of people watch other people die. Starting a public fight doesn't necessarily make it safe.

I have a friend who's a competitive martial arts fighter and I asked her, "So, how would you fare in a street fight?"

"I'd likely get my ass kicked," she said."

Yep. I understand all the women here who urge beating the hell out of any twisted pervert who tries to peak under their skirts. However, that kind of talk is fine for venting, but it's likely to get you seriously hurt or killed if you actually follow through on it.

The perv might be a seasoned streetfighter; while the inner voice of decency inside you makes you hesitate before punching or kicking him, he'll immediately punch you in the throat and then stomp on your head until it cracks. He is used to violence and knows the right moves. He has no anti-violence filter in him, and his nervous system is not wrecked by violence. Normal, decent people tend to blow a mental fuse when faced with violence, even if they're marvels of grace and power in the karate dojo.

The perv might be one slap away from going berserk. This guy is already sick enough to peek up your skirt. If you hit him, you might be hitting a guy who is ready to go postal, whether he knows it or not. He'll tear you apart in a blind rage, and then come to strapped inside a prison hospital bed wondering how he got there.

The perv might be the kind of sick bastard who carries a straight razor or a knife. You try to hurt him, and he slices you up before you even see the blade. First comes the pain, then comes the shock, then you die.

Sorry, all you Dirty Harrys and Harriets. The first rule of self-defense is to avoid violence if at all possible. Fighting is the last resort. Some loser perv peeking up your skirt or calling you names is not physically harming you. You can still get home alive and safe and sound. You do that, and you've won the fight. If you want to yell at him and shame him, go for it, but keep your hands to yourself, because otherwise you're asking to be hurt or killed.

This advice is good for all the tough guys out there, too -- especially the ones in kilts.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 09:38 PM

Creepy Ad Campaign

I went to this web site-- http://www.joesjeans.com/ --almost immediately after reading "Porn in a flash," coincidentally, and found it doubly disturbing in light of the trend Clark-Flory describes. The site advertises jeans using videos made to look like they were taken by a creepy stranger harassing the models. Ick. Why would anyone find this appealing? Why would anyone think this would sell jeans? It's particularly ironic that I went to the site because I read (on http://www.alittlepregnant.com/) that these jeans are flattering to the postpartum body. I was expecting something a little more enlightened.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:24 AM

not everyone who snaps a shot of people is a pervert

there is no question that snaps of unwilling women under their dresses is an invasion of privacy. Other than that, if its publicly exposed, what is the big deal? i will often take a shot of a beautiful woman to send to a friend, thereby letting him know that while he is toiling in misery, I was able to appreciate a beautiful woman. Other times, i've taken a snap of a hairstyle, blouse, dress, or a pair of boots or shoes just to see if my wife iikes the style.

My dad used to take candid photos of huge rear ends (dressed) while on vacation just to startle my mom and make her laugh when she would get the film developed. Did that make him a vouyer, a masher, or just an old man with a benny hill sense of humor?

most of this reminds me of the heavily pierced and tattooed man i stared at, who shouted "what he hell are you looking at?!"

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:54 AM

Invasion of the Snatch Shooters!

Insiduous evil is everywhere! Don't dare walk outside your door! Beware also of sharks, and keep an ice pick on your person at all times.

In other words.

Just relax.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 02:45 AM

Cellphone photo sound in Japan

Cellphones in Japan have an optional feature to add a sound when a photo is being taken. It is not automatic and has no connection to whether the photo is being taken in an inappropriate manner. The user can turn it on or off as a preference.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 04:54 AM

Upskirting is sexual assault pure and simple.

I'd rank it right up there with flashing and if caught perpetrators should be criminally charged. If subsequently convicted of the crime the perp's should be added to any public list of sexual predators that the prevailing law allows for.

This being said I also think that the article should have made a better effort to be informative and as written seems more intent on inciting an emotional reaction in the reader than on providing any meaningful insight into this troubling phenomenon.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 05:01 AM

"If you don't want to be photographed walking the street, don't walk down the street

I am a photographer and shooting images of someone unbeknownest to them in public is not illegal and should not be. But, i do think that upskirting is invading someones personal space and rights and should be illegal.

That being said, a part of the article in which Tracy writes about someone taking pictures of a friends ass and a friend going Kanye on some guy taking pictures of her rack, I do have issues with. While she does not say it, that paragraph implies that this is akin to upskirt shots but, it is not - it is simply what you are wearing for all to see in public.

I find it funny that someone wears something sexy in public and then get mad when it has its intended effect. While I would not take images like this, when you are in public, images can be taken of you LEGALLY and if you go Kayne on someone expect to be charged with assault.

Most Active Letters Threads

639

Obama's exceedingly familiar justifications for escalation

The "new" approach to Afghanistan touted by White House officials seems quite old
543

The crazy, irrational beliefs of Muslims

Tom Friedman explains the real problem: stupid Muslims think the U.S. is about war and aggression.
437

The face of rotted Washington

Evan Bayh demands more debt-financed war - fought by others - while boasting that he's a stern "deficit hawk."
206

Bigotry wins in Switzerland

By voting to ban the construction of minarets, Switzerland apes the most extreme intolerance in the Muslim world
148

Mike Huckabee's fatally bad judgment

Brutality by another Huck-pardoned criminal suggests the 2012 GOP hopeful listened more to pastors than prosecutors

View all »

Letters Help

Currently in Salon