“Too sexy for my bus, woman told”
Posted by Henric C. Jensen on July 17, 2007
Too sexy for my bus, woman told
“Suddenly he stopped the bus,” the woman named Debora C. told Bild newspaper. “He opened the door and shouted at me ‘Your cleavage is distracting me every time I look into my mirror and I can’t concentrate on the traffic. If you don’t sit somewhere else, I’m going to have to throw you off the bus.’”
After you stop laughing at the absurdity of this story, you might realize that this reaction bears more than passing resemblance to the Islamic “uncovered meat” analogy.
Instead of placing the responsibility for desire and arousal on the male, where it belongs, such statements essentially demand women cover themselves to compensate for the lack of male self-control. When we allow people to get away with this type of thinking, we are prolonging the implicit patriarchy and repression of women. We are telling women that their bodies are shameful in some way.
A spokesman for the bus company defended the driver. “The bus driver is allowed to do that and he did the right thing,” the spokesman said. “A bus driver cannot be distracted because it’s a danger to the safety of all the passengers.”
This guy should have been instantly fired. How juvenile and insulting can you be to a customer? If you have a job (such as bus driving) where you interact with the public, you need to be prepared for a wide range of imagery which may on occasion include sexual temptation. Welcome to planet Earth. If you can’t do the job, then quit.
It might also help to get laid.
For crying out loud…what planet did this bus driver come from? If I had said something like that to anyone, I would have had my cujones pulled of and stuffed down my throat…
I have to agree with my fellow blogger here – “Instead of placing the responsibility for desire and arousal on the male, where it belongs, such statements essentially demand women cover themselves to compensate for the lack of male self-control.”
Males like this makes me feel like an alien.
SOB's Grins & Grumps 
Dale Husband said
I guess this sort of attitude makes Islam look silly, then.
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Silly Old Bear said
I wouldn’t call it silly – neither behaviors – both are tragic examples of how little we changed as a society. And how we are fully prepared to leave someone else with the responsibility for our actions.
This is going to be heard as chauvinistic – but I kind of like the equal dress code in Traditional Judaism. Both men and women are supposed to dress modestly, as both genders are acknowledged as “distracting” to the other.
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Ane said
I had a similar experience with a teacher once. He basicly asked me to cover up as it was affecting his teaching. My response was that I would cover up the day he brushed his teeth so I could actually approach him when I had a question. His dental hygiene was affecting my and others learning process.
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Silly Old Bear said
Good reply, Ane!
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HANNA said
I think when you expose yourself in this way, you shouldn’t complain if someone rape you
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dovaryeh said
Hanna,
She was 10 – she cannot be responsible. Period.
No-one should be raped for any reason – not even if they choose to walk through the city at night stark naked.
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