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Sep. 16th, 2012 09:09 pmToday I did voter registration at the Sustainable Living Fair. We didn't have a booth, we just stood outside the gates and asked people entering and leaving, "Is your voter registration up to date?" Almost everyone assured us that they were registered, and thanked us for being there. I got to fill out seven forms, including two for young people who had never registered before. The old hand I went with assured me that that was an awesome number. She only got one.
"Beginner's luck," I said.
"No, you have a nice face," she said.
"I do!" I said. "I tell people, 'I have a kind face. Don't let it fool you.'"
I've been thinking about street harassment, and how I want all my interactions to be consensual. I learned something about peer pressure today: the closer Beverley and I were, the more likely I was to approach everyone who passed. When she couldn't see me, I still kept my clipboard and my smile front and center, but I waited for people to slow their steps, turn toward me, or make eye contact before I spoke to them.
"Beginner's luck," I said.
"No, you have a nice face," she said.
"I do!" I said. "I tell people, 'I have a kind face. Don't let it fool you.'"
I've been thinking about street harassment, and how I want all my interactions to be consensual. I learned something about peer pressure today: the closer Beverley and I were, the more likely I was to approach everyone who passed. When she couldn't see me, I still kept my clipboard and my smile front and center, but I waited for people to slow their steps, turn toward me, or make eye contact before I spoke to them.
