Nobody likes sexism or the obnoxious jerks who jeer women walking down the street. But there’s a pretty good chance that New York’s new $20,000 “research” investment in an app to report offending males might not be the best way to do something about it.
According to the Daily News, New York politicians just greenlighted 20 grand for Hollaback!, a non-profit dedicated to the cause of ending street harassment with the help of technology. The group has an iPhone and Android app, which allows women to take pictures of and tell stories about times that they’re harassed on the street. According to the report, New York City is hoping to help the group expand the app to help women report “forceful flirtation and other forms of street harassment” by a-holes.
Without downplaying the horrible mistreatment of women by pigs, you’ve got to wonder if an app to report criminal rudeness is really necessary. Hollaback! seems like worthwhile endeavor, which boasts chapters in 52 cities worldwide. But the app already collects pictures and images, does it really cost $20,000 just to forward those reports to police? [NY Daily News]
