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Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

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Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#111

Post by bigDinosaur »

FredPret wrote: post #4
Nihilartikel wrote: post #2

This is probably one of my favorite activities in foreign cities - walk or take public transportation aimlessly for a few hours. Buy a snack that catches my eye, or find a cafe or pub to linger at long enough to see the ebb and flow of foot traffic. Directed tourism is fine, but seeing a few randomly sampled slices of a culture and place gives the experience 'roots' for me in some intangible way.

Great idea... in a safe city

You're being downvoted but you're completely correct. You can't 'aimlessly stroll' without being delusional in many places. Unsafe areas exact a massive psychological toll on residents.

Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#112

Post by AlbertCory »

I've always liked the expression "How nice for you!" but I heard a better one on Quora:

This British lady was walking in a questionable part of NYC, and a guy came up and said, "I've got meth! I've got cocaine! I've got [list of other illegal substances]!"

She said with full British accent, "Who's a lucky boy, then?"

Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#114

Post by autoexec »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #108
Ma8ee wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for the reminder. As a 95 kg white male who only on a few very rare occasions felt even a bit nervous walking anywhere, it is good to get a reminder that different people experience our same world very differently.

It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum. A 60kg skinny man can worry less tham a 60kg gym going woman.

> It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum.

that seems like a weird take. Most of the time I'd think people wandering unfamiliar streets will be accosted by assholes looking for money than looking for someone to sexually harass. Even catcallers will have various motivations which might not involve intent to sexually harass (even though that's usually the effect).

Men have a lower risk of being sexually assaulted while a mugger or a scammer will happily target individuals of either sex if they think they can get away with it. Men do tend to the preferred target for someone looking to start a fight however which can make a difference depending on the area and how territorial the local thugs are.

Still, I'd feel way more comfortable as a 60kg woman who was fit and knew how to defend herself than I would as a 60kg man who had no idea how to fight and little muscle. In either case if someone assaulted me I would be targeted because I'm being perceived as weak and vulnerable, and in only one of those scenarios would I be in a position to quickly give an assailant cause to reassess and back off.

Staying aware of your surroundings and taking sensible precautions when wandering (anywhere) is good advice for anybody.

Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#115

Post by autoexec »

dreadlordbone wrote: post #106
mym1990 wrote: post #19

I think(at least in America, or less walkable cities) this is becoming a lost art. So many of my friends simply can't imagine what an hour or two might look like without being preoccupied by something. Walking to them is a boring activity, a pointless one. But when I do it, its almost like my mind just explodes with creativity, I notice the smallest details that would otherwise pass me by. And its a great form of low…

This might seem awful, but I do this in my car. I'll just take random routes and drive around seeing different parts of neighborhoods or cities. I'd much prefer walking but that's not very reasonable for where I am.

I don't see a problem with it, although (gas prices aside) it's not ideal since I find it hard to really look around while I drive, especially in places that are unfamiliar. I once lived at a place I'd stayed at for a couple of years and it wasn't until I was moving out that I realized I'd never once taken a left turn from my own driveway! These days I tend to do that kind of neighborhood wandering in google maps/earth.

Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#116

Post by lyricism »

autoexec wrote: post #114
quickthrower2 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum. A 60kg skinny man can worry less tham a 60kg gym going woman.

> It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum. that seems like a weird take. Most of the time I'd think people wandering unfamiliar streets will be accosted by assholes looking for money than looking for someone to sexually harass. Even catcallers will have various motivations which might not involve intent to sexually harass (even though that's usually the eff…

My original point was not about being accosted. You would be surprised how quickly someone yelling about your genitals will take you from "aimless strolling" to fight or flight, regardless of their weight or your level of fitness.

Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#118

Post by autoexec »

lyricism wrote: post #116
autoexec wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum. that seems like a weird take. Most of the time I'd think people wandering unfamiliar streets will be accosted by assholes looking for money than looking for someone to sexually harass. Even catcallers will have various motivations which might not involve intent to sexually harass (even though that's usually the eff…

My original point was not about being accosted. You would be surprised how quickly someone yelling about your genitals will take you from "aimless strolling" to fight or flight, regardless of their weight or your level of fitness.

No argument there!

Re: Flânerie: The Art of Aimless Strolling

#120

Post by impossiblefork »

autoexec wrote: post #114
quickthrower2 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum. A 60kg skinny man can worry less tham a 60kg gym going woman.

> It is not the physique / weight but the intent, which is some kind of sexual harassment at a minimum. that seems like a weird take. Most of the time I'd think people wandering unfamiliar streets will be accosted by assholes looking for money than looking for someone to sexually harass. Even catcallers will have various motivations which might not involve intent to sexually harass (even though that's usually the eff…

>Still, I'd feel way more comfortable as a 60kg woman who was fit and knew how to defend herself than I would as a 60kg man who had no idea how to fight and little muscle.

Generally, even in this situation, men are more able to defend themselves. Women have 60-70% of the upper body strength of a man of the same weight.(see https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/brzycki/fi...)

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