James O'Brien caller explains how men can be less threatening to women at night | LBC

Caller Sian explains to James O'Brien what men can do to be less threatening to women, after the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

Caller Sian's exchange with James O'Brien comes as many women have revealed their personal routines for feeling safe in public following Sarah Everard's disappearance.

Ms Everard was a 33-year-old marketing executive from London, went missing last Wednesday as she was walking home from a friend's house in Clapham just after 9pm.

A serving Metropolitan Police officer was later arrested on suspicion of her murder, along with another woman for assisting a suspected offender.

On Wednesday, human remains were found in a woodland area in Kent. Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said identification could take "considerable time".

Having been asked by James what it means for a man to be "unthreatening" to women at night, Sian explained: "Unthreatening at night in the dark [means] not walking behind a woman slowly and staying there.

"So if you're chatting on the phone to someone, then you are less threatening. If you cross the street away from her you are less threatening.

"If you try not to overtake her you are less threatening. These are things that people [have] indicated would be less threatening.

"But if there's a man who is...staying behind you [and] not saying a word, [then] that is a little bit threatening because you can't see him.

"You can't know what he's going to do, and the fact of the matter is that that's a scary thought."

#JamesOBrien #LBC

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[FionnCr]

Men aren't scared to walk through an under pass at night. What is he on?

[greamespens]

Perhaps a step forward is for mothers
to talk about their experiences with their
sons. This may evoke the thought that
when they witness within themselves or behaviour of others that their mothers/sisters etc experienced.

[Tdog]

> Don't walk behind a woman
> Also don't overtake her
The heck am I supposed to do then!?

[fusionev]

So don't walk behind, also don't overtake?

[lateo]

She can’t speak for other women - but can, it seems, speak for all men?

[LiftedBuddha]

Reminder that you are more likely to be attacked randomly in the street if you are male.

[JW_PUNK]

What if a person looks like a man but identifies as a women?

[hellowaves]

Women walk on the left of the street, men on the right, non binary in the middle of the road, problem solved 😂😂😂.

[tinap]

This is entirely the wrong conversation. It shouldn't be about preventing women from feeling threatened; it should be about preventing women (and men) actually being threatened.

[al-bot]

Men can be less threatening by WOMEN NOT ASSUMING THE WORST OF MEN.
I get that some men are bad. The same goes for women, and anybody in between. But most people are just minding their own business.

Preparing for the worst, and being ready for the worst, are both: NOT ASSUMING the worst.

[funnyfuckerfranco]

Now take out the advice label of for "men" and instead insert "black people" so you can understand how truly discriminatory this was. Imagine if a woman had phoned up and said, "maybe black people need to learn how to be less threatening?"

[wendyslittleprogram]

Somehow I don’t think these suggestions will thwart an actual psychopath in any way

[martycarter]

Self defence it has to happen here know not just for women but for men as well they are the number one group to be assaulted in uk

[jonsmith]

"If you're going to say "not all men" then prove it" . Message for the caller. In the scenario you're painting, I don't need to prove anything, like the woman in that scenario, I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm not breaking any laws, I'm not harming anyone and have no intention of harming anyone, like the woman, I've every right to be there.

[uhegbu]

I had always thought how the public would respond when women of all shapes and sizes break the rules compared to the male equivalent, it is pretty divisive. As I mentioned before, something is wrong in society, as a whole, at every level.

[triplecheeseburgermotovlogs]

No most men don’t phone a friend while walking alone late at night! Not because we are super brave but because society expects men to be “tough”.

[loza]

So now I need to cross the road and not overtake a slow walking woman because they may be scared. Rediculous.

People are becoming more fearful because of media portraying risk, when the stats evidence how unlikely you are to get attacked.

[alexandrareber]

I know there is a small risk walking home from the night bus stop alone and it gives me the creeps but I still do it, or rather did before lockdown, on a Friday or a Saturday night, if there are no taxis or a v long wait for one. Living in a big city, friends and colleagues often live far apart. Head up, keys in hand, bombing along in sensible shoes, watching and listening. Occasionally I see a lone man and he always crosses the road, never walks towards me or close behind me. If he's on the opposite side already, and sees me glancing over he tends to put his head down and walk twice as quickly to show he's not posing any kind of threat. Most men, even a dog walker, know instinctively that they would scare you walking close to you in a dark deserted street and wouldn't do it.

[VPhantom-rfqo]

Men feel scared and anxious when walking through dangerous areas at night, the trick is to make london safe again.

[loza]

You're proposing limiting my freedoms to walk where I want because of a false perception of a threat.