r/Glasgow Tools

Did you miss my entire point? These guys see rejection as a barrier to be overcome. They do not walk away at the first "no". I have been approached by guys who think they're a pick up artist before. They do not say "sorry" and walk away the first time they say something to you (unless they're very new to trying to be like that and struggling with it). My entire point is that **I have absolutely no idea if this guy is like the guy who pulled my hair**. I won't know if he's going to keep following me to my destination, or if he's going to hurt me, until I am actually away from him. As long as he's still *right there*, still talking at me, still trying to get a positive response, there is nothing there that tells me that this guy is not going to eventually get sick of being told no and hurt me.

Elliot Rodgers, the guy who shot up a university, was one of these guys, remember. These PUA types absolutely do have the capacity to get violent. Their methodology teaches men to dehumanise women and see them as potential conquests, as vaginas to be fucked and mouths to put a dick into to increase their numbers. It isn't a huge leap for a guy who already leans on the angry/violent side who gets involved in this stuff to then view violence and anger towards the women rejecting him as okay. And I, nor you, cannot immediately tell if the person trying to talk to you is going to be violent if you try to leave. That is why the "walk away" advice is short sighted and doesn't consider the multitude of other concerns women have about these interactions. Better advice would be to move to a more public space towards other people, or go into a shop, a pub, whatever, ideally somewhere with security, to get into a generally safer scenario. If he isn't violent, he'll probably walk away at that point. If he is violent, you've changed the situation where he's less likely to be able to make a scene and get away with it.