Doing Little 500 a little bit wrong

There’s a thrill when you go out in Bloomington.

Everyone gets excited, there’s a sense of togetherness and unity and general goodwill, mostly because everyone is too drunk to see things.

And now it’s Little 500. Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate how awesome we all are at biking?

But what I’ve learned as a freshman experiencing my first Little 500, is that this week demonstrates that some people are grade-A douches.

This week has probably been the most that I have ever either been called a slut or been slut-shamed.

Normally this only happens every once in a while — someone gets a little antsy and your degradation is the end result of their drunk antics and frustrations.

I can handle that. After all, I can’t expect women’s rights to be on the forefront of the brain of a guy that’s been turned down five times in the course of the evening.

But this week has been exceptional.

I have been called a whore from 10th Street to Third. It has been shouted at me as I walk home from class, it has been whispered on the bus, it has been said late at night when I won’t give someone my phone number...the list goes on and on.

And I’m not the only girl suffering.

This has been the most that my friends have ever been-slut shamed. I’ve watched it happen.

This is the most that I’ve ever seen simple random cases of harassment — girls shouted at from cars as they try to make it out of the rain, girls shouted at as they walk to class, etc.

What about Little 500 suddenly makes this behavior OK?

As far as I can see, there has been no massive change in the way girls act on campus or interact with the opposite sex.

And furthermore, there is something inherently paradoxical about calling a girl out for being a tease when she won’t put out for you.

Just because your team can go the fastest around a track doesn’t mean that every girl on campus needs to personally congratulate you.

And you should not feel the need to force her to. This week is no different from any other, and girls should not feel threatened because they draw lines.

We’re all trying to enjoy ourselves.

Don’t turn someone else’s night sour because you want to get laid.

It’s just a bike race, it’s not the end of the world. Just take care of yourself and be smart, have a good time and don’t disrespect the people around you.

Everyone will be fine, and everyone will have a good time.

­— ewenning@indiana.edu