Michael Che doesn’t really understand street harassment.
After the video “10 Hours of Walking As A Woman In NYC” went viral this week, the SNL cast member posted a sarcastic apology on his Facebook page. The comedian said that he’s “sorry” that these women have to endure compliments and says that he, as a famous person, also experiences street harassment every day.
Che has deleted the post but here’s what the message said:
i wanna apologize to all the women that ive harrassed with statements like “hi” or “have a nice day” or “youre beautiful”. i cant imagine what that must feel like. the closest thing I’ve experienced is maybe when a girl recognizes me from tv and they say things like “AHHHH!! OH MY GOD!! SNL SNL SNL!! TAKE A PICTURE!! TAKE A PICTURE!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! WHATS YOUR NAME AGAIN?! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! WAIT SAY SOMETHING FUNNY!!” but even that is nothing like the harrassment of having a complete stranger tell me to “smile.”
The viral video resonated with a lot of women but it also received a bunch of dismissive comments that echoed Che’s response.
How is calling a woman beautiful harassment? How is giving a stranger a compliment a bad thing? The Hollaback Foundation, which created the video, explains that these are not just innocent comments and that a woman on her way to work is not their personal audience.
Here’s the video from the Hollaback foundation.
Che posted another sarcastic apology for his first sarcastic apology, saying that he shouldn’t get chased with pitchforks simply for stating what’s on his mind.
Based Michael Che trolls SJW SNL fans who got butthurt about his “catcalling” joke on FB. https://t.co/unkjMSSMBS pic.twitter.com/kXU7UZsMPR
— Andrea Castillo (@anjiecast) October 30, 2014
What do you think of Michael Che’s comments? Do you think the above video shows real street harassment? Here’s another video which addresses the issue from Michael Che’s former Daily Show colleague Jessica Williams.
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