That's so awful! It sounds like you handled it well. You mentioned that some bystanders laughed and if I recall correctly you wondered what a bystander should do in situations like the one in the article. Personally, I don't really know the answer to those questions and I think people don't spend as much time…

You don't have to punch anyone. That is really hard to do especially if you are not trained to do it. Practice yelling "No!" really loud in your living room. Seriously. It's HARD! It takes practice. Yelling "NO!" in a guys face really loud is likely all that is required to get him away from you on a crowded…

The creepiness began with a comment and escalated from there, so from a self defense perspective the best thing to do would be to say "That comment made me very uncomfortable," in an assertive tone. You don't necessarily need to be confrontational or aggressive about it, unless that is your nature in which case that…

I like to think that I would make a big scene, ask to change seats etc... I would be perfectly justified in doing so, but the fact of the matter is I might just be too afraid. The other people on the plane might just sit there awkwardly trying to ignore it because they don't want to get involved. He might just say…

Lululemon has always rubbed me the wrong way. It occurred to me early on that spending 100 dollars on "yoga" pants because they make your ass look awesome is actually anti-yoga. Good quality tights are available from other athletic wear brands who don't use any hypocritical new-agey marketing and they cost a little…

You shoulda stopped at "I'm no weight lifter."

I'm guessing you are a body builder not a powerlifter. I'm an olympic lifter (we use momentum, gasp!). I snatch and clean more than some of my stronger team mates because I have better hip mobility and can easily sit in a full squat. Should I force myself to catch the bar higher to make it harder? The answer is no…

What is your powerlifting background and what are your credentials? I think it's important to disclose this if you want your opinion taken seriously.

Powerlifting is different from body building. The idea is to lift as much weight as possible for only one rep, not to "isolate" muscle groups. The weight is borne by her shoulders on the bench, not her neck. Her spine mobility allows gives her an advantage over other athletes in the way that you mentioned. That's…

P.S. gymnastics is awesome for kids, it makes them really strong and mobile and pretty much sets them up to be awesome at anything they want athletically for the rest of their lives. They risk getting injured, especially the hard training competitive ones, but despite what many people think, getting fat in front of…

Her ability to arch is due to her excellent mobility. The weight is being supported by her shoulders which are pressing hard into the bench, unlike doing an upright shoulder press with an arched back which would be dangerous. As for 13 being to young? My olympic lifting coach doesn't have her junior lifters do 1…

I love how everyone suddenly becomes a paleo anthropologist whenever this subject comes up. I've read "Guns, Germs and Steel" and some National Geographics just like these other folks and I can't claim to know how our pre agricultural ancestors lived. Their taboos, division of labour and levels of gender equality…

I get that. I disagreed with the language and I think the language is important. I also disagree with misshoneychurch's opinion that journalists are misrepresenting what happened when they describe the rape as violent. Some additional clarity for the sake of the ignorant might be called for sometimes, however I…

All rape is violent. Someone is penetrating your body without your consent. In Canada, the language we use is aggravated sexual assault when it is accompanied with other injuries to the body. Perhaps in the U.S. they still use the word "violent" to distinguish the exact nature of the offense. If that is the case…

These people don't believe it, they know they have the power to manipulate people and that even if someone catches on they will be unlikely to do anything about it for fear of compromising their own standing in their community and the integrity of the institution on which they depend for access to that community. The…

He sought out and accessed her personal information illegally, then staked out her house. So they didn't just talk about kidnapping her, they planned it, which is taking it pretty far and I'm very comfortable with the fact that these men were legally intercepted before they could take it any further. Not to mention,…

It's more than a thought crime to plan the abduction, torture and murder of an actual person. In his correspondence with the person hiring him to do the abduction he said that he would deliver her unharmed and then leave because he didn't want to be tempted to participate in the rape and torture of the girl, in an…

Pre incident indicators are a crucial part of the incident and I for one am glad that they are legally treated as such. I am also glad that things that are not pre incident indicators like role play fantasies and publishing of fiction are not criminal offenses. This guy was not convicted for his perverted sexual…

As stated in the article, what happened was not a criminal matter. It was not sexual assault or even attempted sexual assault. It was definitely sexual harassment and she could file a suit in a civil court if she were so inclined, and she would likely win as long as others came forward about their same experiences…

Tell him how you feel. See what he says.