WORDS OF HATE

I am a woman, and I cannot walk down a city street in the daytime without hearing at least one derogatory (and unprintable) remark. Today, over the course of five blocks, I heard 12 derogatory wisecracks, was the object of five obscene gestures and was even pinched.

I feel demeaned by this kind of behavior and what it represents, but I feel much better able to cope with it because of my experiences in college. There I was not protected from such talk, whether it consisted of sexist slurs or an adviser telling me not to major in the sciences because he believed I’d be of better use to my future husband if I were a teacher.

MARY SHELTON

Riverside