A blind man has shared the moment he was confronted for “staring” at a woman in the gym.
Pete Has a Huge Online Following
A voice actor called Pete Gustin has shared the story of a time he was accused of “staring” at a woman in the gym. Pete has a massive following, with over a million subscribers on YouTube.
He Shared the Gym Story With His Subscribers
In a video, he said: “I’m standing there doing a tricep push-down exercise and, since I can’t see, I’m just kind of staring off into space doing my thing. Halfway through a set, I start hearing footsteps that seem like they’re coming in my direction, getting closer and closer and closer until – all of a sudden – this woman’s right up in my face going, ‘I didn’t come here to be stared at.’”
He Responded to the Woman Fairly
The actor went on to say that he apologized to the woman before disclosing his blindness. It’s clear he empathized with her and understood why she was quick to assume the worst.
The Same Can’t Be Said for the Woman
It’s understandable that the woman would initially be upset upon noticing Pete “staring” at her. Regardless, you’d expect her to understand his explanation and move on. Unfortunately, she didn’t, responding: “I don’t care! Stop staring at me!”
She Went to the Manager
“She storms off and comes back with a manager a couple of minutes later,” Pete said. He goes on to explain that he showed the manager his ID card from the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. The manager ignored this and told Pete that he can’t make others uncomfortable in the gym.
Technically, the Manger Was Right
Of course, the manager was right; nobody should make anybody uncomfortable anywhere. But some situations are more nuanced and this was clearly one of those instances.
Pete Obviously Wasn’t “Staring” at the Woman
Most people find it baffling that both the manager and the woman continued to push for Pete to stop making people uncomfortable, even after learning about his blindness. It’s clear Pete would’ve happily adjusted his gaze upon realizing he was making someone feel uneasy.
His Viewers Had a Lot to Say
“That girl is the reason water bottles have instructions on them,” one viewer commented.
Others Also Questioned the Woman’s Intelligence
“She’s the type of lady to start speaking French at a Chinese restaurant,” another viewer claimed.
Some Empathized With Pete
“As a blind person, this is my worst nightmare. But hey, certainly makes for some entertainment,” another individual commented.
Others Accused the Gym of Harassment and Discrimination
One viewer said: “This is literally harassing someone with a disability. That gym would get a rude awakening with a lawsuit for discrimination and harassment of someone who literally can’t see.”
A Minority Didn’t Understand Pete’s Perspective
A minority of viewers thought Pete should’ve simply apologized – even though, according to his video, he already did.
Interestingly, Most Comments Focused on the Woman
Despite Pete giving equal attention to the woman and the male manager in his video, most comments focused on the former – particularly comments calling into question the intelligence of people who don’t understand the meaning of “blind”. In a discussion about sexism and misogyny, this is definitely an interesting point given that the manager didn’t understand any more than the woman did.
It’s a Complicated Subject
Harassment of women in gyms isn’t uncommon – but neither is ableism. Neither problem should be solved by worsening the other. A study from 2016 found that 76% of women feel uncomfortable exercising in public due to harassment. In another survey, 56% of women reported harassment during their workouts.
The Statistics for Ableism Aren’t Great Either
“Ableism” is a word used to describe discrimination and prejudice against disabled people – and it’s a very real problem. According to scope.org, 72% of disabled people have experienced negative attitudes or behavior in the last five years and 87% of them said it had a negative effect on their daily lives.
Pete Posted a Follow-up Video
Pete posted a follow-up video titled “The ORIGINAL Blind Guy Caught ‘staring’ at the gym tells more”. In the video, he discussed the response to his original post and talked about how several other blind men have since released similar videos. He also accused women of baiting men into these situations so they can feel like victims – but he presented no evidence to support the claim.
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