Mexico's pink taxis cater to fed-up females

[ccharles000]

MEXICO CITY — Each pink taxi comes with a beauty kit, a GPS system and an alarm button.

The new fleet of 35 cabs in Mexico's colonial city of Puebla are driven exclusively by women and don't stop for men. The cabs cater especially to those tired of leering male drivers.

"Some of the woman who have been on board tell us how male taxi drivers cross the line and try to flirt with them and make inappropriate propositions," said taxi driver Aida Santos, who drives one of the compact, four-door taxis with a tracking device and an alarm button that notifies emergency services. "In the Pink Taxi they won't have that feeling of insecurity, and they feel more relaxed."

Women's rights activists are aghast at the cars' sugary presentation and said the service does not address the root of the harassment problem.

"We are in the 21st century, and they are saying women have continued worrying about beauty and nothing more," said Vianeth Rojas, of the Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Puebla. "They are absolutely not helping eradicate violence against women."

The new taxis, however, undeniably open up to Mexican women what has been an overwhelmingly male profession.

Forty-year-old taxi driver Lidia Hernandez, who previously worked at a gas station, called the pink Chevy compacts "a new and attractive source of employment."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOcIa6bGXOFWuxGy8HS3P2wo6fEwD9BEC7C80

[Captain Hilts]

1. Please, 'women'. 'Females' includes, trees, dogs, cats, etc.

Use female as an adjective, not a noun.

I appreciate your sensitivity to these issues.

Do you still have short hair?

[Lorien]

16. Thank you. Agreed.

[seabeyond]

18. do you all? i see female as including women and girl. there are distinction

in discussions talking abotu the girl and woman. sometimes the conversation is about girls. sometimes it is about women. and sometimes it is about girls and women, that is when i use female.

[TheWraith]

21. You're griping because the OP used the title of the article? nt

[Statistical]

23. I think the use of 'female' is by the editor 'fed up female' is "better" sounding title.

[RetroLounge]

32. Did you even click on the link before snarking?

OP did not write the headline.

RL

[joeycola]

2. Good for them. Go for it and good luck.

[BuyingThyme]

3. Any "women's rights activists" on DU want to explain why somebody might be against this?

Vianeth Rojas doesn't impress me.

[Gwendolyn]

7. Well, for one, it implies that the behavior is condoned in "regular" taxis...

... now that women have "their own." That's ridiculous and smacks of second-class citizenry. Don't forget, the cab driver is supposed to be at the service of the customer. Why should woman have to accept shitty service? Secondly the saccharine pink thing associated with anything female eventually HAS to go.

For the time being I suppose it's a band aid, and the women probably do feel safer and better riding in the pink taxicabs. But it should be just a "for-now" solution while they work on improving regular cab service.

[EFerrari]

8. It seems to be the same old controversy -- can you really

co-opt the pink or are you only really promoting it? It's a good argument to have, imo, because it keeps people mindful.

[Warpy]

4. Unforunately, the drivers will now be targeted

because of the color of the cabs. They'll be seen as especially easy to rob and worse.

And "beauty kits?" Does any woman want to use a communal lipstick? Eeew.

The GPS and alarm system are good ideas, though. All cabs should have them. Male cab drivers have been targeted, too.

[seabeyond]

6. not if they dont stop for men. nt

[Warpy]

9. When some guy is waving a gun in your face at a stoplight

and his mates have your cab surrounded, it doesn't matter if you stopped for them or not.

Again, the sissy pink is a mistake. They really needed to use a different color.

[seabeyond]

10. it isnt the color. anything identifying what it is will be known.... it is the porblem a woman is

continually harrassed and has to resort to a woman driving them around cause males are such asses and feel they have the right to behave like this...

and our culture and world and society promote their behavior.

[pipi_k]

26. Actually I think "sissy pink" is a perfect color...

Because what man worth his machismo would want his friends to know he had actually attacked a pink taxi cab?

Maybe it would even make some of them stop and think about how they'd feel if it were their own moms or sisters in those pink taxi cabs...


In any case, I hope those female cab drivers are also equipped with handguns that they know how to use.

[Warpy]

35. Nah, predators don't care about anything but

how easy the target is.

Like a lot of us who grew up in the 50s and were subjected to a series of Pepto Bismol pink rooms filled with Pepto Bismol pink toys, I absolutely loathe the color.

And distinguishing by color makes them an obvious target, one that can be spotted and planned for a block away.

[seabeyond]

5. its their right and privilige to leer, be smarmy. what it is to be male. women like it....

fuckin have to get their own fuckin cars....

another thread, camera in a bathroom. woman cant even pee in private

seeing any problem yet guys. embarrassed yet.... outraged, mad, disgusted????

[Marr]

15. Is that really how you see men?

Just a pack of leering, violent perverts?

Yes, there are weirdos out there. They're not the majority, and I think most of us condemn that sort of thing already. Why would I be "embarrassed"?

Do you go through life with a sense of self-loathing because some women do bad things?

[seabeyond]

17. women got their own taxis cause of a few men? japan they have their own train cars cause of a few

men?

three decades of dealing with this male. ya.... it is old. real old. but hey..... pretend it is a few. listen to how men talk about female. how they present and see and think about female. just a few men my ass.

[Marr]

19. But you're not just condemning societal values here or there, you're condemning a gender.

I don't know about Japan, but I lived in Mexico for a while and I'd be the first to say there's a kind of macho sexist strain that runs through the culture. But that's not a condemnation of a gender, it's a condemnation of certain values in a specific culture.

As for talking about women... I don't agree. The men I know talk mainly about sports, work, and funny incidents. If women come up, it's generally about trying to figure out what their girlfriend/wife is angry about. That's the truth.

The way you talk about this issue often sounds like bigotry to me, to be frank. Maybe that's not what you mean, and I'm just getting the wrong shade of it somehow. But to me, that's how it often reads.

[seabeyond]

24. it is a lifetime of having scum males look at me letting me know they could "hit that"

it is listening to the males on du talking constantly when seeing a females picture he can hit it, do it.

it is groups of guys saying shit as a gal walks by letting her know he could do her.

a lifetime of this shit.

here in the good old, machoism u.s of a.

you say it is a gender issue for me? listening to your fellow males here on du. THEY say it is a gender issue. THEY say they cant help it. it is what a guy is. dna. biology. boys will be boys. thinking with littel head instead of big head. the MEN say this.

i say it isnt who they are, THEY tell me otherwise. they cant be expected to be civilized, respectful. it is their right. their privilige.

you might want to ask, .... where i am getting this from. cause as a female, unless experienced from male, i should not have these thoughts at all, since as a gender we dont do this. i am getting it from somewhere.

[Marr]

27. Well...

I've seen women on this very site make similar comments when a picture of some popular male is posted. I don't take offense at that. There's nothing wrong with having hormones.

As for actually saying something to a stranger in public, that's just plain rude, unacceptable behavior. I'm not going to make excuses for that.

[seabeyond]

29. i will tell ya somthing else. inevitably a male calls out bigotry or more popular, manhater

anytime i make posts about this. you must hate men after all, to call them on it

they always point out it is the few. not all males. just a small amount of pervs. not gender, but cultural

i have NEVER seen a male on a males post who has stated ALL men do this and if a man tells you otherwise, they lie.

i have never seen a man offended when the men jump in a thread proclaiming it is all, dna and biology that makes them do it. i have never seen a male roll his eyes over the stupid ass comment thinking with little head not big head. not once have i seen a male offended by this comment

but inevitably, a male will say something when i feed back exactly the same words we women are continually given.

why is that? why arent you offended when a male demands, insists that ALL men are this.

[Marr]

31. You've never seen a man take exception to such a claim? Are you sure?

I said as much to a guy making that "hey we're all this way" claim some time back on this very forum. I'm afraid I can't give you a link, but IIRC, several others did as well.

As to my use of the word "bigotry", you commonly use phrases like, "... cause males are such asses and feel they have the right to behave like this...". Not "some" men, but males, period. If that's not what you mean and you don't want people to get that impression, you shouldn't say it that way.

[Gwendolyn]

30. Oh sure. Women aren't blind. We can admire beauty when we see it.

And not all stranger appreciation is unwanted. I love getting attention, smiles and good mornings, and turning to see someone staring after me. I laugh at silly come on lines and don't mind them at all.

Some guys are just obnoxious and gross and that's where the problem lies, not with the average guy you run into. An extension of that would be cab drivers who have been hired to do a job. They need to treat all their customers with the same respect.

[Marr]

34. I completely agree.

On both points, but particularly the cab driver thing. Someone doing a job should treat everyone like customer, period.

[Brickbat]

11. I guess I'd rather have the male drivers stop acting like idiots.

[ensho]

12. best wishes for the pink women cabs and success for the women drivers

we have a pink cab company here in K.W. they pick up anybody or anything. but the male cab drivers don't usually act like jerks toward women.

[pipi_k]

13. Well women's rights groups can be aghast all they want...

and insist that it's not getting to the root of the problem, which it's not...

BUT

what the hell do women do in the meantime?

put up with the shit until the problem IS fixed?


I say good for them...I'm glad they found a way to travel in relative safety until the "root of the problem" is remedied. Which will probably be never, unfortunately. Or, at least, a very long time from now.

[EFerrari]

14. This isn't an objection of women's groups but among them

and has been for the last thirty years or so.

I love the direct action aspect and the fact that those pink cars are going to be out and and about, basically a big finger to assholes and their enablers. lol

[WolverineDG]

20. I've used the "women only" subway cars in Cairo

and let me tell you what a relief it was. Even though I was dressed modestly to fit in, I was still harassed, groped, pinched, etc everywhere else I went.

Women-only taxis? Sign me up.

dg

[pipi_k]

25. Not that I hated the boys or anything, but...

I remember a few of my junior and senior high school classes were all females (Home economics, Biology, as well as the usual Gym classes), and those were the few classes where I felt truly comfortable. No boys as distractions, either positive or negative.

:)

[azmouse]

22. I like the idea.

If the male run taxis are losing business maybe they'll start changing their ways.
I'm not holding my breath til it happens though.

I've been harassed by male taxi drivers and would use a taxi for women only in heartbeat.

[ohheckyeah]

28. I love the idea.

Yes, pink and beauty kits are a bit hokey, but using pink leaves no doubt in most people's minds just who those cabs are for. Women get employed and help other women stay safe and free from sexual harassment. Yes, it's not perfect but it's a damn good beginning. When the male drivers start losing money maybe they will take the hint.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. I have ridden taxis in Mexico City

and only ONE driver ever tried to cross the line...

But knowing the culture it goes beyond just gender, also SKIN color and social class.

Oh and beauty kits? What are they thinking off?

By the way there are metro cars in Mexico City at rush hour for women and children due to the issues with groping.