Before reading please take the time to click the link and watch the video CNN aired back in November 2014 regarding a ‘viral catcalling video’ showcasing a woman walking around the streets of New York City and the constant stream of unwanted jeers and comments she receives.

To begin I would like to give a standing ovation to Amanda Seales, the witty, poised and bad-ass comedian, DJ, host, and feminist who disputed Mr. Steve Santagati’s absurd, misogynistic, and blatantly stupid arguments regarding this viral video as well as the overall topic of catcalling. To spend an entire post bad-mouthing Steve, thus reiterating what a nimrod he is, doesn’t exactly appeal to me. It’s just far too easy. As any self-respecting woman and honorable man can see, his argument contains gargantuan holes and his attempt to get what he presumed to be ‘intelligent’ and ‘logical’ points across crashed and burned (this perfectly captured in one of Amanda’s many priceless reaction photos).

Furthermore, Amanda already did quite the job in making him look like a moron on national television. Does The MANual (Steve’s ‘best-selling’ book) have any tips on severe damage control? Undoubtedly he’s going to need it.

What I want to talk about centers more around awareness. When I first saw this reaction video I was filled with the urge to share it with as many of my friends as possible. Not only because of Amanda’s wit, charm, and satisfying ability to prove Steve wrong, (even though that didn’t require much effort on her part) but also because I feel as though this topic carries a tremendous amount of weight. Point blank: this issue is important. Recently, I was reminded of this video when it randomly popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. As I re-watched the clip and again felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude for Ms. Seales, who is now known for her appearance on CNN, I simultaneously remembered an important conversation I had with a friend after showing him the interview shortly after it had originally aired.

I recall listening intently as my friend described a young woman who had parked her car in the same lot as he did and proceeded to walk a little ways in front of him, presumably on her way to work as he was. What my friend noticed though was how many times she was catcalled. Be it verbally with men actually making comments at her, or non-verbally.

“It was so insane,” he told me. “It was like the whole walk over I just noticed how all these guys she passed were just staring at her blatantly giving her the once-over, checking her out and some even made comments. Has that ever happened to you?”

Clearly he was subconsciously still thinking of the video I had shown him the day before, which caused him to observe his morning commute in an entirely new way. He was bothered, uncomfortable even, by the way these men were subjecting this woman on the street as she was simply trying to walk to work. He processed what was happening around him and it made him feel something. I consider that a victory.

As for the question, “has that ever happened to you?” the answer, of course, is yes. But my story and the story of the woman my friend noted on the way to work are not at all unique. Women everywhere, in every country, city, and town are subjected to street harassment, and I can assure you it happens far more frequently than one might think.

Raising awareness is an incredibly pivotal starting point. The issue inherently is something that can only be solved if men partake in helping to create a solution. This however, is not an option if men are not first informed on the severity of the issue. I applaud the ‘viral video’ and applaud Amanda and all other strong advocates out there, and I’m awaiting to see more efforts being made in the sake of gender-equality and respect.