bell hooks Is Screening Your Calls
It's called the Feminist Phone Intervention and it promises on its Tumblr page to "protect your privacy while dropping some feminist knowledge when your unwanted 'suitor' calls or texts."
It works like this. The next time you find yourself in a bar, club, office, classroom, grocery store (because you really can't escape this sh** anywhere you go) being harassed by an average douche-monkey who has decided that he is going to date you, or at least sleep with you, so help him God, just smile and tell him to call (669) 221-6251*, and go on your merry way. He'll never bother you again but when he tries to hit up "your number," he'll get an automatically generated response - a quote from super-feminist and intersectionality champion bell hooks.
The phone line was flooded with thousands of calls and texts within the first day of going live. Now, the creators are looking to sustain this service and are requesting donations (however modest) from fans far and wide. Any funds raised beyond the cost of covering the phone bill will be donated to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.
So, give it a try for yourself and keep it on hand for the next time your "get-the-f***-away-from-me" face doesn't do the job. And don't feel like it's only for women. There's no excuse for sexual harassment by or toward anyone, of any identity.
Besides, in the words of the creators, "why give any old fake number when you can have bell hooks screen your calls?"
*The creators have formally noted that they would have preferred (669) WTF-DUDE or (669) UGH-ASIF, but both were unfotunately taken.
Reach Senior Opinion Editor Francesca Bessey here; follow her here.