Chapter 32 Exercises: Rejection, Harassment, and Violence

Exercise 32.1 — Mapping the Continuum (Small Group, 30–40 min)

The chapter describes a continuum from entitlement through rejection-aggression through harassment to violence. Working in small groups, construct a visual "continuum map" with the following steps:

  1. List behaviors. Generate a list of 15–20 behaviors that could appear in this continuum — from mildly entitled (expecting a text back quickly) to severely harmful (stalking, physical assault). Write each on a separate card or sticky note.

  2. Place behaviors on the continuum. Arrange them from "mildly problematic" to "severely harmful." Discuss disagreements within the group — where you disagree is often more interesting than where you agree.

  3. Identify thresholds. Where does "persistence" become "harassment"? Where does "upset after rejection" become "rejection-aggression"? Mark the thresholds your group identifies and explain your reasoning.

  4. Consider context. Does the same behavior mean different things in different contexts (first message vs. after a clear "no"; workplace vs. bar; peer vs. authority figure)?

Debrief discussion: The most important outcome of this exercise is usually discovering that groups disagree on placement of middle-range behaviors. What does that disagreement reveal about cultural norms? About the difficulty of legal definition?

Exercise 32.2 — Bystander Intervention Role-Play (Pairs or Small Groups, 45–60 min)

This exercise asks you to practice bystander intervention using the "4 Ds" framework (Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document). Your instructor will read scenario prompts aloud. For each scenario, your group has 3 minutes to discuss which D you would use and why, then briefly enact it.

Scenario A: You are waiting for the bus. A man nearby is making escalating comments to a woman who is clearly trying to ignore him. She looks uncomfortable. The man is larger than you.

Scenario B: At a party, you see a friend of a friend behaving persistently toward someone who keeps making excuses to leave. The person looks increasingly uncomfortable. You don't know either person well.

Scenario C: You witness a person following someone down the street, getting closer. The person being followed speeds up. You are the only other person on the block.

Scenario D: A friend shows you a stream of texts they're receiving from an ex — dozens per day, despite having asked the ex to stop. They say they don't want to "make it a big deal."

After all scenarios: Write a brief individual reflection (150–200 words). Which scenario was hardest to act in? What made it hard? What personal or social factors would make bystander intervention harder or easier for you?

Exercise 32.3 — Analyzing the Entitlement Narrative (Individual Reading and Response, 45 min)

The chapter discusses how incel ideology constructs a narrative of "deserved" sexual access. Read the following (excerpted) academic analysis of incel rhetoric (your instructor will provide the excerpt from Ging, 2019, or an equivalent).

Then respond to the following questions (300–400 words total):

  1. What psychological needs does the incel ideological framework appear to address? (Be analytical, not dismissive.)
  2. The incel community began as a support space for lonely people before radicalizing. At what point in that trajectory does the ideology become dangerous, and why?
  3. What is the relationship between the ideology and the violence? Does the ideology cause the violence, or do they share common roots in a third factor?
  4. What might effective de-radicalization look like for someone in the early stages of incel ideology adoption? What does the chapter's discussion of bystander intervention suggest about who is positioned to intervene?

Exercise 32.4 — Institutional Response Audit (Research Assignment, 1 week, Individual)

Investigate the resources available at your own institution for: - Reporting street harassment (if it occurs on campus) - Reporting stalking by a fellow student or non-student - Reporting intimate partner violence - Accessing support after experiencing any form of harassment or assault

Write a 400–500 word report documenting: Where did you find this information? Was it easy to locate? What processes are described? What resources (counseling, legal advocacy, housing support) are available? What gaps do you identify?

Note: This exercise does not ask you to share personal experiences. It asks you to evaluate institutional infrastructure as a public interest question.

Exercise 32.5 — Reflection: Jordan's Scene (Individual, 20 min)

Reread the opening scene and the closing scene of this chapter. Then respond briefly (200–250 words) to ONE of the following:

a) Jordan says "it was nothing, and it's also really not nothing." What do they mean? What does this tension reveal about how we categorize harm?

b) Sam says he's "never had to think about a route." What does his recognition of this represent? What is the value — and what are the limits — of that kind of recognition?

c) Nadia's response ("that's the design, whether he knew it or not") makes an argument about intent vs. impact. Do you find the argument persuasive? What does it imply about how we should think about responsibility for low-grade harassment?