No, an Invitation to a Debate is not a Catcall

Article here. Excerpt:

'In this #MeToo era, feminists are insisting that sexual harassment is everywhere. But a recent spat between rising star of the Democratic Socialists of America, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tells us why it is so hard to take feminist claims about sexual harassment seriously.

Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, hosts a YouTube show and podcast. Last week, he tweeted Ocasio-Cortez to invite her on to his show to debate ‘all the topics under the sun’. ‘We know that you think Republicans are afraid to debate you, or talk to you, or discuss the issues with you’, he said. As an extra incentive, he offered Ocasio-Cortez a $10,000 donation to her campaign to appear.

Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? But two days later, Ocasio-Cortez responded. ‘Just like catcalling, I don’t owe a response to unsolicited requests from men with bad intentions’, she tweeted. ‘And also like catcalling, for some reason they feel entitled to [a response].’

Of course, Shapiro did not invite Ocasio-Cortez on to his show out of the kindness of his heart. He is hoping to defeat her in a debate and perhaps even embarrass her in the process. Ocasio-Cortez has every right to refuse to debate Shapiro – or any other challenger.'