January is Stalking Awareness Month. Madison College has a great display of awareness and support in our cafeteria.
- Between 6% and 39% of college students report being stalked since entering college.
- Students who identify as women, students of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, students with disabilities, students living off campus, and younger students are all at a higher risk of experiencing stalking.
- 43% of college stalking victims who meet the legal criteria of ‘stalking’ do not identify their experience as ‘stalking’.
Stalking is a serious crime. In this age of technology, lack of privacy and goal of transparency, the lines of what you can do and should do are often blurred.
There are many movies about stalking, with the oldest dating back to 1968, called “The Stalking Moon.” “Fatal Attraction” came out in 1987. Most recently, “Baby Reindeer” was a semi-autographical series about a comic being stalked.
As a standup comedian, I have heard these tales. I have also seen comics calling out who does this.
Twice in my life have I dated people with stalking charges. One reformed, so there is hope. The other would not answer the courts so I wound up finding their lawyer on Wisconsin Circuit Courts and called their attorney to make them stop. It worked.
Did I stalk him back? To deal with this sensitive subject, as well as others, I employ a little humor to get crowds questioning.
How do we feel about stalking? Are we all following each other on Instagram? Facebook?
Recently, a new guy was hired at my workplace. I was a little surprised to learn that several coworkers had found intimate details about him and even researched his siblings. Is this stalking? Why do we have such a thirst to know? Is it because we live in an age when celebrity gossip isn’t confined to one paper, “The National Enquirer”?
If you feel you are being stalked, you should report it, but you also might want to say to that person, “Stop.” Anything done after you’ve said “stop” fits the legal definition of harassment.
The main difference between stalking and curiosity is fear. If the attention you are receiving is causing you to be afraid, then it is stalking. You do need to trust your instincts and follow Madison College’s procedures.
Remember that, unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. You are not alone in that respect.
If the searches you are doing are to hurt someone or to make them afraid, it may be considered stalking
For more information on stalking:
Stalking: The difference between healthy behavior and harassment
Other local agencies that might be helpful include Domestic Abuse Intervention
Services: 608-251-1237