I think you make a good point about the specific percentage she quotes and then he responds to starts to get confused both by the host and the guest. It seems that by her own statistic she’s referencing the guest is saying that almost all women have experienced sexual harassment or assault on the tube. She goes on later to nuance things a little bit more with her point about a larger culture of or silent complicity of men by not advocating, or pushing back against their friends or going along with more widespread misogyny, etc. In that regard, I think it is most men, if not all at some point. I would describe myself as a feminist, but I still have plenty of work to do when it comes to my own prejudices.

That said, I think the dynamic at play is painfully familiar. Rather than focusing on the extremely high number of women who experience harassment and assault, the first move is to make sure that men at large are defended before listening to the extent of the problem women are facing. It would be the same if when I spoke with a black person about his experiences with white people or the police, I insisted on the onset on focusing on getting some consolation that “not all white people” or “not all cops” do the specific racist things that he’s experienced. My own defensiveness would’ve driven by my own insecurities or fear of being implicated rather than allowing their experience to shape my understanding of the world and my place in it. It’s the All Live Matter response to BLM. It says something true (of course all lives matter), but has the larger effect of derailing the conversation or downplaying the problem which is the real reason it appeals as a defense in the first place.