t is humiliating and frightening, and no fun at all. And I'm sure that is just what the catcallers find fun. It's a dominance thing.

I think it's fair to describe that as assuming malicious intent.

My guess is that some catcallers assume that what they're saying is a compliment even if women don't admit it, and others know it's at least somewhat unpleasant for women but underestimate the total negative effect or believe that women deserve it.