Managing Sexual Harassment Risk in the #MeToo Era

By | May 24, 2019

  • May 24, 2019 at 7:53 am
    New Era says:
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    Work is for work is easy to say but when you are in close proximity to other people things will happen. It is often difficult to ‘read the cues,’ but no one should cross the line at work. You do take the risk that someone could even be offended if you casually bring up an interest in them, and that their ‘line’ is never bring the issue up.

    Although some have scoffed at him for doing so, VP Pence has a good strategy in bringing his spouse with him on overnight trips. Of course, this is not possible when your wife is home with your 3 kids, and has to get them to school and then go on to her own job!

    Back in the 1990’s the line was, “it’s a pattern of harassment,” and that was easier to understand.

    Like many things in our country, it will be extreme to one side or the other and then correct itself.

    • May 24, 2019 at 9:06 am
      NC P&C Agent says:
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      Pence never being alone with a non-relative is also wise. It both prevents temptation to shenanigans AND prevents the other person from declaring things that didn’t happen.

      • May 24, 2019 at 10:45 am
        rob says:
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        Many male doctors will only examine a female patient if another female nurse is in the same room. Really makes sense in this day and age.

  • May 24, 2019 at 1:01 pm
    Craig Cornell says:
    Hot debate. What do you think?
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    My Favorite Me Too Moment: Out here in California, a Catholic school has long had uniforms for boys and girls. The girls could wear skirts if only an inch or so above the knee. Needless to say, many girls violated the standard and had to be corrected with it becoming a growing problem in the last few years (thanks MTV Culture!).

    Lately, male teachers have said they are extremely reluctant to risk their careers by correcting an offending girl and risking false allegations (from a girl who already doesn’t follow the rules).

    The Superintendent recently decided the only solution was to eliminate skirts as an option for girls. And then what followed? The Organized Protest from the Outrage Factory!

    And did they defend the male teachers? Nope. The Outraged attacked both the superintendent and the male teachers! “We Want Our Skirts” cried the women!

    It would be funny if it weren’t so sad that even silly, little issues that would have been no-brainers in the past are now impossible to resolve in the Me Too era. Bad if you Do. Bad if you Don’t. Thanks, Liberals!

    • May 24, 2019 at 1:58 pm
      Captain Planet says:
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      • May 24, 2019 at 3:06 pm
        Craig Cornell says:
        Hot debate. What do you think?
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        “Believe All Women!” (Deep thinking from liberals.)

    • May 24, 2019 at 2:41 pm
      Fair Playing Field says:
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      “Lately, male teachers have said they are extremely reluctant to risk their careers by correcting an offending girl …”

      So put a female staff member in charge of dress code enforcement for girls. Problem solved. Next!

    • May 24, 2019 at 3:05 pm
      Craig Cornell says:
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      • May 24, 2019 at 3:31 pm
        Rosenblatt says:
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        Just like in court when a defendant makes a statement which opens up that line of conversation for the plaintiff, you really should not be bringing up your dead son if you’re going to continue to complain when others mention him and feign your annoyance that the topic should be off limits.

        • May 28, 2019 at 5:04 pm
          Rosenblatt says:
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          And here comes bob, riding in with his straw man argument and ad-hominem attacks. I’m surprised you didn’t attack me more. You’re really slipping, buddy.

      • May 29, 2019 at 11:17 am
        Fair Playing Field says:
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        “But when the student’s parents find out the complaint originated from a man…blah, blah, blah”.

        What complaint? What man? You making things up?

        Frank Zappa once composed a little ditty about Catholic girls. Do you know how it goes?

        • May 29, 2019 at 5:19 pm
          craig cornell says:
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          One of the dumbest comments of all time. The discussion is about men feeling uncomfortable about reporting girls with skirts to short. Get it? MEN. If you don’t have a man in the scene, there is no discussion.

          Back to Clown Ville.

          • May 29, 2019 at 5:50 pm
            Fair Playing Field says:
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            Don’t go back to Clownville (Rockville?) just yet.

            No man complained. The female staff member in charge of dress code enforcement for girls addressed the issue. You’re the one that twisted things to involve a “complaint” and a man.

            Measure the distance from the knee to the skirt. Objective and factual. Ruler don’t lie. Problem solved. Next!

    • May 24, 2019 at 3:42 pm
      Rosenblatt says:
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      Your said it was male teachers who had a problem with the skirt issue and that the only solution was to eliminate skirts. I’m not calling you a liar, but I am calling you out for not posting full context.

      Reality was: “Male faculty feel uncomfortable addressing female students about the length of their skirts, and even female faculty have expressed frustration with the ongoing challenge of dress code.

      You also wrote: “Needless to say, many girls violated the standard and had to be corrected” but failed to mention HOW MUCH was actually done to try and correct the issue before the ban.

      To wit: “The administration has worked with the Parent Association, has issued thousands of hours of detention, has made school-wide announcements (e.g., CCTV, orientations), and has worked with students one-on-one. None of this has had the desired effect of maintaining an overall modest skirt length in compliance with the dress code. The school heard feedback that part of the issue is that the skirts offered by Dennis Uniform did not fit the variety of girls’ bodies who attend Cathedral. We then decided to allow greater flexibility in where students could purchase skirts, so long as they followed the minimum guidelines. That did not work either.”

      The school has tried everything they could think of to fix the behavior prior to banning skirts. Both male and female faculty have had a difficult time dealing with the lack of adherence to the dress code.

      So is there SOMETHING SPECIFIC you would expect the school to do that they haven’t already done to try and curb the behavior before they changed the dress code??

      (here’s just one link that includes the full text of the email sent by Cathedral Catholic HS Principal Kevin Calkins: http s://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california/Students-Rally-to-Save-the-Skirts-Banned-From-San-Diego-Private-Catholic-High-School-510224821.html

      • May 24, 2019 at 3:57 pm
        Craig Cornell says:
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        Man, nice summary of everything BEFORE the protest. Thanks for that.

        Here is what should happen: EVERY parent should have backed the rule and said they would stand up and defend every teacher – including MALES – who pointed out violators of the rule. That is exactly the way it USED to be, before MeToo made men the enemy.

        But I can completely understand the feelings of the male teachers. Why risk it? Just let girls whose skirts are too short have their way and say nothing now, especially if the liberal protesters aren’t going to back me up but are going to blame me no matter what I do.

        • May 24, 2019 at 4:19 pm
          Rosenblatt says:
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          Let’s see if we can find common ground, Craig.

          1) Do you agree that it was BOTH MALE AND FEMALE FACULTY who were having a difficult time dealing with the skirts not adhering to the dress code?

          2) Do you agree the school tried various ways to resolve the issues before they banned skirts entirely?

          3a) If you DO NOT agree with #2, what do you think they should have tried before banning skirts?

          3b) If you DO agree with #2, can you admit your line of “The Superintendent recently decided the only solution was to eliminate skirts” is not accurate since banning skirts was not “the only solution” they tried?

          4) Do you agree everyone here should have a happy and safe Memorial Day and hope we can at least take a few moments of our weekend to show respect for the men and women who fought and died serving this country?

          • May 24, 2019 at 6:03 pm
            Craig Cornell says:
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            Do you agree that all of this never happened before liberals claimed the moral high ground by declaring they “believe all women”?
            Do you agree this is a step backwards for society, this new found fear of all things sexual by the Left, the New Puritans?
            Do you agree that men who fear false allegations from women aren’t entirely crazy?

          • May 24, 2019 at 6:56 pm
            Rosenblatt says:
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            Here i thought we could at least agree on #4. Stupid me for trying to find common ground

    • May 28, 2019 at 11:25 am
      ??? says:
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      That moment seems much better than when all the assaulted women came forward and were successful in removing Harvey Weinstein….

  • May 24, 2019 at 1:48 pm
    Publicus says:
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    There is a massive amount of difference between claims based on a male exposing himself, thrusting his penis into a woman’s hand, or actual physical assault versus a less than attractive male displaying social ineptitude in trying to start a conversation or ask for a date. Too many of the latter are the fodder for the#MeToo complaints. too many of the sweeties are insulted if a male they view as a toad has the temerity to think he is good enough for her…he MUST be taught a lesson. Add to that the fact that many women see this as winning a lottery – not only do they get to destroy a toad but they win a financial jackpot to boot. It is patently wrong to incorporate a “no retaliation” policy. If, and when, it is established that the charges are 100% false, there SHOULD be repercussions – allowing a defamation suit for starters; firing the accuser for making a false charge. Fair is fair.

  • May 24, 2019 at 2:26 pm
    Seems Like Y'all Need This says:
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    Please see the referenced article for myths regarding false accusations.

    https://web.stanford.edu/group/maan/cgi-bin/?page_id=297

    • May 24, 2019 at 3:41 pm
      Craig Cornell says:
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      The article is about sexual harrassment, not rape. Totally different. Show me the stats. on false allegations of sexual harrassment, which you and I and everyone else knows is actually quite common.

  • May 24, 2019 at 3:53 pm
    Other Agent says:
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    All of these posts read “I am man, must protect all man, woman liars” ::beats chest::

    I was at a business lunch the other day and the men at the table were all talking about how awesome their vasectomies are and that they don’t need to use birth control anymore. How on earth is that appropriate for a work lunch? If I were out with some friends sure that’s a great conversation but. not. at. work!

    Every time IJ publishes an article about sexual harassment all of the good ole boys come on here and post about women being liars or too sensitive or how we can protect men from being falsely accused.

    I’m looking forward to all of you retiring.

    • May 24, 2019 at 4:01 pm
      Craig Cornell says:
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      Nice hateful grouping of people by their sex and age. (You know what that is called?)

      Just pretend nothing has changed, that the workplace isn’t a scary place now for honest men who respect women. That’s what liberals do, pretend they are always correct by ignoring the downsides of their policies.

      Or do you really think men feel safe in complementing women who work to look good on how good they look?

      • May 24, 2019 at 4:10 pm
        Other Agent says:
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        No one needs your compliments, Craig.

        I laughed out loud at your comment of the workplace changing and it being scary for MEN. That must feel awful for you… welcome to the club.

        Hopefully, dark parking lots and walking through the park late at night doesn’t change for you either.

        • May 24, 2019 at 5:59 pm
          Craig Cornell says:
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          Aw, feel better now? Virtue Signaling your bold support for all things “victim”. What a bold thinker you are, so PC and all.

          So you think it better that men no longer want to treat women as equals by working with them in the same fashion and style as they do with other men, but instead won’t be in a room alone with a women any longer like they would with another man?

          And you think it just fine that girls can’t wear skirts like they used to because, you know, some crazy woman might bring a career-ending allegation that a man noticed or something? This is all good with you?

          How about the brand new inability for men to compliment women who go out of their way to look nice, out of fear some HR complaint will follow? You think that is “progress”?

          Talk about your new Puritans, the Progressives.

          • May 24, 2019 at 8:47 pm
            Other Agent says:
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            No one cares how you feel, Craig. Your co-worker Karen doesn’t care that you didn’t compliment her dress or makeup. No one cares that you feel uncomfortable being alone with a woman in a room. I have news for you, that’s how women feel all of the time! We feel uncomfortable being alone in a room with a man because we might get harassed or assaulted! That is a real fear women have been feeling forever. It’s the reason I can’t cut across the park late at night, it’s the reason I have to spend the extra money to take a cab home late at night instead of the subway, I could go on. We have to be constantly vigilant and here you are complaining that you have to be vigilant in the workplace….finally.

            Like I said before, I’m looking forward to you and people like you retiring (and I know you’re a good ole boy because you use your real name here and I googled you) which will make room for a generation that actually has the emotional intelligence to work with both men and women and knows how to conduct themselves in the workplace.

          • May 28, 2019 at 6:45 pm
            Craig Cornell says:
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            What a strange world you live in, where people are not to be complimented when they look good, after they have gone out of their way to make an effort to look good (but then they don’t want any compliments about it).

            Where women want to wear skirts but don’t want men to notice.

            Welcome to Liberal Ville: Where happy people don’t exist. Where women can compliment men about all sorts of things, but where men can only compliment women about their . . . well, I’m not sure there is anything men can say about anything anymore that isn’t some kind of offense to the UberSensitve Left.

          • May 29, 2019 at 10:19 am
            Account Manager says:
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            What a strange world YOU live in, Craig, to assume that women wear skirts solely for the purpose of men noticing and subsequently commenting on them. I for one do not get dressed in the morning wondering how men feel about my outfit. Women can look nice for themselves. Also:

            “Welcome to Liberal Ville: Where happy people don’t exist. Where women can compliment men about all sorts of things, but where men can only compliment women about their . . . well, I’m not sure there is anything men can say about anything anymore that isn’t some kind of offense to the UberSensitve Left.”

            So what you are saying is that if men cannot compliment women on their looks, you truly cannot think of anything else to compliment a woman on? Her work, her ideas, literally anything else aside from physical attributes?

          • May 29, 2019 at 5:17 pm
            craig cornell says:
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            You don’t get it? Any compliment can be twisted into a career-ending allegation. “He was just trying to pick me up!” It happens, all of the time, and you and your liberal buddies know it is true.

          • May 31, 2019 at 11:19 am
            Other Agent says:
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            No Craig, you don’t get it.

            Stop. Complimenting. People. On. Their. Appearance. At. Work.

            As I’ve said on another discussion, it’s not hard or complicated, just stop doing it. If you don’t have anything professional to say then don’t say it at all.

            Your inability to adapt to the changing world around you is startling. This is the hill you want to die on? Does it really affect you that much that you can’t go around complimenting every woman in your office on their appearance?

        • May 28, 2019 at 3:58 pm
          jsmooth says:
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          You think men don’t have these worries now? Is being in the park late at night something most people want to do? Are dark parking lots not scary for everyone? I hate the one-sided comments. Women fear being assaulted or raped. Men fear being shot and killed. Look at the newspapers around the country. It isn’t typically women being shot outside of a bar, restaurant, casino or even randomly on the street. We have fears of the same scary, dark places. The man that says he doesn’t worry about these things is a man who isn’t being honest.

          The workplace issues have gotten out of hand. I understand women were harassed in the past, but they weren’t harassed by me. Why then am I, and all males, scrutinized for every thing we say? I recall being able to tell a female I liked the shirt she had on, or even the car she drove. Not today. Today, I do not even speak with the females in my company unless there are other people present. It’s not worth the risk. I have seen two cases in the past two years of women making outrageous claims against men in the industry I am in. One was a mid-twenties girl who “overheard” a joke about a female by a 72 year old man. The joke was not derogative in any way, but because it included a female, she went to HR and stated she felt unsafe and harassed. Then, she completely made up a story about the joke being sexual in nature. It was NOT. I was there and heard the joke. It was a typical blonde joke. The man was fired after 20+ years with the company even though four other employees were present and ALL stated what the joke really was. This girl had been with the company just over 90 days. She lied. He suffered the consequences. The other case was in our local paper. A man was fired for asking a female coworker to lunch. Nothing sexual, nothing sick or gross. She filed a sexual harassment suit immediately. He lost his job of 10+ years. Her suit was dismissed, thankfully. He didn’t get his job back and she quit for a new job within a month. That seems fair.
          I’m with any male that says that will avoid females in the office, period. Even saying hello and smiling can get you in trouble. I’m not saying we need a return to the old days, but this #metoo thing has gone sideways and is causing more trouble than it’s worth.
          Harvey W. was/is a pig. Isn’t it odd though that the women who “only wanted justice” lined up in a hurry to dismiss their cases if they were given financial compensation? Sad.

  • May 24, 2019 at 10:26 pm
    Generation of drunks says:
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    Women drink too alongside men; lots of stuff happens when women or men drink! Emotions get messed up on alcohol and on dope.

    • May 28, 2019 at 1:20 pm
      Craig Cornell says:
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      • May 29, 2019 at 8:56 am
        Captain Planet says:
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        APRIL 18, 2019 AT 2:55 PM
        Craig Cornell says:
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        Oh, how sad. Guess how many people you have convinced to change their minds with your sad story? It rhymes with “hero”.
        Reply

  • May 29, 2019 at 9:15 am
    jsmooth says:
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    Captain Planet – You have been a condescending troll on this site for longer than I care to admit I’ve been reading articles here. Why? You definitely have slowed down since Obama left office, but you pick fights with anyone who isn’t a die-hard liberal. Rarely, if ever, do you have a legit comment to make. The vast majority of the time, it is simply you trolling on behalf of Liberal Nation. I agree with some views of the Democratic Party, but your consistent bashing of Conservatives makes it difficult to ever imagine myself voting for a Democrat again. You aren’t doing your party any favors. People like me, the people who vote on issues instead of down Party lines, get tired of the nonsense. You seriously make the Democratic position look lousy.

    • May 29, 2019 at 9:45 am
      confused says:
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      wait – i’m confused. you are really going to vote for someone not based on the issues and their platform, but because of one anonymous poster on the internet? i really hope people other people who vote do not have your mindset. “oh, someone was mean on the internet to republicans – i must vote republican and stick it to that online joker”

    • May 29, 2019 at 1:43 pm
      Captain Planet says:
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      Registered Independent and I didn’t pick the fight. I had the olive branch shoved back in my face. I point out hypocrisy because principles and consistency matters. Let’s not forget truth. At least, those matter to me.

    • May 29, 2019 at 4:54 pm
      Cicero says:
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      Relevance to the article?



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