Thursday, March 29, 2007

sexual harassment

So I have been sexually harassed repeatedly over the last few weeks. Naturally men take it differently than women, and I really wasn't that offended at first. Initially it was innocent ribbing between supposed acquaintance's. Over the course of several weeks, however, it become very offensive. An elaboration might help.

There exist two women where I work, who will remain nameless for the time being, who have thought that we were very good friends. Good friends enough for one woman to suggest to me, that I should make out with her friend (with this friend present mind you) several times a day. It was related on numerous occasions that such a proposal was unacceptable and undesirable. Essentially every time the proposal was suggested it was shutdown on the spot, so as to destroy any hope for any future make out. She would be lucky to get a hand shake. To make matters worse, the woman who was being proposed by her friend was very undesirable in every way. Not that I would really agree to such a proposal at work regardless, it was just that I never spoke this woman because she was always attacking me, even though I never instigated such attacks. Regardless, after many fruitless attempts for said proposals to cease, and also for the other woman to stop attacking me I finally broke. It was required of me to repeat in a stern voice several times for the woman making the proposition to stop making such proposals and to cease them immediately as they were found very far from acceptable. Having sensed partially victory after having dealt with one of women, I turned to the proposee and voiced my opinion that she cease from her attacks and all attempts at conversation with me as they were received as offensive and inappropriate.

Needless to say I will not know the real results of my actions for several weeks. The first woman ran away realizing that she may have made a grave mistake in insisting that I and her friend make out despite my previous repeated attempts that we would not, nor would we ever. After requesting the proposee several times that she cease from all attempts I asked her if she understood what I was asking. I asked it several times, in a stern manner so she knew I was serious. She replied several times that she did not understand. I then told her that if she did not understand I would have to have someone else make her understand, namely my boss. This didn't sit too well I suppose, as she immediately ran away to go talk with my boss before I got to him first. I'm not actually too sure if I was actually going to talk to him anyway, but I had to now.

So then I had to go talk to my boss about what happened. Basically I just repeated the above. The boss related some interesting points that I thought were interesting afterword. He mentioned that I should use such language as 'harass' with caution. A word to the wise he said, "use the word harass sparingly, it kind of raises a red flag." That's what I wanted, I was raising a red flag, I'm being harassed, it's not stopping, it needs to end! If I had been a woman someone would have been fired today. But being a man, it was assumed that not only was I not being harassed, but it was my fault. I don't really care what happens with all this as long as it doesn't happen again.

Monday, March 26, 2007

go this way, over here, thats right

i went for a walk today. I went over a freeway. I looped around and saw some things ive never seen. different houses different people, dogs, kids. then i came back around and went under the freeway. every time i go on a walk i try to go a new way, knowing somehow ill make it back.