What is Sexual Harassment? What is the reason for harassing someone? Is sexual Harassment about power or lust? Do you think that a man harasses a woman because he wants to show that he is a man and he can do anything? Is harassment about men being superior or not? How prevalent do you think sexual harassment is in our society? Is it a huge problem or do people make too big a deal about this issue? Either way, why do you think so?
-Nilay
17 comments:
Sexual harassment is a very complex issue that can have many reasons. In some cases it is about power. "If you tell I will blame it on you and you will lose your job." On the other hand it can be about lust. My wife doesn't love me and is never around so you can fill in for her in meeting my sexual needs.
Regardless of the reason it does cause for a horrible working environment not only for the woman but ultimately for all the employees. Rebecca S
Sexual harassment is defined as:
Unwelcome sexual advances made by an employer or superior, especially when compliance is made a condition of continued employment or advancement.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sexual+harassment
However, I don’t believe that sexual harassment can only be committed by employers or superiors. I believe it can be caused by anyone—men or women of any stature. I do think that sexual harassment takes place a lot in the work place, but it occurs elsewhere such as in schools, the internet, and just in the general public. I think sexual harassment can be both about power and lust, but it depends where it is occurring. If it is occurring in the work place it is more than likely about power because employers seek dominance. If it is occurring in schools, the internet or in the general public, it can be a mixture of both—it probably just depends on the person. I think it is really hard to determine that without more background information. I don’t know why men harass women. Whether it is to seek dominance and to prove that he is in charge is one reason, but there are many other reasons. He could simply be lusting that woman; he could fear that woman becoming more powerful than him, and it could be that they want attention. To answer your question, I don’t think it is fully about men being superior, I think other factors play into it, but I think superiority has a lot to do with harassment.
Chelsey Finckbone
I think sexual harassment is more about lust then power. It is usually brought up more in work places because typically superiors will make moves on their employees. I don't think it has anything to do with power outside hoping the victim will be keener in the hopes it will progress their career. This can be both a male and female, though I do agree with the original post it tends to be perpetrated by men more often
Schnitzel
Sexual harassment is a big issue here in the United States. its everywhere, from public schools, to the work place! People are being more and more sexually active day by day. young adults are getting the message that sex is okay to have for "fun". it's not.in my opinion, sex is used in a way that i wasn't brought up to know. i was taught that sex, was saved for marriage, maybe not so much actual marriage, but with someone who you truely care about. now people are taught that sex is something everyone is doing, why not do it too?
I think sexual harassment is all around us personally. It may not be direct sexual harassment but there is definitely indirect sexual harassment. The way women dress now makes then prone to be sexually harassed daily, but that doesn't mean that they are the only ones being harassed. When it comes to sexual harassment in a work place usually it's a thing that the woman is the one being harassed by the dominant male or boss. I think it has a lot to do with power and lust on the bosses part. The only reason why a boss would have the desire to talk to a lower employee in a sexual way is because of lust and the only reason why he would do it to the extent that he does is because of the amount of power the boss would have. If the lower employee were to say anything about being sexually harassed the lower employee could easily get fired for some other reason. In a situation like this sexual harassment is extremely unfair in a work place because the ability to tell anyone is very difficult because the person being harassed has more to lose than the harasser.
John
Well, sexual harassment is to be harassed sexually I guess. So someone will disturb or bother someone repeatedly through touching intimately. I do not know why people always think of men doing being the harassers. Maybe when men do it, they take it too far. But I think women harass men more than men harassing women. Men are easily led on by women and then when something gets out of hand, the man takes the blame. I think sexual harassment is more subtle now, than it was before. In extreme cases, yes it is a concern but overall, not really.
-Charlie
Sexual harassment is more about power than lust is many cases. It is a lot akin to rape in that respect because the rapist uses the act of rape to humiliate the victim and make them become powerless. However, lust does play a part in both of these, for if the abuser does not feel attraction to the victim they probably wouldn't harass them. Now, both men and women can sexually harass people, BUT it is more often a man who harasses a woman than a woman who harasses a man.
As far as other motives for making unwanted sexual advances on another person, it does vary a bit depending on the individual abuser’s psyche. Yet it is usually about trying to overpower and win the favor of the victim, even if they do not want the abuser to do so.
Lauren Smith
The textbook definition of sexual harassment is any unwanted sexual verbal and/or non-verbal advances towards someone. Harassment in general, is “to create an undesired or unpleasant situation for someone by the use of verbal or physical conduct.” By sexually harassing someone, I feel that the person is trying to show their dominance over the individual whom their actions are being used against. I also believe that in some cases, sexual harassment is a mixture of lust and power. Also, I think that it has to do with the fact that some people can’t keep their heads out of the gutter. I don’t think sexual harassment is simply about men being superior, because women can sexually harass people, too. I think it’s a relatively important issue but the bigger issue is the right for all people to feel free of any type of harassment in the workplace.
-Sam
Sexual harassment is a topic that I'm pretty passionate about. I've never been harassed to a level where it has traumatized me, but I think every female experiences it at least every once in a while. Sexual harassment is having any unwanted sexual attention towards you, whether it's a slap on the ass or just an innapropriate comment. One of the most common places that sexual harrasment occurs is in the workplace, and I believe that is for a reason. People feel powerful when they are in a position of authority, like being someone's boss. Having people work for you can feel great but sometimes that leads to the thought process that you can do whatever you want to them because you have authority over them. You can possibly get them fired if they don't have intimate relations with you (or at least that's what you make them think.) I don't think sexual harassment is all men though; females can sexually harrass someone just as much as a male can. It's just that it's easier for men to do it because they are usually bigger and stronger.
Andi
Sexual harassment is a pretty big issue. I'm not going to pinpoint guys to be horrible people but a lot of men do choose to act out in ways that are not appropriate. Sometimes though, sexual harassment can just be a scapegoat to get out of something that a person has already started. What I mean by that is that some women may flirt with a male in the work place for a while until something arises, whether it's their significant other finding out or someone else in the work place finding out. Most of the time they end up claiming sexual harassment and costing the male his job or worse. I definitely believe that sexual harassment is a tricky matter, but men should not be made out to sound like monsters in such arguments.
-Cherie
Sexual harassment seems to be a big problem everywhere you look but I don’t think it is fair to only pinpoint men causing this problem. There are many different forms of sexual harassment but I do think that sexual harassment coming from men often has a lot to do with them trying to be superior, but provoking harassment doesn’t help anyone seem like anything other than a jackass. Sexual harassment is a problem starting in schools and leading all the way into the work place but it often is not addressed because the victim is too scared or has a fear the it might become worse.
Elizabeth Luke
Sexual harassment is a touchy subject. You have people who never see it and then those that witness all the time. Sometimes it only becomes sexual harassment when the other person doesn't enjoy it anymore. Where is the real line when it comes to this topic? You can't just have someone graze you in the office and call out that he/she touched you. Is there a line that shouldn't be crosses? Some people may thing that a simple gesture like a touch on the back could be considered harassing them.
Women aren't the only ones that get sexually harassed in these situations either. Men have their fair share of experiences too, but don't come forward with it. How are they suppose to? If a girl is taking any sexual interest at all, you should be happy, right?
Like I said before, this is a touchy subject that you don't really hear too much about anymore.
Katherine Stack
Sexual Harrasment can go diffferent ways. Some people take things differently than others. Therefore they do not know what the next person's response is going to be.
-Samantha
Sexual harassment comes in many forms; the fact that a man or women can commit this act is understandable in a sense. They try and see just how far they can get with you until you won’t take anymore. Is this a power trip I think so, also sexual harassment is another way of showing that a person has interest in them. This kind of behavior is tolerated in almost everywhere you go because if it was such a bad thing, they would have been put a stop to it. I know that im not speaking on personal experience but this is how I feel.
-Christopher Hodges
sexual harassment is by far the touchiest, no pun intended, topic to try to explain. the lust takes the power away form the victim. i See where i work the male staff consists of me and five other guys the other 60 positions are all female so ass grabbing, dirty jokes, and being ogled at is an everyday thing and i bet you thought i was talking about the guys doing it. no, on a daily basis I'm put in situations where I'm surrounded by co-workers openly commenting on my looks and who aren't afraid to touch but if i say anything i get "wait your a guy you like this". fuck that shit, I'm always being stared at espically outside work and its uncomfortable. I've been hit on by way older women but I'm expected to like it cause I'm a guy. sexual harassment is any on wanted action or comment, doesn't matter who's doing it or who's its done to if i don't like it i have just as mush rights as a women to say I'm not comfortable.
the post above is brent's
Like my mother always said. “A man is only going to do what you let him do!” Sexual harassment is where you are confronted sexually which over steps professional boundaries. It is already hard for a woman in the work place because we have to prove ourselves. We have to prove that we don’t run off of pure emotions and that we really use our heads and can do whatever a man can do and more. It’s just down right upsetting that despite our efforts we are still looked at as a piece of meat that every man wants to devour. A girl like me can’t really hide her assets. So in the work place we hope for a mature environment where we are not approached by others; especially in power. Just imagine how we may feel when we are sexually approached by our boss for an example. What are we supposed to say? How do we say no without offending our own boss? This is a predicament no one wants to be. You are in a place where you need to tell the person that dictates your employment that you are not interested. Whether its power or lust it’s just not appropriate and not fair for a woman in the work place to endure.
missolo
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