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    Ladybug2A. Downing
    12/01/17 10:08am

    I’m so sorry. My first job, something similar happened. I did tell. My supervisor was a woman. I provided his little nasty note as evidence. He was performing slightly better than me. Nothing happened to him. I eventually left and shoved this memory deep down in the dark part of my memory. Sadly, I know stories like ours are common. Thank you for speaking out and advocating for employees now.

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      A. DowningLadybug2
      12/01/17 12:13pm

      I’m always upset when I hear that HR departments didn’t handle these things appropriately. I refuse to allow that to happen on my watch. I’m hoping that these stories are creating a climate that makes HR people and companies accountable. Otherwise they are complicit as far as I am concerned.

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    IniquityDenMotherMark2A. Downing
    12/01/17 9:28am

    That is just the grossest thing. All I can offer you is sympathy - I managed to avoid the outright assault but I dealt with harassment like that for a very long time - a hipster brioche donut, and some nice hot chocolate. Because I can’t imagine you didn’t need to take a shower just writing this.

    Illustration for article titled
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      A. DowningIniquityDenMotherMark2
      12/01/17 11:15am

      This is the perfect response. Thank you.

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    WokeLadyVeeA. Downing
    12/01/17 10:09am

    I’m sorry that this happened to you. But—I am not surprised. I’ve been harrassed and touched inappropriately too. People who’ve never been in these situations don’t truly understand the dynamics of fear and shock—and how you literally FREEZE. No matter how much time passes, it’s still a traumatic event that should not go unpunished no matter WHO the abuser is.

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    Sweet Potato Sam AKA Party Leader of the Thundercrats HOOOOO!A. Downing
    12/01/17 9:49am

    Power has always been the issue.

    These things are always about power. They are conflated with sex because sex is an interaction that requires a good deal of vulnerability. It is also equated with yielding for that purpose. Ergo, if you can demand sex or take sex, you are displaying your power as you are forcing someone to yield something that usually requires measured appeal and some consideration for the other party. In their twisted minds, they are above all that and their “elevated status” doesn’t require the trappings of a interaction between equals.

    That’s why I don’t understand it when people jump to the defense of abusers. They only serve to feed into that person’s inflated sense of self and reinforce their initial assertion that the victim is less than and does not deserve consideration. Yes, the abuser may be your friend, family member, lover, mentor, or idol, but they are also the most hurtful type of person. Your adjacent virtue and the importance you lend them in your mind is not more important than the rights of the person who has been violated.

      

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    EvenBaggierTrousers7A. Downing
    12/01/17 9:29am

    I’m sorry this happened to you but you clearly appeared to have come out stronger. In all of this recent news, these are the people I wondered about: the folks who are not famous and whose attackers won’t be known publicly even if they’re named and punished. It’s one thing to have the power of national news and social media behind your accusations but if you’re just some person working at a grocery story or small office, you can’t be sure if you’re going to get any action going or even know where to go. Hopefully all of this trickles down to them, but then “trickle down” hasn’t worked so well in the past so who knows.

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    TheFuriousFiveA. Downing
    12/07/17 9:18pm

    x

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