This is a post for a certain subset of men who are surprised by the allegations against Trump. Because I’m sure most of the women reading this already know already know it. But there are a lot more Trumps, and Aileses, and Cosbys out there. They’re almost certainly in your life. They’re at your job. They’re probably in your family. They might be your friends. And again, the women in your life probably already know it.
If they haven’t told you, it’s probably because you’ve made yourself untrustworthy. Maybe you made a few too many jokes where victims were the punchline, or other crass comments. Maybe something came up in the news and you talked about women making stuff up. Maybe they started to tell you a story and they could figure out your reaction part way through, so they bailed.
So maybe you haven’t heard the stories, or been asked to stay a bit late so they don’t have to be alone with whoever. But it’s out there, and it’s happening to women all the fucking time.
My wife worked for years in HR at several tech companies, none of this shit is surprising
What has always troubled me is how so many orgs continue to promote and advance the careers of men like this. Look at how Comcast lawyers were struggling to protect Bush until WaPo was set to scoop them. WTF? It’s the exact opposite of what makes sense.
Isn’t it funny how Republicans who criticized us for staying with Bill Clinton during his scandals, are lock step with Trump?
These abusers think they are entitled and most likely surprised as hell when someone points out they really aren’t.
Wasn’t so long ago bosses chased secretaries around the desk. Then those damn trial lawyers showed up and made it cost them $250k a pop. After that, chauvinists couldn’t ogle porn at work anymore until cellphones were invented.
Maybe the real issues here are about how men fight and women fight. How power is used. One thing not mentioned and complicates the whole story are women and men who are willing to sleep their way to the top. The folks who enable these bad bosses.
We have not completed the gender revolution in the work place, and our Calvinist attitudes don’t help. There are simplistic solutions to all this that don’t all that well. Some societies separate the sexes. Some companies forbid dating. Some totally forbid certain behaviors.
To further complicate things it is the victim that is to determine what is inappropriate, and some victims are as unreasonable as some perpetrators. In addition much of this behavior is not criminal. Nor are prosecutors and the courts able to handle all of the potential assault cases.
Folks stealing a kiss is arguable simple assault, but our society forces men in the position of being the pursuer, and to be successful may mean taking a chance and getting slapped, or getting tongue back.
Women also use these type of accusations at work to get rid of competitors who may vie for a promotion, or initiate something and drop their panties for a promotion.
Yes business was a mans world, now its more boys and girls. Sometimes good people do stupid things and society makes good outcomes unlikely. We have folks who are alphas and take what they want, and they can play by the rules, but it takes a brave person to cross as you know you may end up on the street crossing them when these alphas have morphed into assholes and are high enough they don’t have worry about who they are screwing over. Blow the whistle and your getting fired. It’s not at all hard to trump something up, particularly as most people aren’t willing to fight and have a shouting match in the CEOs office over the bullshit some idiot in charge is doing. As far as management is concerned if it’s just something between some worker bees the easiest solution is to fire one or both of them, than to expand the resources for employee growth.
So none of this is simple. Maybe we just get alpha females in charge. Will they be highly ethical and use their powers for good or be just as big of douches in similar ways than alpha males.
@2 You subscribe to the theory the rich are like you and me?
Aside from contact law and how business operates.
Is this also the reason you won’t understand why your daughter is drafted and put in the infantry? In some large part it will be because women who are officers want to make rank and become general officers and they have supporters in congress. Hope you are ok with your daughter dying for this
Now if women are equal citizens and can be drafted for combat or even non combat positions in the best interest of the United States and our constitution would be fine, but our Senators including Patty Murray don’t want to have that conversation, but Patty does want to make sure the women officers she supports get promotions and they must lead in combat positions. Is that something our daughters should die for.
Then again perhaps you won’t understand as to how any corporate attorney could do their job.
@2 Well there is this thing that Billy has called a contract to be on a particular TV show for the next three years. If the network breaks the contract and wants Billy to walk away it will only happen if they pay him what he would have made under the contract plus a little extra, and pay the lawyers. Other wise they get sued for a much larger amount in a situation where all the parties probably just want the waters to smooth over and see what they can do in a few years. Now that it’s out there maybe Billy Bush can make a run for the white house in a decade or so when he’s old enough. Hey if he runs against Chelsea then the tape can come up again. If they are both single maybe they can kiss and make up. Americans love their royals to be loving towards one another. American royalty a total oxy moron to our fore fathers. That whole King George thing. Well this is a new age and our royals should get it on. f this comes to pass in twenty years remember you read it on here first. Petition my prediction to be added to the Bible and I’ll work on some other prophecies. Maybe add some science into that venerable book. It could be like the first pagan/science/modern book. As controversial as Job. All of it of course literally from God.
@8,
As usual, yer an idiot.
Well, there’s this thing called the law ‘s got both civil and criminal codes that make Mr. Bush’s conduct unlawful. Also makes the nice Comcast people liable if they fail to act the instant they become aware of it.
And well, there’s these folks called lawyers who go to these places called courts and say things like “Gosh, Mr. Comcast sir, you waited six months after you learned that Mr. Bush was harassing employees before doing anything at all to stop it? So that’s like, your normal practice? To leave employees like my clients vulnerable and subject to repeated ongoing abuse, harassment, and sexual assault from bosses like Mr. Bush for months and months?”
And we’ll, in these places called courts there’s these things called juries who say things like “Your honor, can we tack on an extra 60 million in punitive damages cause we all agree we hate the cable company?”
Now Mr Bush’s pissant contract doesn’t seem so important anymore.
More damning news for Comcast:
One of Comcast bosses made a habit of openly bragging about this illegal conduct in the presence of company staff. That must have been very reassuring to those folks. Right?
This is what makes this shit the exact opposite of what makes sense for any company. What emerges is a pattern and practice of tolerance, forbearance, and affirmative protection for certain executives who openly flout the law. The company essentially deprives itself of any effective legal defense for all past, present, and future claims, not just the specific claims arising from the subject illegal conduct. Once a company establishes a legal record of having known about, tolerated, and protected such conduct then any employee who alleges harassment or discrimination is given a massive legal assist. They start out with the legal presumption in their favor.