4 ms·

If you go to a police station and report a murder do you think they'll a) investigate your claim or b) ignore you? That is the sort of belief we're talking abo

If you go to a police station and report a murder do you think they'll a) investigate your claim or b) ignore you? That is the sort of belief we're talking about, a serious investigation with the assumption the person reporting it is not lying. The investigation itself could of course result in not sufficient evidence being found. It's really not that complicated.

kevinburke 9y ago
Not sure who "we" is but far too frequently at tech companies, harassment allegations are ignored. For that matter prominent men sometimes admit to harassment and are acquitted anyway.
- erikpukinskis 9y ago
  Also, people fired for making complaints. That has the nice property that it's illegal, the whistleblower can get compensated, but only if they already have the means to wage a legal battle.
aeturnum 9y ago
There have long been reports from various minority communities in the United States and elsewhere of crime reports being ignored entirely or not taken seriously. Alternatively, look at the public scrutiny of police shootings. However you personally feel about them, there is a section of the population that sees them as a miscarriage of justice that is playing out in the public square. People look at the extremely low (non-existent?) conviction rate of officers and see either a police force operating without consequences or a remarkably well-mantained and well-monitored police force. Obviously there should be an investigation, but history tells us that it is very easy to fool ourselves into believing we've done a "fair" investigation which will not look fair to outsiders or victims. No malice is necessary, but it is frequently endemic anyway.
dgfgfdagasdfgfa 9y ago
Harrassment is often entirely one person's word against another. Many of these cases are decided by who the jury believes, if the case even makes it to court—because, remember, most victims don't press charges. Investigations don't help much in these cases. The pressure isn't to find (often non-existent) evidence, it is to commit to the shitty process of trying to get people to care about you a painful part of your life.

kevinburke 9y ago

Not sure who "we" is but far too frequently at tech companies, harassment allegations are ignored. For that matter prominent men sometimes admit to harassment and are acquitted anyway.

erikpukinskis 9y ago
Also, people fired for making complaints. That has the nice property that it's illegal, the whistleblower can get compensated, but only if they already have the means to wage a legal battle.

aeturnum 9y ago

There have long been reports from various minority communities in the United States and elsewhere of crime reports being ignored entirely or not taken seriously. Alternatively, look at the public scrutiny of police shootings. However you personally feel about them, there is a section of the population that sees them as a miscarriage of justice that is playing out in the public square. People look at the extremely low (non-existent?) conviction rate of officers and see either a police force operating without consequences or a remarkably well-mantained and well-monitored police force. Obviously there should be an investigation, but history tells us that it is very easy to fool ourselves into believing we've done a "fair" investigation which will not look fair to outsiders or victims. No malice is necessary, but it is frequently endemic anyway.

dgfgfdagasdfgfa 9y ago

Harrassment is often entirely one person's word against another. Many of these cases are decided by who the jury believes, if the case even makes it to court—because, remember, most victims don't press charges. Investigations don't help much in these cases. The pressure isn't to find (often non-existent) evidence, it is to commit to the shitty process of trying to get people to care about you a painful part of your life.