4 ms·

What was the harm, exactly? She overheard a stupid joke far less crude than one might hear on any television show during prime time. It was no worse than the on

What was the harm, exactly? She overheard a stupid joke far less crude than one might hear on any television show during prime time. It was no worse than the one she posted on her own Twitter.

erikpukinskis 14y ago
Women in our industry are forced to listen to constant jokes that range from the one she heard to far worse. This little joke would probably not be a problem if if were isolated. But because they happen all the time, from all directions, each little joke has the potential to be a harmful barb. And the fact that she posted a joke to her Twitter doesn't change anything. There is massive pressure on women to be sexist too, to prove to men that they're cool and can be trusted, and to fit in. Women (also have to find ways to normalize sexist behavior so they don't go crazy. The fact that a women capitulates to this pressure on one day doesn't make her fair game for any and all sexist abuses on another.
- ramblerman 14y ago
  Perhaps white knights like yourself are the real sexists here. You buy into, along with Richards, the notion that all women are victorian prudes and can't deal with off-beat humor. These men didn't direct their lowbrow humor at adria. In fact they didn't even direct it at women. They compared their dongles and joked about forking the 'male' speaker.
  - dalke 14y ago
    The issue has nothing to do with being a prude. The law says that certain workplace practices are illegal. The law clearly says that some forms of workplace humor, including sexist jokes, racist jokes, jokes about religion, and more, might be part of an workplace culture that is illegally discriminatory, and may be reported without fear of reprisal from the employer. Yes, the law says that reporting potential cases of workplace harassment is a protected action, and cannot be used to fire someone. The law does not require that sexist humor be directed towards the same gender as the person who reported the incident, just like it doesn't require that racist humor be about the same race as the person who reported the incident. The law doesn't even require that the person who reported the incident be the one who was subject to the harassment. The law even protects people who make a truthful report that is later determined to not be discriminatory. The same laws do not apply to watching prime-time television shows, so the earlier comment of rsanders does not apply. One difference is that it's easy to turn the television off, while it's hard to quit a job and find a new one. Someone on cable television can tell racist jokes until the cows come home. Telling racist jokes at work, no matter how funny the jokes are, can create a hostile work environment, in violation of the law. The same with sexist jokes. That's because the law has special protections for race, religion, sex, marital status, veteran status, and others. You might think that details of laws are as useless as the White Knight's "anklets to guard his horse against shark bites", but the law is the law. Reporting possible cases of workplace harassment is protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and may not be used as the basis for firing someone. Your personal beliefs on who the sexists are may be entirely correct, though I doubt it. But your personal beliefs are almost diametrically opposite what the law says, while the events we're all talking about are definitely well-defined and protected in current law and legal practice.
escaped_hn 14y ago
The guy who got fired with the 3 kids was the only one harmed in this entire debacle.

What was the harm, exactly? She overheard a stupid joke far less crude than one might hear on any television show during prime time. It was no worse than the one she posted on her own Twitter.

erikpukinskis 14y ago

Women in our industry are forced to listen to constant jokes that range from the one she heard to far worse. This little joke would probably not be a problem if if were isolated. But because they happen all the time, from all directions, each little joke has the potential to be a harmful barb. And the fact that she posted a joke to her Twitter doesn't change anything. There is massive pressure on women to be sexist too, to prove to men that they're cool and can be trusted, and to fit in. Women (also have to find ways to normalize sexist behavior so they don't go crazy. The fact that a women capitulates to this pressure on one day doesn't make her fair game for any and all sexist abuses on another.

ramblerman 14y ago
Perhaps white knights like yourself are the real sexists here. You buy into, along with Richards, the notion that all women are victorian prudes and can't deal with off-beat humor. These men didn't direct their lowbrow humor at adria. In fact they didn't even direct it at women. They compared their dongles and joked about forking the 'male' speaker.
- dalke 14y ago
  The issue has nothing to do with being a prude. The law says that certain workplace practices are illegal. The law clearly says that some forms of workplace humor, including sexist jokes, racist jokes, jokes about religion, and more, might be part of an workplace culture that is illegally discriminatory, and may be reported without fear of reprisal from the employer. Yes, the law says that reporting potential cases of workplace harassment is a protected action, and cannot be used to fire someone. The law does not require that sexist humor be directed towards the same gender as the person who reported the incident, just like it doesn't require that racist humor be about the same race as the person who reported the incident. The law doesn't even require that the person who reported the incident be the one who was subject to the harassment. The law even protects people who make a truthful report that is later determined to not be discriminatory. The same laws do not apply to watching prime-time television shows, so the earlier comment of rsanders does not apply. One difference is that it's easy to turn the television off, while it's hard to quit a job and find a new one. Someone on cable television can tell racist jokes until the cows come home. Telling racist jokes at work, no matter how funny the jokes are, can create a hostile work environment, in violation of the law. The same with sexist jokes. That's because the law has special protections for race, religion, sex, marital status, veteran status, and others. You might think that details of laws are as useless as the White Knight's "anklets to guard his horse against shark bites", but the law is the law. Reporting possible cases of workplace harassment is protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and may not be used as the basis for firing someone. Your personal beliefs on who the sexists are may be entirely correct, though I doubt it. But your personal beliefs are almost diametrically opposite what the law says, while the events we're all talking about are definitely well-defined and protected in current law and legal practice.

escaped_hn 14y ago

The guy who got fired with the 3 kids was the only one harmed in this entire debacle.