Making STEM a better place for women

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by DareDad

While I'm sure you didn't intend it this way, you're requiring the creeper in this instance to be able to read minds.

I would say it's uncommon that the creeper is deliberately attempting to cause discomfort. So it is required by the person feeling harassed to actually make it clear and unambiguous that they don't want that behavior to continue.

It's not fair to say "it should be obvious" because if it is happening, it is probably not obvious to the person causing offense.

You're right, and I agree, it has to hit that point for the 'aggressor' to understand in any given random off-the-street scenario. The point I was trying to make there is that the 'line' between 'awkward flirting' and 'harassment' is completely about how the person on the receiving end feels, and that person doesn't need to care about the anecdotes from the other side. That the "law" (with quotes because it varies and is imperfect) states a definition does not mean (IMO) it is an acceptable edict to live by, therefore shouldn't even have come up in this conversation.

There is no definition for the circumstances surrounding 'girl who feels harassed by an entire group of peers because she is constantly hit on one at a time by each individual'. The only definitions which come close are patterns of misogyny, sexism and discrimination. For those particular definitions, all but the extreme cases seem to be 'acceptable' behavior by teenage boys and a few people in this thread.

To me, it should be obvious to an 'aggressor' when they've been forewarned to act professionally in an environment. Whether or not someone was listening or chose to forget shouldn't excuse the individual. FIRST constantly puts out "Gracious Professionalism" and the ensuing words of wisdom, yet IMO it is on the team to teach the kids how to act professionally (I've read this paraphrased sentence so many time on CD...). This thread has repeatedly provided anecdotes which show that the definition of what's acceptable in a professional environment varies greatly from team to team.

I think I'll leave this thread for a bit with some final words. In a professional environment unsolicited flirting is unacceptable, and we should expect the best from our students in this regard. Flirting that 'comes up' between two people who are already acquainted is sometimes inevitable, and is not the scenario anyone is trying to imply when the word 'harassment' comes up.