Hostile Work Environment Is Not Sexist

Psychology Today has a top ten politically incorrect truths list about human nature. While many focus on the muslim suicide bomber stuff, I especially liked the tenth item on the list: Men sexually harass women because they are not sexist. The cited psychologist correctly dismisses the feminist view of sexual harrassment as all about power, when it is really using power to get sex. But my favorite line in the tenth section comes in when discussing the hostile work environment aspect of sexual harrassment.

Many women legitimately complain that they have been subjected to abusive, intimidating, and degrading treatment by their male coworkers. Browne points out that long before women entered the labor force, men subjected each other to such abusive, intimidating, and degrading treatment. [emph. added]

So, so true. The environment has also been called the "locker room mentality." That really is how a bunch of dudes act around each other. Just like the story concludes: "Men harass women precisely because they are not discriminating between men and women." Of course, we men should treat women as women, not as other men. That's really celebrating our differences. Grab-ass pranks don't go over that well when you try to include the new gal as "one of us."

via Ace