Originally Posted by
TinFoilhat2
Who decides on what is poor treatment and what can and cannot be said? That is a very dangerous 'WOKE SLOPE' you are heading down and it never ends well!!
That is actually quite easy for anyone prepared to take responsibility for their own impulses: Poor treatment means, is there something in your behaviour that you would not display towards male colleagues whom you consider your equal? It requires a little honest introspection, which can be hard for people who are not used to scrutinize their unconscious reactions. But there is a difference between some funny remarks towards a buddy, and the same remarks with an undertone of "we are not the same". There are things you say or do to bond with people, and there are other things you say or do to distinguish or even exclude - and they can look quite similar on the surface. Many who do this, do not even know and have a deep seated feeling of normalcy about themselves. Also, while you probably cannot change the fact that men and women always will check each other out, maybe we will need a return to some old fashioned professionalism; i.e. knowing that the actual work situation is a.) simply not the time, that b.) someones willingness to be responsive to "me male, you female" communication (or vice versa) does not determine their worth as a colleague, and c.) if enough people started agreeing on a and b, the bad apples (m/f) would just have to adapt over time. Now, some will say thatīs how theyīve always done it, but nontheless, there is a widespread laissez-faire in the Western world about this. Funnily enough, I have worked with people from stricter cultures, some of which were blatantly sexist in mind, but still very aware of keeping a polite distance because thatīs what they knew. For us in the West, the formula could be simpler: act in a way that your Grandma would have considered as decency?