Sexual Harassment

There's a fine line between harmless flirting and outright harassment. Have I ever flirted? Of course, but that's different from straight up imposing yourself on someone. Sexual harassment is a display of power and dominance. It's not about love, it's about domineering and asserting yourself as if the victim doesn't have a say in the matter. It's not a question, it's a demand. I can't say for certain what goes on in the mind of an aggressor that makes them think they have permission to do what they do. Maybe they think it's harmless, or if they don't think that, maybe they believe they'll get away with it, that there won't be any consequences for their actions. Whatever the thought process, or lack thereof, is, it's all too prevalent in our society. In recent months we've been bombarded with news of celebrities and politicians being outed as transgressors of inappropriate conduct. I think the reason that all this is coming up now is that the social climate has changed to a state where we are more likely to believe the victims and do something about the problem. Things are safer now and it's finally time to speak out without fear of repercussions. Many of the accused use the cop out that it was "just the culture of the time" when they committed their offenses. This is such a bull shit excuse. There are countless people who lived through the fifties sixties and seventies without committing any acts of sexual misconduct, they're called decent people, so that's not an excuse for such behavior. A "temporary lapse in judgement" isn't an excuse either. There are certain things that we as human beings know just simply aren't acceptable. There are acts that each person, no matter who they are, knows are wrong but unfortunately some people choose to disregard that and do the wrong thing anyway. There's nothing wrong with flirting, but the moment the word "no" comes up, that's a clear verbal cease and desist. The moment you continue with the behavior after no is said, you have crossed the line into the territory of sexual harassment. It's not always blatant. There are both big and small acts of sexual harassment, whether it be lewd comments, inappropriate physical contact or straight up sexual assault. All of the aforementioned are unacceptable. I'm not entirely sure what can be done to eliminate widespread cases and acts of sexual harassment, but I firmly believe that outing transgressors is a step in the right direction. Society as a whole putting a spotlight on them and sending a clear message that this is unacceptable will bring the wrongdoers to justice and make sure that possible future offenders are deterred from committing the same wrongs. No matter who you are, there are some things that we all know are objectively wrong, and the moment you choose to do them anyway you have crossed a line and are in the wrong. After you cross that line, you need to be held responsible for your actions and for those you have harmed.