# not me

In the midst of the female takeover of the United States, I recall a troubling "joke" uttered by Sarah Silverman. Sarah was telling how she finally had gone forward to Human Resource and complained about sexual harrassment committed by her male boss. The woman listening to her praised Sarah for her courage to which Srah responded "yeah it took a lot of nerve since he didn't do anything".

In addition to the #me too posters, women are now coming forward to say that almost all women have an episode in the past that they have kept quiet. This leads me to two disturbing perceptions:

1) when I look at a woman, I wonder what kind of victimazation episode she is covering up

2) when I look at a man, I wonder what kind of victimizing he is covering up.

Neither perception is flattering.

I would counter balance these perceptions with this one

For the tremendous number of women who have been harassed, there is an equal amount of men who have never harassed a woman.

I remember all of the anti-sexual harrasment classes that were required of employees at the businesses that I worked. We learned that as men, it didn't make matter if we had intention or not. The perception of the accuser is all that matters. Many men have been ruined by a punch that they never saw coming or by an incident from the distant past or a forgotten joke that has become unfunny through the passage of time.

The power shift has arrived. I hope women can handle the responsibility. From my experience as a married man with five daughters and five grand-daughters I believe they can.

Moving forward

#not me