Harassment Training

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For the second time in 3 months I sat through the online presentation of the New York State, and the company sexual harassment training.

Back in May or June I took the training because I hadn’t done it in awhile.

I took the same exact training yesterday.

54 minutes of misery, but I got a 100 on the quiz.

They try and make it interesting with actors playing out scenarios where a few nasty men act out some epically stupid harassment scenarios.

One guy blatantly picks on a man’s sexuality. Another makes fun of a turban a man is wearing, and then a couple of guys make unwanted sexual advances on helpless women.

I’m not alone in thinking:

“What in the hell happened?”

I’ve never intentionally harassed someone for any sort of life they intend to live.

As a younger man, I listened to and told a whole bunch of slightly off-color jokes.

Jokes that are no longer told and never were funny.

The woman in the video was scolding me to behave like a human, and to understand it was about not offending anyone, ever!

And I get it, for sure, but man, I never thought such a training session would be required.

The governor of New York will be a former governor in short order because he didn’t take the specifics of the training to heart.

I think of my Grandpa or Dad and wonder what they might think of such a class.

Hell, even my younger self might shake my head in wonder.

But there is a line that should never be crossed and everyone know loses 54 minutes of their lives - every year to get the sexual harassment training certificate.

Maybe it’ll make the world a better place.

Who knows?

Hope so 

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