Sexual Harassment essay

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment: A thing so dreadful that most people try to shy away from the topic. However, it is something that people encounter almost every day. It happens everywhere: jobs, home, school, college/university, and even on the streets. Some sexual harassment policies go too far, and this is a very important point to understand. There are different kinds of sexual harassment. As a result, it is also important to be specific about what forms of sexual harassment policies are too exaggerated. The form of sexual harassment which is not as much of a threat as it has often been made into is simply verbal ‘sexual harassment’. Physical sexual harassment is a serious problem, and I have no qualms with strict policies to fight these violations of people’s physical bodies.
First, freedom of speech should not be infringed upon by certain verbal forms of ‘sexual harassment’ policies. It is one thing to threaten someone, or to physically violate their personal space. It is quite another to notice one’s physical attributes and to compliment the individual on those attributes accordingly. The First Amendment says---and I am paraphrasing---we should be able to exercise our freedom of speech without barriers. The First Amendment is the most important amendment. Accordingly, we as American citizens should give it the most credence and value. One has to be quite practical about the First Amendment’s meaning today in everyday life. So, of course, a threat to somebody’s personal safety should not be legally tolerated whatsoever. However, for example, saying ‘hey babe’ is not a threat, is it? That is a rhetorical question. Obviously, it is not a threat. Therefore, there is no solid ground to stand on in attacking someone who compliments a co-worker or any other person for that matter, regardless of its romantic or even ‘sexual’ content. I should have the freedom to compliment a woman about her physique as she should legally be able to compliment me on my...