Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanci
Is this like workplace rules, where you don't have to actually be the person who is being "sexually harrassed," but you only have to observe it and be offended in order to file a complaint? It bothers me a little that if a group of people are in chat, having a lively conversation, possibly with sexual innuendo, that someone else could come in and say "hey, my sulcatta tortoise is sick I need help now!" and then go complain because they weren't welcomed into the discussion. Obviously there's a line between what's appropriate and what is not, but it ought to be parents' responsibility to keep their kids out of ALL chatrooms if they so choose, and responsible adults shouldn't have to limit themselves to conversation suitable for first graders. What if we want to talk about alcohol, or drugs, or the death penalty or culling baby snakes?
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I'd say yes, the situation here is somewhat analogous to "workplace rules". I work for a large corporation that takes sexual harassment VERY seriously. Despite this, there are many, many infractions all over the place. And everyone knows the score: know your audience, mind who's listening, and accept the fact that you could pay a very high price if the wrong person overhears, or if the person you thought was "cool" today isn't so "cool" tomorrow. Of course, the penalties here at cs.com are not so severe, so the risks are MUCH smaller. Use reasonable judgement, and act accordingly. It's not really so much to ask.
The reports I got from that night involved a young kid being a persistent pest by "asking out" every female in chat, even women that were over five times his age. Then we had another chatter allegedly speaking about the physiological responses of the female reproductive anatomy despite other chatters asking him to stop. Forget the first-graders-- this ain't cool.
There's really not much more to discuss on this, in my opinion. There are public places on this site (e.g., the main forum, and the main chat room) and there are private places (e.g., PM system, PM-chat-sessions). Choose your venue wisely when you want to discuss mature topics. And if you target someone specifically with your adult comments, even in the private places, and you don't stop after they ask you to, then you are guilty of harassment and you will be dealt with.