“Recently, the Education Department issued a controversial ‘blueprint’ for dealing with sexual harassment that could expose colleges that follow it to First Amendment lawsuits and redefine every flirtation and request to go out on a date as potential sexual harassment. It rejects decades of court rulings by declaring that any unwelcome speech or conduct of a sexual nature is harassment, even if it would not offend a reasonable person.
“By defining speech as reportable ‘sexual harassment’ even when it does not offend a reasonable person, the Education Department has cast a dark cloud over academic freedom and the ability to debate important issues about sexual morality, norms, and roles that may offend some listeners.” Read the full article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
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I do think the Chron. of Hgh’r Ed. goes too far. 1) on unwelcome advances, do people ask strangers out on dates, other than online? I doubt it. So, if you ask someone who has shown no interest in you out, you;re are mildly harassing; 2) I am bothered by the “any reasonable person” phrase, since historically women in general have been considered unreasonable if they do anything other than breathe; 3) to object to humor meant to teach ought to be not taken seriously. People need to become less prickly and more able to express their grievance directly w/ the offender. We have become a tattle tale society. Grow up.
veblenfan