The Realtivity of Sexual Harassment
By: Josh Del Pino, Mak 10
Almost everyday I am sexually harassed
in my village. And I'm a 2m tall black
man. To be fair though, most of the sexual
harassment comes from other teachers. Which, in a way, is more frightening and
revealing if you think about it. According to
the Peace Corps definition, sexual harassment
is defined as: unwelcome and unwanted sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors, and either verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Though no one touches me or dare lay a
finger on me, shortly after the set greetings of,
“Good morning”, I have heard or been told
comments that are sometimes blasé and other
times quite imaginative. Now use yours. To
put it diplomatically or to tip toe over the
roses, there is little to no censorship in my
work environment.
The comedian Chris Rock (uh-oh) once
said during a stand-up show, “If my father didn't sexually harass my mother, I wouldn't have
been born." Granted, I won't be impregnated
by my fellow teachers’ (C-SPAN meets Spice
Platinum channel cocktail) comments; however, they sure have infuriated me in the past,
at present, and in the probable future. It's a
good sign, though that I can write and joke
about it now. We all have moments, days,
weeks, and months of PCV rage, but it eventually and inevitably passes - whether it’s an
official poke and prod, sign and stamp COS or
a brisk covert and anonymous breezy Tuesday
afternoon ET. Now that summer is here and
there are no more "teacherly" conversations,
all I get now (sniff, sniff, teardrop) is the all
too predictable run of the mill sexual harassment from neighbors and students like,"
When's the last time you've had sex?" Or the
classic, " How many women have you had sex
with, you American Stallion?" (I added
“American Stallion” for fun). How disappointed they'd be if I actually answered.
We all make jokes or we're thinking of
them, but we don't verbalize them because we
know there is a time and place for every-
thing. So, do the teachers I work with understand the appropriateness or inappropriateness of their comments? Yes, they
do. The comments I shared earlier are expressed and verbalized only when male
teachers are in the room, and that's quite often since the only 2 female teachers are
bussed in from a different community. Is
sexual harassment relative to a culture? Is
sexual harassment relative to the context of
a situation? Don't get me wrong, I don't
condone it. And I'm not justifying it by raising these questions. During the 1st trimester
of post PST I felt like a victim of sexual harassment at my site. Not anymore though. I
was enraged and disgusted by what I saw
and heard from men and other teachers
around me. But then what seemed almost
instantly, I turned a corner, shifted gears,
stepped it up, and created an internal mental
shift. All of you remember or have heard of
the “Give and Take” section of the welcome
CD? Well, I took it and took it but now I
am giving it right back. I'm not sexually
harassing my co-workers; I have just taken
control of the situation in my own way.
Some might argue that these comments
are a way for men in the community to
make me feel at home or to make me feel
like I'm part of the “man pack”. Or maybe
it's because of Hollywood films, MTV
shows like “Date My Mom”, and other fine
examples of what life is like for so many
Americans. Over half a year has passed
since I arrived at site. From day one, I made
it clear this was and is inappropriate behavior. Is there any hope for the village I
call home? I'd like to think yes. I don't
use the word "hope" in the Sunday
morning Oh hail Mary Our Father who
Art in Heaven proselytizing kind of way.
Rather I use the word "hope" in the nondemoninational, humanistic Shawshank
Remdemption Hope is a good thing
maybe the best thing kind of way.
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