For what feels like ages the subject of political correctness has been on the agenda. It feels like we have got to the point where men and women are scared to look at each other without someone yelling harassment. In the UK we have another scandal breaking, this time with our members of parliament accused of bullying behavior towards their staff. One member of staff was, allegedly, asked by an MP to go out and buy sex toys. I can’t imagine that it was a one-off incident, there must have been a build-up to ask the member of staff to go out and buy something as intimate as that? Did it start with asking her to go out and buy cakes? And progress from there? I admit that asking an employee to buy sex toys is a bit extreme, but it does beg the question of how far is too far?
As an artist and photographer, I find myself in the presence of nude and semi-nude models from time to time. I am always happy for the model to have a chaperone (a chaperone protects me as much as the model). There is also a protocol I adhere to, no touching and I leave the room when they change. No touching is common sense. The leaving the room sometimes feels silly, but I like to give the model some privacy, it seems the right thing to do. Model release forms are also signed, to say the model has not been coerced and is happy for the pictures to be used and I always ask if the model is feeling comfortable while the shoot is in progress. These safeguards, I hope will keep me free of accusations of harassment.
There is a thought-provoking book called Disclosure by Michael Crichton that tells of a man’s sexual harassment, it is an interesting reversal of the problem. Have you ever used political correctness as a part of the plot in a story?
Have you ever been made to feel uncomfortable at work? Where does a joke with colleagues stop and harassment begin? Where is the line? And how do you tell a superior at work that you feel uncomfortable?
I would love to hear your thoughts, experience, stories, or any views you might like to share. Here, the blog, Facebook or Twitter.