“Who’s Harassing Whom”

1. “Who’s Harassing Whom” Marianne M. Jennings

2. Summary Marianne M. Jennings article “Who’s Harassing Whom?” opens up with condemning the women who file sexual harassment cases against men in the work place. She believes that these women have made women as a whole seem incapable of dealing with sexual harassment. They have forced companies to take even more precautions against sexual harassment for fear of being taken to court. Such precautions include “Sensitivity Training” where Jennings claims “who is harassing whom when I am forced to reveal my personal feelings to coworkers whom I don’t even exchange recipes.” In her article Jennings also presents a good point for all to consider. “How innocent are the victims of harassment anyway?” On their own accord, women make a decision to stay in a harassing environment. They then file suit for millions. As result men no longer feel comfortable mentoring female employees because they fear a “career-derailing investigation.” They feel as thought they cannot risk forming any type of relationship with female workers. Jennings’ article expertly makes a reader see how these women have hindered a female’s chances of truly excelling in the workplace.

3. Logos “After the Anita Hill spectacle in 1991, I noticed men averting their eyes.” • Anita Hill Spectacle in 1991 • Women in the 1940’s • Court Rulings on Harassment • Fortune 500 Company • Dateline NBC • “Constructive Eviction”

4. Journal of Business Ethics • Men in the Workplace • Rapist VS Harasser • Not Their Sexual Appetites • Feminists Claim Victory • Tools For Handling “Dear sisters, we have met the enemy and she is us.”

5. Pathos • Humor • “My employer trusts me with budgeting, lobbying, fund-raising and shaping the minds of the next generation, but is forced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the courts to conclude that I can’t handle the advances of knuckleheads.”

6. “The female arm has an appendage created for dealing with cads. Women in the 1940s used said appendage quite effectively to administer a slap in the face and thereby deter drunken sailors. And yet working women today can’t handle a boor in wing tips and bifocals without the help of the Supreme Court?” • “The guys at the Ford plant were interested in “gender stratification”? Sounds to me like they were just after a roll in the hay.”

7. Anger • “I resent the women who bring sexual harassment suits and convince courts that we are as helpless as Melanie Wilkes in “Gone With the Wind.” • “Women define what is repulsive, stay in it and then file and win multimillion-dollar verdicts, which in many cases exceed the amounts awarded to children crippled in horrific accidents.

8. Frustration • “But who’s harassing whom when I’m forced to attend “sensitivity training” seminars and reveal my personal feelings to coworkers with whom I don’t even exchange recipes?” • “Mentoring, which I had from decent and honorable men and without which I would not have survived 30 years ago, is a lost art. Men who hold the keys and skills for advancement hesitate to involve themselves in one-on-one counseling of female employees. Men fear closing the office door during meetings with women.”

9. Ethos • Jennings brings her character/ethics to be a very self reliant and independent person • “But what I resent more than the lack of attention is the assumption underlying the rules and decisions governing sexual harassment: that I am incapable of handling unwanted sexual suggestion.”

10. Jennings tells an anecdote about workers at the Ford company not wanting to leave their job even though they were sexually harassed. • She creates an impersonal aura about herself by her response because of her ethics centered around self reliance.

11. “But who's harassing whom when I am forced to attend ‘sensitivity training’ seminars and reveal my personal feeling to coworkers who I would not even trade recipes with?” • This example shows independence impersonal feelings.

12. Crossover Fun • “After the Anita Hill spectacle in 1991, I noticed men averting their eyes.” • -page 1, first paragraph • Use of Logos in her referring to a historical event where a sexual harassment law suit was file.  • Use of Pathos where she uses the historic event and relates it back to her own life.

13. CrossoverFun • “After the Anita Hill spectacle in 1991, I noticed men averting their eyes.” • -page 1, first paragraph • Use of Logos in her referring to a historical event where a sexual harassment law suit was file.  • Use of Pathos where she uses the historic event and relates it back to her own life.

14. CrossoverFun • “I resent the women who bring sexual harassment suits and convince courts that we are helpless and victimized as Melanie Wilkes in 'Gone with the Wind’” • -Page 2, paragraph 2 • Ethos is definitely being expressed here as the writer conveys her emotion on women and law suits.  • Logos is again used to strengthen her point and give clarity as to why she feels it is wrong. 

15. CrossoverFun • “Women define what’s repulsive, stay in it and the file and win multimillion-dollar verdicts, which in may cases exceed the amounts to children crippled in horrific accidents” • -Page 2, paragraph five • Pathos through the way she conveys information for you. Because of this statement you really hate all women who file law suits for SH. • Ethos, she really explains her thoughts on the manner and how much she finds its distasteful.

16. CrossoverFun • “Men who hold the keys and skills for advancement hesitate to involve themselves in one-on-one counseling of female employees.” • -Page 3, paragraph two • When she refers to the hesitating men, she is using Pathos to move the read and to get them to sympathize with the men and their predicament.  • Ethos is used when the values that the writer clearly holds, (male counseling) are lost in the work place thank to women who have sued.

17. CrossoverFun • “Men who hold the keys and skills for advancement hesitate to involve themselves in one-on-one counseling of female employees.” • -Page 3, paragraph two • When she refers to the hesitating men, she is using Pathos to move the read and to get them to sympathize with the men and their predicament.  • Ethos is used when the values that the writer clearly holds, (male counseling) are lost in the work place thank to women who have sued.

18. Crossover Fun • “Men who hold the keys and skills for advancement hesitate to involve themselves in one-on-one counseling of female employees.” • -Page 3, paragraph two • When she refers to the hesitating men, she is using Pathos to move the read and to get them to sympathize with the men and their predicament.  • Ethos is used when the values that the writer clearly holds, (male counseling) are lost in the work place thank to women who have sued.

19. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths: • She puts a lot of emotion into her paper. • She brings up valuable point for all to consider. Challenges us to reconsider our stance on the subject or challenges us to take a stance for the first time. • She ends the article strongly with no one questioning what side she stands on. Weaknesses: • She doesn’t suggest a solution to the problem she is calling to our attention. • She also makes it seem as though no one should ever bring any sexual harassment case to court but sometimes it’s necessary to prosecute.

20. Audience • Toward women, but more toward women in workplaces that have contact with men • Particularly toward women who use sexual harassment law out of its context • “Dear sisters, we have met the enemy and she is us.” • In context, it is a piece to teach persuasion. • Found in an arguments textbook used by students. • Helps by being a model and can show strengths and weaknesses in arguments