Grumble and Grouch

Paula Jones Doesn't Suck

By now, we all know this to the point of nausea: Paula Jones Doesn't Suck. Thank god for judges who don't think that this is worthy of court time. Like everyone else in America, I've been watching this fiasco with only one eye, mainly because I didn't really care about it. I only vaguely cared whether or not Clinton lied about it. He's out of office in less than two years and he can't run again. Whether or not he's a womanizing son of a bitch or just mildly indiscrete or even (hey, it's possible!) totally innocent it has little or no bearing on whether or not he does a decent job as President. As for his possible creativity with the truth, one thing my ex-husband used to tell me was that if I was ever arrested: DENY EVERYTHING. His best friend was a cop and that was his best advice in dealing with the law. Never ever admit you did anything. I have to think that President Clinton has probably heard that advice a time or two.

All that aside, I have one thing to say about Paula Jones: Gimme a break. I've been sexually harassed in the workplace and it didn't kill me. I've been patted on the butt by my boss and persistently asked to pose nude by a corporate VP. My life went on and I wasn't permanently damaged by it. Get over it. There are MANY other ways to deal with sexual harassment before it gets to be a court issue. At least SOME of those avenues should be explored before seeking out a lawyer. Generally, the best way to get it to stop is to threaten to expose the harasser for what he/she is - a pervert with no sense of discretion. The typical office harasser doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of his/her peers.

Another way to get away from sexual harassment is to find another job. If it bugs you that much and you've repeatedly requested a cease and desist, then for heaven's sake, take your talents elsewhere. This, of course, assumes that you have talents that make you a valuable person to employ. The job market in America right now is so good that in a number of industries the employers are desperate to find ANYONE who has skills to fit the job. One bank in Seattle is having such difficulty that they have opened free computer training to pretty much anyone in the hopes that they will find talent among the masses. This is an employee's market right now and good people are generally treated very well.

I think everyone should have a comfortable 75-degree Fahrenheit ergonomically perfect non-sexually-racially-religiously threatening workplace. I think that everyone should be promoted on their good merits and that financial gains are suitably distributed to those who made the good things happen. To expect and demand these things in a court of law, however, is plain out childish. Life never was fair. Move on, live positively and don't make a huge fuss over the small stuff.