"Why don't you just hit him?"

http://geekfeminism.org/2010/12/07/why-dont-you-just-hit-him/

This blog caught my eye when I first read the title. We had been talking about sexual harassment in the work place in class and I thought this tied in well with our discussions. This blog is a response to comments at a conference that encourages women to literally fight back when harassed by men. The author has a very valid point that it is not the victim's responsibility to "stand up" for themselves when sexually harassed. So it's not fair to encourage victims to take such actions especially when it can possibly conflict with their moral codes. Instead, it is the business's responsibility to protect employees from work place harassment. Employers have a duty to set policies in place punishing such inappropriate behavior in the office. Such polices would hopefully prevent a situation in which an employee needs to physically defend or stick up for themselves. Mary, the author of this blog, also touches on the point that a public conference is not the appropriate place to be telling people that violence is an acceptable solution to harassment. The author isn't saying that you should never physically defend yourself, but she is saying that it is not a general solution to all harassment issues because it can have many consequences. Such consequences are assault charges, making yourself an easy target for further harassment, onlookers aren't sympathetic to the person who physically assaults someone, and the most severe consequence is that the harasser may hit back. Overall, I think the author of this blog has some very valid points to her argument that hitting back is not the right solution and can be counterintuitive.