On Office Sexual Harassment

Use this forum to discuss the June 2018 Book of the Month"The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami
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Re: On Office Sexual Harassment

Post by CasualBookReader »

Zain A Blade wrote: 08 Jun 2018, 14:21 I found the author to be astute in her portrayal of sexual predators. The antics employed by Dr. Alberto Scordato to subdue his potential victim, Angela, were at times subtle such as alternating between putting her down and showing false concern; and at times his maneuvers were quite overt and physical. One thing's sure: none of it was lost on Angela. Understandably, it is not easy to ward off sexual harassment, especially if it's coming from a person who can make or break your career. Given her circumstances, do you think Angela's initial forbearance of Dr. Scordato's sexual advances to save her career is a measure of character weakness or strength?
I think the portrayal of the emotional turmoil that office sexual harassment causes is fairly accurate. As a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, I should know. The way Angela initially handles the harassment is typical for women who don't know how to handle a situation like that. It does show her weakness, especially with regard to the other female coworker that doesn't encourage Angela to report her boss to his immediate supervisor or at the very least, press criminal charges against him. I haven't finished reading the novel, but I hope that this experience is something that develops Angela's character into a stronger woman?
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Post by DC Brown »

I think Angela handled the situation as gracefully as she could, given the circumstances. It's a tough situation, and it's difficult to know how to handle it. There's always a lot on the line.
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Post by Juliar252 »

I am conflicted on how Angela handled the situation. I felt she was strong for telling someone even though her career was at stake, but I felt the situation was a little glossed over and resolved too easily. I also didn't love how Alex was the one who truly handled the situation and I disliked how it was resolved with money rather than a trial. After all, there is no closure for other victims or an increase in public awareness for office sexual assault if the perpetrators are just quietly fired.
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Post by ianfrb77 »

Rather than strength, it occurs to me that it's a matter of priorities. Sometimes a career can be above most things and people do a lot of stuff not to ruin it. That doesn't mean they are either strong or weak, though...
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Post by Jsovermyer »

I think that Angela handled the problem well. She kept getting away from her boss' touch subtly. When he finally went too far, she quit.
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Post by serendipity 27 »

I'd say she handled him and the situation she was put in as best as she could. It is difficult for any woman or man to be in that type of situation with someone who literally has your career in their hands. It takes someone of strong courage and integrity to not give in to those tactics and make their own way.
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Post by Lmahle »

I felt like her portrayal of Angela being unable to sleep because of the harassment and stress was incredibly on point, especially when that harassment was coming from a superior and could affect her career.
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Post by Theresa Moffitt »

DC Brown wrote: 21 Sep 2018, 20:41 I think Angela handled the situation as gracefully as she could, given the circumstances. It's a tough situation, and it's difficult to know how to handle it. There's always a lot on the line.
I agree with your comment - I think she handled the situation well given the circumstances. It’s such a difficult situation to be put in when trying to focus on your career. I didn’t expect her to do anything more than what she did
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Post by serendipity 27 »

I definitely think it's a measure of strength. Even though she knows that her career is on the line, she still retains her dignity as best she can. It is difficult in that situation for anyone, to really know how to deal with it at the moment. I still think that she did the best she could given the circumstances.
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Post by Tobiasblackwell »

It's sad to think that women have to tolerate this to succeed. Well, times are changing! Speak up, silence breakers!! Uphold moral law
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Post by DakotaA »

I don't think it is weakness or strength. Women have been made to feel embarrassed and humiliated when being sexually harassed in an office environment- especially if it is by a superior. We have been taught that we just have to "take it" and "get over it" and to definitely not go to HR about it on a threat to lose our job, or to potentially create an awkward office atmosphere. I think it is realistic that she didn't say anything at the peril of her career. However I also hope that we are moving into a day and age where nobody feels scared or embarrassed to do something about sexual harassment in an office setting or otherwise.
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Post by Prisallen »

I think Angela did what she could in order to save her job for as long as possible. It was obvious that he was her boss and he had the power to fire her. She didn't want her career to be derailed. However, his trying to rape her was the last straw, and she knew she had to protect herself.
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Post by Julie Petitbon »

Angela handles the harassment in a professional and non-confrontational way. I think in situations like this, when you are harassed by a boss and fear the loss of your job, it is difficult to say what you should do. If only her boss acted like a moral human being instead of a slimy, controlling predator!
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Post by GPM »

Jillpillbooknerd wrote: 09 Jun 2018, 07:03 As someone who has worked in an office setting where we had one of our employees get fired for sexual harassment, I don't think her reactions were really a strength or weakness. It's very hard to report someone that is in power or directly above you. I was glad that Angela was able to get out of that situation without it being worse for her. I liked the way that the author handled everything about that.
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Post by Choine »

This is such a difficult question to answer. Thankfully, I have never had to face the same circumstances so I can't judge the author's portrayal of Angela's reaction completely. Given the current situation, it seems that she did the best she could at the time. I can only imagine how difficult a choice like that is to make when the predator is ahead of you in the corporate game.
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