“I’d planned on writing something deep and intellectual this weekend … but the education blogosphere seems to be dominated by fruitbatgate. I don’t know the people involved, and even if I did I wouldn’t contribute my opinions. Inevitably, there are always multiple sides to stories like these, sides that outsiders rarely see …” (more)
[Pennybridged’s Weblog …, 16 May]
Human communcation is multi layered. Sexual harassment is seldom a blatant display of vileness. More often it is
behaviour that is intended to disconcert, but also appear innocent, maintaining a kind of “plausible denialbility”. “I only said…” it was only a joke” etc. The victim is placed in a position where complaint is seen as lack of a sense of humour, Or hysteia.
It is the manipulation of this grey area which so often results it the complainant being blamed.
Perhaps dr Evans behaviour was taken up wrong. But he was not fired or publicly censured in any way. Nor was his Career threatened. And yet somehow a viral “fruitbat political correctness gone mad” story has blitzed the media. Any look at dr Evans cv will confirm that he is media savvy in the extreme. Today was his second appearance on national radio this year. Radio, Twitter, YouTube, and his numerous websites now call for a petition to change to college’s approach to sexual harrassment. Confidential documents have been placed in the public domain and his colleague has been outed and is been vilified for not putting him in his place, not being able to take a joke etc. A familiar tale played out on a global scale.
Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.