WHILE the harassment of Herman Cain has quieted down, the sexual harassment industry rumbles along. See this description of the recent settlement of a suit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against American Laser Centers in Fresno, Calif., which now must regularly educate its employees in anti-harassment etiquette, holding compliance training annually. The workplace becomes political training ground. What theocracy ever exercised such pervasive control over the lives of its people as our secular theocracy does? 

The problem with sexual harassment enforcement is not that sexual harassment doesn’t exist or that it is right. At American Laser Centers, women, “including a clinic manager, faced frequent harassment which included leering, unwelcome touching, sexual advances and appearances in their work area by the visibly aroused landlord. The harassment got to the point where one female employee felt compelled to bring her brother to work as a measure of protection.” But then why didn’t the women willingly leave and work elsewhere, as millions of employees do when faced with an obnoxious work environment?

It is not the government’s place to regulate work relationships or to govern speech, thus creating financial incentives for workers to find themselves harassed and leading to the harassment of all workers with prevention measures. The interpretation of speech and gestures is highly subjective. Workers encounter various types of bullying by employers or coworkers. But only the woman who has been insulted in a sexual manner is eligible for relief. That is unjust. If government is charged with civilizing the workplace, why stop at sexual harassment?

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