Son at Pennsylvania McDonald's Who Stood Up For Female Workers Being Sexually Harassed by his Father-Boss Gets Fired and Files Charge of Discrimination

Here's a fun one: A man has filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against McDonald's, claiming that his 72-year-old FATHER, who is ALSO his boss at a McDonald's in rural Pennsylvania, sexually and racially harasses his employees and also forces his employees to help him hire hookers. What? Well, the Charge alleges that the father fired the son after the son confronted the father about his harassment of other workers, in an effort to protect the other workers, thus giving rise to a retaliation claim for the son.

The son claims that the father is obsessed with strippers and hookers. The father claims this is a family matter. Hm. Well, if these allegations are true, then let's just hope for this son's sake that the apple DOES fall far from the tree! And of course, McDonald's washes its hands of the whole mess because this father-of-the-year is running an independent franchise. I'm lovin' it!

Local McDonald's Owner Subject of Son's Harassment, Prostitution-Related Complaints - The Patriot News

Bad Domestic Violence Joke Gets Bar Employee Fired

Hey dude, I have an idea for the chalkboard sign out front! You know how beer can be domestic? And violence can also be domestic, like when a dude beats on his wife? Well, maybe if we make a joke about domestic beer AND domestic violence, we will sell more domestic beer! Dude!

So this brilliant bar employee puts out a sign in front of the bar where he works that says: "I like my beer like I like my violence: Domestic."

Brilliant.

Um . . . no. Just no. Dude, seriously, so. Not. Funny. Luckily, the bar owner who employed this dimwit employee agreed, and FIRED his ass. But the owner even went a step further than that and decided to DONATE profits from the sale of each beer to domestic violence awareness and prevention. Good show, old chap.

Bar Employee Makes Domestic Violence Joke To Sell Beer, Gets Rightfully Fired - Huffington Post

Call Out Your Next Creepy Street Harasser on Craigslist!

Here's one way to talk back to someone who harasses you on the street: write him a "Missed Connections" ad on craigslist. That's what this woman did, and it is pretty entertaining. This has happened to me many times too, and we probably all know the anger and frustration of imagining what you would have said, should have said, could have said, if we had actually said something back in a situation like that--if we would have thought of a clever comeback in time. Well this woman put her clever comeback on craigslist. Who knows if the pervy harasser will ever find it or read it, but other people sure are reading it, and hopefully it sends a powerful message.

Amazing Craigslist “Missed Connections” Calls Out Creepy Street Harasser - Salon

Miss Kansas Kicks Ass!

WOW, check out Miss Kansas this year in the Miss America Pageant! Normally, I don't go for things like beauty pageants, and arguably they are inherently sexist. Period. (Are there male beauty pageants? No, not really in the same way, although there are of course male body building competitions. Mr. Universe, anyone?) But this year's Miss Kansas might just turn beauty on its head and stir up a few controversies along the way. This bombshell is a sergeant in the Army, an expert in archery, a boxer, a motorcycle racer, a skydiver, heavily and openly tattooed, in recovery (note the large serenity prayer tattoo on her right rib cage), a Chemistry and Chinese double major, an advocate for young girls, AND an aspiring dentist (note: NOT hygienist).

In this Huff Post article, Theresa Vail discusses how she was inspired by her experiences with being bullied as a child. She says, "It got so bad that I nearly took my own life. . . . My dad took me hunting with him and it saved my life. Ever since then, I've been an outdoors girl. My passion is empowering girls through male-dominated outdoor sports."

Still, she IS stereotypically bleach blonde and super skinny/petite, and she still has that Army-Barbie-with-all-archery-accessories-included air about her. Perhaps I will actually tune in this year and see if there is some substance behind this message. It would be awesome if she could inspire young girls to be badasses, like Katniss Everdine, but a real life shero!

Theresa Vail, Miss America Contestant, Is a Badass You Should Know About - Huffington Post

Burping and Ball-Scratching My Way to Gender Equality

Here is a VERY interesting bit about the gender dynamics of body language. This seems like a given when you think about it, but it becomes more interesting as you CONTINUE to think about it, peeling back the layers of sexism in each assumption, stereotype, and movement of your body. In essence, the movements and postures we typically identify as "feminine" are really just submissive. Conversely, "masculine" body language is really just domineering and/or empowering. However, that does NOT mean the TRULY feminine IS submissive or that the TRULY masculine IS dominant. Although female and submission are not actually synonymous, nor are male and domination, we have nonetheless conflated these two distinct realities in our bodyminds and body memories by literally acting out gender inequality each time we take a step. WOW. Trippy.

Researchers realized this when they discovered that MEN who are ordinarily "masculine" in their movements become more "feminine" when interacting with bosses or other authority figures. Of course, they are still men with the same levels of testosterone et al, but as they act out their feelings of submissiveness or inferiority in a given situation, they associate those feelings with typically "feminine" body language. Studies also revealed that the bigger your car is, the more likely you are to drive in a typically "masculine" or domineering fashion. Well, everyone who's been cut off by a giant SUV (a.k.a. everyone) already knows that.

Gender and the Body Language of Power - Sociological Images

Gender and the Body Language of Power - Jezebel

Now we can see why some men become defensive or indignant when women defy these norms by not crossing their legs, not being "ladylike," etc. Who cares, right? Well, it's because it's about more than that. They take it personally because it strikes at the very heart of their perceived superiority over half of the human population.

So, in sum, gender equality really does start one fart, burp, and curse word at a time. I've always been a firm believer in that. It's about time everyone else caught up!! :-p Take it from someone who is truly Feminine. :-)

Ever Feel Like Putting a Giant Sticker on the Back of your Truck that Makes it Look Like You are Kidnapping a Woman?? Me too!! (NOT.)

Here's a fun one. Imagine the marketing and creative meetings going on at this company: "Hey, I got an idea! Let's make a tailgate decal of a woman tied up and kidnapped in the back of a truck so everyone who drives a truck can feel like they are kidnapping a woman, and everyone driving behind them will also think they are kidnapping a woman. People love kidnapping women! And it's SOO funny, too!" Do you think the vote in that meeting was unanimous, or . . . ? Oopsies, guess some people didn't think it was that funny.

Company in Texas Fails Hard with Tailgate Decal of Bound Woman - Jezebel