Okay, here's the underlying problem/issue.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

Many men, far too many of them, have been guilty at some point of inappropriate behavior.

A lot of behavior and language that went unchallenged in the past is right now in the forefront and is being challenged.

Basically, almost all men, at least those above a certain age (and I'm not about to try to guess that exact age) have indulged in such behavior or language at some point.

So I guess maybe all men should just acknowledge that they have done such things and resign whatever job they currently hold. Not sure if I need the sarcasm thingy here.

So okay, I'm being a bit facetious, but I'm not sure what the final resolution should or will be. Stories about Donald Trump, Charlie Rose, and Matt Lauer make it clear that those specific men absolutely crossed lines they should not have crossed. The case against Al Franken is a lot less clear.

I'm an older woman (69 years old) and I can tell you that in my 20's and 30's the workplace was what today we would clearly call hostile to women. (I married and left the workplace to raise kids in my early 30's, so I was out of the loop for a couple of decades.) Comments and behaviors that today would not be tolerated were the norm. In a conversation a couple of days ago with a former co-worker, we talked about a man we used to work with, and agreed that his behavior and comments back then (in the early 1970s) would probably get him fired quite quickly these days. As my co-worker said, "I'd cringe at some of the things he said to our customers."

I will add that in recent days I'm far more aware of casual comments than I ever was before.

[silverweb]

1. We're the same age.

Like you, I look back now and realize how the come-ons, the "casual" touching, and the constant pressure to submit that we endured because we thought it was just "the way things were" and we had little choice are, at the very least, cringe-worthy examples of hostile working (and living) environments.

The examples I could come up with are many, in and out of work. I was a naive young divorcee with a small child in the '70s, and every thought was about how moving, a job change, or school change would affect him. Certain men I worked with seemed to be well aware of this and used it to their advantage.

Getting older has distinct advantages, especially in terms of the significantly reduced unwanted attention we get from certain types of men. Unfortunately, it never completely stops and I've learned that they don't get better with age. For those men, who come on strong because they want a housekeeper/cook/nurse/companion with "benefits," I very strongly support the current trend in robots.

[oberliner]

2. The accusations with respect to Franken are from 2003 and later

Decades after the time period you are describing.

[liberal_patriot_md]

3. In my opinion

The underlying problem is that zero tolerance makes a good slogan - but bad policy.