Am I a Whiner?

[WindingRoad]

Smurf I FEEL your pain. I too work in a LBS and constantly get teased to the point of I wonder if I have a target painted on my back. It really is like the other girls here are saying... they are still 10 years old. Remember in grade school when boys liked a girl they teased her relentlessly. It doesn't change, they just get taller and more annoying. They can't help it... they don't know any better. It's like when my cat pee's outside of the box sometimes... I realize she's not the smartest knife in the drawer. God love her but she isn't. She still doesn't understand peeing IN the box means you have to cover it up IN the box not OUT of the floor. Guys are much the same. They just don't understand. I don't have a dog but I hear that flipping them on the nose when they jump on you is how you teach them not to do that. Maybe this works with men? Hmmmm. But seriously.... keep your sense of humor about you. If they know they are bothering you they will most likely get worse. Guys bust each others chops with their buddies and they don't understand that women don't like that. I get harassed while riding with guys so frequently that I just smile and go on anymore. It's always nice to give them a smirk and drop their ***. I'm sorry but that is still so fun. Does that make me a man hater? Don't let them get under your skin it's easiest just to blow them off.

[Crankin]

While I have been known to "give it right back" to disgusting comments and actions from men, I have to agree with Bleeker. This is harassment and I would not put up with it for a minute. Not all guys are like this! The longer all of us let s*** like this go on, the longer they will keep doing it. Sorry, I don't ascribe to the humor them theory.
Now I know that Smurf really wanted this job and I also know that she is pretty young (well, compared to me). A firm "Stop right now... enough" might stop the comments.
And I have found it not to be a wise thing to socialize with people I work with. This doesn't mean you can't be friendly, but like I used to tell my students,"Friendly, not friends," when I would explain that they had to work with others who they weren't friends with or didn't otherwise like.

[Tuckervill]

If I thought all my hard work raising three sons to respect women would go right out the window because "that's the way guys are", I'd be in despair.

"Guys" aren't "like that". My husband is not. My sons are not. I expect them to behave appropriately, no excuses. When they hurt someone's feelings, I expect them to stop, and then apologize. I don't care if they don't believe what they did was wrong. If the person they offended feels offended, I expect them to acknowledge that and apologize, or at least KNOCK IT OFF.

Tell them to KNOCK IT OFF, Smurf. They deserve it.

Karen