Column: 'Move Those Hips, Baby!'

The individuals seemed immediately moved by the dance number, for they emitted loud grunts of appreciation. Orgasmic groans escaped their lips, rising and falling with the beat of the music. "Work it, baby! Work it!" one of the gentlemen cried out to the female dancers. My neighbors proceeded to clap, stomp and sing along. The sounds of the auditorium expanded to include the unique contributions of these two men. And when the number ended, the two abruptly exited the theater. Then it was intermission. I was in the lobby when I overheard a male member of Arts House Dance say, "Yeah, some people thought we were really rude -- they didn't know that we're all friends." It turns out that those oh-so-subtle gentlemen seated beside me actually belonged to Arts House. Since they were not in that particular routine, they had retired to the back of the auditorium to cheer the women on. So what's the moral of the story? What can be concluded from the behavior of these students? One could say that their actions were barbaric, horribly offensive, a blatant objectification of the female members of the troupe. I, myself, felt that the guttural moans greatly detracted from the efforts of the dancers and from the art of the performance. After all, the routine was set to a song from Cats, not to I Touch Myself. On the other hand, one could say that the actions were simply funny. Why make such a big deal out of it? Why drag in the feminist rhetoric? These men are members of the group. I seriously doubt that they possessed any ill-intentions. To them, it was probably a way to rouse -- or arouse -- the audience. The women on stage may have really enjoyed their exuberance. And certainly, I suspect that they all might find this analysis of their actions a bit odd. Issues of sexual harassment have leapt into the forefront of campus and national attention in recent months. Unfortunately, the discussion has often been reduced to the black and white components of right and wrong. The Senate hearings did little to remedy this approach. I am not suggesting that all standards should be abandoned. Ultimately, actions can still be judged as right or wrong. However, in passing such judgments, it is crucial to understand the intentions of the participants, the range of behaviors that the individuals find acceptable. The behavior during the Arts House Dance production revealed many of the difficulties and miscommunications possible in male-female interactions. Here, the actual intentions of the men may have greatly differed from the way women perceived their intentions. But what if a woman in the group was offended? Would she be allowed to express her discomfort without being labelled "uptight?" Do potentially offensive actions become okay if the people involved are all friends? These are issues of importance for students on campus as well as for people in the work world. When college students think of the workplace, they often see it in very professional terms. But, in fact, we will be interacting with individuals our own age, people we will call friends. Friendships in the workplace can greatly complicate issues of sexual harassment. Think about how you relate to members of the opposite sex at Penn. Many friendships are chock-full of sexual banter. Often times, both people involved consider the comments harmless, playful. And then you move into the workplace, and you begin to hang out with your co-workers. The lines of acceptable behavior become blurred, confused. Is it so easy to turn this banter off? Are certain verbal suggestions really meant only in jest, a sign of friendship? Is the banter acceptable from someone you feel closer to, but not from the guy who hovers around the copy machine? How is he supposed to know that? Where do you draw the lines? When behavior makes an individual uncomfortable, when it threatens or belittles -- this behavior is not okay. But we should all be learning to recognize the many ways in which our actions and reactions are perceived. We should acknowledge the different assumptions that can go into male-female relations. Whether in the office or on campus, it is dangerous to decide that acts committed in the name of "friendship" cannot cause discomfort. It is dangerous to assume that this type of behavior is merely a joke. But it is important to understand that individuals may be acting under these assumptions. This understanding can influence the approach one takes to discussing the problem. With heightened awareness, we can all begin to vocalize our concerns in ways that will help improve relations instead of fostering increased antagonism. We should develop these skills now, not postpone the matter until we reach the workplace. Ideally, threatening behavior patterns should be remedied when they occur -- they should not go unaddressed until one of the participants becomes appointed to the Supreme Court. Elinor Nathanson is a senior Communications major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Just In The Nick Of Time appears alternate Fridays.