Apparently, the first time I sent this message, the last part was deleted.  This is what I meant to send:

Is it just me, or is RAVEN getting more and more hostile?  Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I like a good joke more than anyone -- especially a politically incorrect joke.  I like to think, however, that I am somewhat sensitive to my audience when I share these jokes.  I can't say the same for some participants on RAVEN.

Perhaps many members of our campus community feel it is their duty to rattle the cages of their colleagues and shake things up a bit.  That is not always a bad thing.  I have never been a fan of the PC movement myself.  Being a lawyer, though, I am somewhat sensitive to the fact that jokes told int he work environment can have legal ramifications.  I recently wrote a paper with another colleague about such an issue.  This paper, which has not yet been published, is entitled, "Did You Hear The One About the Dumb Blonde Who Hired An Attorney?  Can Telling Dumb Blonde Jokes in The Workplace Constitute Sexual Harassment?"

Think about it, when you hear dumb blonde jokes, do you think about dumb blonde men?  So far, the court cases have not found an employer liable for creating or enabling a hostile work environment for telling or allowing dumb blonde jokes, but only because the dumb blonde jokes in the cases studied were not considered "pervasive enough."  What that indicates to us is that if a case arises in which the courts think the dumb blonde jokes are pervasive enough, then a court may find an employer liable for creating or enabling a hostile work environment.

I am NOT suggesting anyone who is offended by the jokes on RAVEN needs to sue UTC.  If that happens, we all pay.  I am NOT suggesting RAVEN be censored.  If that happens, we all pay.  I am wondering, though, what type of enviroment people here desire for their workplace.  I want to enjoy coming to work. I want to work in a place where people actually care about their co-workers' feelings.  I am not suggesting we need to circle up and share a group hug.  But good grief, when enough people honestly share their feelings that jokes about ethnic stereotypes, racial stereotypes, blondes, etc., hurt people's feelings, is it worth it to keep sending those types of jokes to RAVEN?  What does doing this accomplish?  In a time of declining morale, wouldn't it be nice if we could just try a little harder to be considerate of each other?

Joanie Sompayrac
Dr. Joanie Sompayrac
UC Foundation
Associate Professor of Accounting
Assistant Director, University Honors 
UT-Chattanooga