I really had enough.
Despite various requests to tone down their discussions on the upcoming Sex and Zen movie and constant play on words with sexual insinuations, the 2 male colleagues kept up their acts with oblivious zeal and jibes.
I originally had no issue when they went around rallying other colleagues to join them for the movie. Even the new one who had yet to come into office. However, when the sexual jokes became one too many, and when the two thought everybody shared their "fun, joy" and anticipation in the upcoming movie, it started to get on my nerve as I always feels that pang of unease, and then calibrating if I should voice my discomfort.
Then it grew to a point that I decided to tell them straight that these topics are distasteful, makes me uncomfortable, and simply not funny, hoping that they heed and bring the jokes down a few notches, to be even challenged by one of the guys: sex is real what, why you pretend it didn't happen.
It is not the way we think, we don't objectify men as sex objects, and to us, sexual jokes, made too often, weren't really funny any more, I replied. To which he insisted then all men are like that, and there is nothing wrong with them talking about all these thing in front of US female colleagues.
Ya right. Now it became our fault for feeling uncomfortable.
Today when I repeated to the other guy again to tone it down, his retort was: then bring your own ear plugs.
Bloody hell. I had never met anybody so inconsiderate and simply downright rude.
So I decided. Sent a long sms to the guy colleague and told him that this whole sexual jokes and movie thing is making me uncomfortable. And that I seriously don't see why I have to accommodate to something which is obviously making me, and other female colleagues uncomfortable. Please stop.
The guy simply replied, ok. We didn't realise you were seriously disturbed. We will not discuss these thing in front of you all, though it will be less fun.
Hello. I am not seriously disturbed. I am just extremely frustrated by the refusal to heed request after request, while getting ridiculed at the same time. Not even an apology. And less fun??? My god. He didn't even get the point.
Not that it didn't help that other female colleagues didn't raise any issue, making it seemed like I'm the only one making the noise and these 2 guys probably thought I am the spoil sport. And again, I'm tired to be the one to break the line.
But seriously, I don't see why I have to suffer in silence and continue to be uncomfortable. Much as they insist their rights to fantasize and make everything into a sexual joke, I should also have the right not to feel belittled, uncomfortable or insulted in the face of such overtures.
I have never been so mad at such utterly inconsiderate persons.