And then you are the one on the hook for assault, since frequently, just like in football, it's the second person who gets penalized. Tell me AA, have you actually been in a situation where you've had to use this method, and how effective was it for you? Because you can't claim it "does wonders" if you've never actually used it (or even seen it effectively used, outside of the movies or something).
I have been, several times, in USA, Brazil, and Russia, work related (there were also non-work related situations in Morocco, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Jamaica, and USA..). Here are few stories.
- In USA while in college i worked at a clothing store. A very nice woman owned it. She escaped Nazi Germany in 1940's when she was just a girl. Her spoiled son, 10 years old than me, often took "us girls" for beer and pizza after work, when he came to count-up the register at the end of the day; then he drove us home. Once i was the last girl to be dropped off, he drove up to Rose Gardens in Berkeley Hills, stopped the car, and leaned over me. I punched him with an elbow in the groin, jumped out of the car and ran down hill back to Berkeley. He was following me, telling me to get back in the car, he did not mean anything, and he did not know that i am such a "square" given i am such a "cool punk-rocker girl" and that I misunderstood because when "in America a boy likes a girl, he takes her to inspiration point to make out, that's the American tradition, nothing wrong about it". I told him "to go and see Night Porter and how would his mother like him acting like a violent Nazi". He kept following and i kept walking. Next day his mother called me in the store and tried to sort it out. She certainly did not disowned him, or kick him out of the house... but she did not kick me out either. So all ended well.
- In Brazil I made a mistake of drinking all night with the guys who were operations managers at a nickel mine in Mato Grosso. Our company was delivering machinery from the States. I was transportation logistics mngr. All was friendly during the day. Drinking all night gave the guys wrong ideas. Was not too bad, no injuries, took some physical resistance, including punching a few times and flipping out my switch blade, in order for me to get out of that room and to safely return to my room.
They were “executives” with reputation to consider, so it did not get far. The following morning I came in and said “so boys, did you go to town to get whores, or handled it among yourselves?”… they chuckled, were embarrassed so it seems and we went on working.
- Different forwarding company, few years later. Regional manager from Texas, 1 other executive and myself (as CIS transport logistics mngr) went on a business trip to Russia (Exxon-Mobil refinery project in the Far East, while Tillerson was still in charge..
). Regional Manager (RM), fat middle-aged cowboy type, sat next to me on the plane, asking several times “if the girls are fun and friendly in Russia, and will I help him translate if he meets any.” The more he drank, the more he talked about “what he heard about Russian girls” and asked me if I know how much “they cost per night, and are they any good”. I told him “Russian girls have teeth in their vaginas, and you can’t afford them”. He laughed and went to sleep.
- Once in a hotel in Russia, few nights in a row he did find prostitutes in a bar. One night something did not work out, and he called me into his room asking to bring some paper, but instead asked me to find and call some “escort” service since he does not speak Russian. He was in his robe half reclined on the bed. I told him that I have nothing against prostitution, but in Russia it’s mafia related, I am not touching it, and don’t recommend him calling any service on his own either or as a “wealthy westerner” he may get a visit from more than just a “girl” in his room. I put down papers and headed to the door passing his bed; he reclined, opened his robe, and asked if I am interested for 2x the price he’s been paying so far…
. I told him I don’t touch “used goods” and he might already have an STD from those Russian whores. Laughed and left the room. But yes, it was not pleasant to look at an old fat hick, with his tool hanging out.
I called that night my Regional Manager 2, a very nice man who worked with me in another company and brought me over to this one when he transferred, and told him “don’t be surprised if RM-1 returns home in a casket…. he is having lots of adventures with local girls and is now waving his tool at me”. RM-2 told me “hang in there, I’ll talk to him”. I don’t know if he did, but RM-1 behaved normal for the remaining 2 days. When I returned to the office, I wrote up the incident in my trip-report and sent a copy to the corporate office. I don’t know what they did with RM-1; I never crossed passes with him again and never heard a thing about it from the corporate office, good or bad.
- Russia…… and then there is “doing business in Russia in the 1990’s, with no rules or regulations, as woman, a jew and an “immigrant-traitor-capitalist” who came to pinch money from poor Russians…. I’ll skip on that as it is minimum a 3-volume novel.
Fair? No. Reality? Yes. Should there be laws against it and enforced? Yes. It is not pleasant or a joke by any means. But it is best to anticipate such situations, and be prepared to handle it. At least if you make attempt to stop it, you feel you did your best.
