I have an ongoing discussion with someone close to me about other people in their life not acting/responding as they would like. I agree those other people can be unreasonable but I stress that we can’t just make people act as we would like them.
Sure, you can’t make Bob in accounting stop wearing that Members Only jacket. But if he sexually harasses someone? Fire his ass. See? You can make a difference! Bob may or may not change his ways, but the people in your life no longer include him.
Depends on the circumstances. If men smile a bit more at you, CatBus, it won’t be so easy. Maybe you don’t mind or maybe it’s horribly objectifying. If it’s the former, then no problem! If you’re walking down the street there’s less control over reactions.
Sexual harassment has two legal yardsticks: quid pro quo (which is usually an unprovably high hurdle, so it’s safe to ignore) and hostile environment. Convincing people smiling is of a nature that it caused a hostile environment is either also a really high hurdle, or else “smiling” isn’t the best term for describing the behavior in question. Either way, go for it. Offending people has never been the issue. Creating a hostile work environment is. The law knows the difference.
You are correct that crimes and civil offenses can happen anywhere. You can get mugged at work or in the street. You can implement security at work to prevent muggings, but on the street you have less control.
The basic principle is sound that others will behave badly and there’s no easy fix and a person might choose to go about things a certain way.
Sure, and there are penalties for when your behavior crosses a line of civil society. That’s reasonable.