That realization is dawning on other men, too. Rampaging #MeToo has caught many men with their pants down and working with a female colleague in the confined environment of an office is deadly for the male hormone. Lots of companies are refusing to hire women and while ‘MJ Akbar’s Harem’ is compelling and salacious reading, his fate – decades after he laid an eye on a woman he hired – is a foreboding that the fair ones be better left out of the job-interview list.

Post #MeTooInIndia, no man worth his testosterone wants women around him, especially the sassy sort with liberal-progressive written all over her, dark eyelashes and impish looks. The ones who smile a lot but what if the glint hardens five, 10 years later. Married company honchos are particularly cautious, the wife at home is a better bet. And then there is the child or ‘children’, kids who know what #MeToo is.

A YouGov survey shows the level of apprehension: 25% of employers are now wary of hiring members of the opposite sex. ‘Physical intimacy without consent’ is viewed by most as sexual harassment. But there are many who consider ‘whistling, making lewd gestures and name-calling’ also sexual harassment. The point is nobody knows what might be SH: Will raising an eyebrow amount to SH; how about making a finger gesture to summon some young female executive with wavy dark hair to the boss’s cabin?

And closing the door behind on the rest of the office, when discussing a project with a woman-hire, is out of the window. #MeToo has made it difficult to bring out the best in the team. In many instances, creativity is getting killed, especially in the media industry. Words have to be weighed and spoken with restraint. In the recesses of the mind, there is always this #MeToo sword hanging over the head, the Damocles tame by comparison, almost benign.

Hell, nobody wants to lose his job because the elbow brushed a touch-me-not body part. Office romance has taken a heavy hit though there still are the cavalier sort who take the risk with a ‘who cares a sh**’ attitude. This sort should get an appointment with MJ Akbar or keep tabs on his case as it is heard in court. The risk is high because most office romances become gossip and the peon is probably the first to get a whiff of it.

In fact, the chaparasi gets his daily kicks from office romances he keeps a keen eye on. Chaparasi ears can beat an Alsatian to the ground. Mind you, staying beyond normal office hours with a female colleague can screw up the evening; it’s fraught with risk, not because the male has done anything wrong but because the female for whatever reason can allege SH and get away with it – his word against hers, and his words will be lost in the din.

The YouGov survey shows that half the respondents aged 30 and above admitted to having become wary and more careful of how they interact with female colleagues. Those younger are less bothered while a quarter of those polled viewed #MeToo as a passing fad, here now gone tomorrow. Idiots might be setting themselves up for the kill! As evidenced by the fact that 25% of those aged 30-39 were crapping their minds out thinking of past misbehaviour. #MeToo catches up to rears faster than a bolt of lightning.

The majority of the respondents agreed that Bollywood was where SH thrived the most, with media including newspapers and television news channels a close second followed by politics. By comparison law enforcement was far more respectful to the female gender. Media could be reaping the whirlwind MJ Akbar let loose. The eminent erstwhile editor should also keep that in mind as he heads to court Wednesday. (IPA Service)