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...those who had listened to sexist jokes were much more tolerant with male battering than those who had not.

The results ring true. I have found domestic violence, even street violence is justified in the mind of the offender by disrespect. People in general tend to diminish in importance even dehumanize a party they wish to assault. This has been true in war of all kinds throughout history. Abusive men justify their behavior by diminishing the value of women.

Here is another angle on concern about today's adolescents and young adults. It appears that the malaise affecting African American adolescents and young men stretches across racial boundaries at least somewhat. More young adult males live at home stalling the transition to adulthood. There certainly has always been some cultural spill over from African Americans to Caucasions. Part of the attraction of the "cool-pose culture" has been the admiration it creates even among whites.

But perhaps there is a bigger issue here. I suspect it's the economy and lack of adequate paying jobs that would enable young males to emancipate. This has to create a discouraged attitude among the young. Then I wonder if the new computer/internet generation has gotten lost in fantasy games more so than anyone has guessed, perhaps in part because of the lack of opportunities. If the American Dream is out of reach, then why get on with life at all? I certainly have seen this discouragement in individuals. Could it be pandemic?

WaPo

This phenomenon cuts across all demographics. You'll find it in families both rich and poor; black, white, Asian and Hispanic; urban, suburban and rural. According to the Census Bureau, fully one-third of young men ages 22 to 34 are still living at home with their parents -- a roughly 100 percent increase in the past 20 years. No such change has occurred with regard to young women. Why?

My friend and colleague Judy Kleinfeld, a professor at the University of Alaska, has spent many years studying this growing phenomenon. She points out that many young women are living at home nowadays as well. But those young women usually have a definite plan. They're working toward a college degree, or they're saving money to open their own business. And when you come back three or four years later, you'll find that in most cases those young women have achieved their goal, or something like it. They've earned that degree. They've opened their business.

But not the boys. "The girls are driven; the boys have no direction," is the way Kleinfeld summarizes her findings. Kleinfeld is organizing a national Boys Project, with a board composed of leading researchers and writers such as Sandra Stotsky, Michael Thompson and Richard Whitmire, to figure out what's going wrong with boys. The project is only a few weeks old, it has called no news conferences and its Web site ( http://www.boysproject.net ) has just been launched.

So far we've just been asking one another the question: What's happening to boys? We've batted around lots of ideas. Maybe the problem has to do with the way the school curriculum has changed. Maybe it has to do with environmental toxins that affect boys differently than girls (not as crazy an idea as it sounds). Maybe it has to do with changes in the workforce, with fewer blue-collar jobs and more emphasis on the service industry. Maybe it's some combination of all of the above, or other factors we haven't yet identified.

MedlinePlus

Nearly two thirds of U.S. college students are affected by sexual harassment -- ranging from offensive jokes and gestures to touching and grabbing, according to a study released on Tuesday. Men are more likely to harass than women, but women and men are equally likely to be harassed on U.S. campuses, according to a report by the American Association of University Women.

Researchers found that 62 percent of college students experienced sexual harassment, and 32 percent of college students said they were victims of physical harassment. "The primary form of harassment that we're seeing is actually non-contact: it tends to be remarks, gestures and jokes," Elena Silva, the report's co-author, said in a telephone interview. "But the fact that one third of college students are experiencing some form of physical harassment is certainly a concern."

In a representative survey of 2036 undergraduates at U.S. colleges and universities, 41 percent said they had sexually harassed someone. "In most cases, these students say that they thought it was funny, the other person liked it, or it is 'just a part of school life,'" the report found.

Common types of physical harassment include being touched, grabbed or pinched in a sexual way, or intentionally brushing up against someone in a sexual way, the study found.

Sexual harassment like most forms of harassment is an act seen differently by different people. Some people don't see their actions as harassing, but as teasing. However, anyone who has experienced incessant teasing understands how something initially perceived as a tease can quickly move to annoying, and then to harassing based on frequency, context and content. The study above found that most harassment is intended by the harasser as a tease.

Sometimes sexual harassment is deliberately malicious. Too often behavior meant as an innocent tease is seen as inappropriate and even intimidating.

The best advice I can offer to people who think they are teasing, is that touch of any kind is not ok without permission. Even verbal teasing is simply not appropriate unless you know the person very well and are sure what the response will be. When in doubt, don't do it!

For those that feel harassed, it is important to "nip it in the bud". An immediate comment directly to the harasser about how the behavior is undesired should in most cases end the behavior. If the harasser doesn't stop, or is in a position of authority over you, and you do not feel safe approaching the person directly, you probably have at least two choices. Send the person a written memo describing in detail the behavior, how it is perceived, and requesting that it stop. Or you can go directly to the person's supervisor. In all cases, keep a detailed written record of the behavior and your attempts to end it, and the response of those you approach.

Should the problem continue, you will have a written record with descriptions, times and dates and the basis to take the complaint to a formal investigation. Bring your a copy of your written record up the chain of command until you have exhausted all options internal to the organization. If you can't find satisfaction internally, you may have to bring the complaint to an attorney or a human rights ombudsman in your local community or state.

The only way to prevent sexual harassment is with school and work place education. But even with education, the only sure way for the victim to protect her/himself is to have the courage to stop it.