Netflix bans staff & crew from looking at each other for longer than 5 seconds
Just when you thought things couldn't get any more crazy, Netflix go and impose a weird rule banning its staff and film crews from looking at each other for longer than 5 seconds. The policy has been put in place in hopes of avoiding any sexual harassment lawsuits but this just seems rather excessive to me.
If you thought that was weird, staff are also forbidden from flirting, hugging and asking for each other's phone numbers, and are also being trained and encouraged to yell "Stop! Don't do that again!" if they feel someone is getting too pervy. An on-set runner said:
Senior staff went to a harassment meeting to learn what is and isn't appropriate. Looking at anyone longer than five seconds is considered creepy.You mustn't ask for someone's number unless they have given permission for it to be distributed. And if you see any unwanted behaviour, report it immediately.
Black Mirror is just one of the shows whose staff have been made to follow the new rules. I can't imagine the shows writer and creator Charlie Brooker being on board with this. He's already said in past episodes of Screen wipe that the world has gone mad with all this PC nonsense and these new rules are about as mad as it gets.
Netflix are pretty proud of themselves though, and have given themselves a big pat on the back for coming up the idea. Netflix said:
We're proud of the anti-harassment training we offer to our productions.We want every Netflix production to be a safe and respectful working environment. We believe the resources we offer empower people on our sets to speak up, and shouldn’t be trivialised.
I never thought I'd be living in a world where it would be considered sexual harrassment to look at someone or ask for their number. It's a like an episode of Black Mirror in itself - a world devoid of all human interaction.
