When New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced he would be giving a public, press conference apology, I thought bad idea. There is no way to come off as anything other than tone deaf and a classic chauvinist no matter what you say, how you say it, or even if you think you mean it. And after it was over, he would have been better off to say nothing.

Ask any woman who has been in the workforce for any length of time if she has experienced sexual harassment the overwhelming majority will answer in the affirmative. In fact, it is unusual to not experience harassment.

Having worked in the gaming industry for a few years, I can attest to the industry’s reluctance to advance to the 21st century. Make no mistake, corporate or mob owned, the joints all operate the same. Men in power are masters of the universe and the girls just need to play along, no waves. The subservient behavior is so ingrained, the women themselves abet the culture. It is amusing somehow that the guys who get slammed are lower level managers who make inappropriate comments, as in one instance, the guy liked the look of her ass when she bent over. Meanwhile the guy in the executive suite is making obscene overtures with impunity.

This entitled behavior is learned. Whether they learn in at home or pick it up once they get to the work environment is not germane. And sadly they do not exist in a vacuum. There are enablers enough to go around. So if you think Cuomo’s face touchy is inappropriate, and we do, come work in a casino where there is a literal buffet of inappropriate.

Working at the Flamingo I was constantly hounded by shift manager BG for a date. I was pretty unsophisticated and just sort of laughed him off. He was known to run a stable of female employees but never seemed satisfied. The joint had just transitioned to Hilton ownership, but vestiges of mob influence remained. And the boys ran it like a brothel.

Typical Italian male management style was all subject to emotional whims. They like their ladies smiling and appreciative. And be sure to laugh at all their jokes. I ran afoul of shift boss Joe Bananas while working at Holiday Inn Center Strip because I was not properly amused. At the time I thought he was nuts. I soon learned that he was all too typical.

The idea that a MeToo movement was even possible seemed like a hoax. In the corporate casino world, human resources was always viewed as ineffective and anyone who availed themselves of their services was viewed as a traitor. Any employee successful in getting redress would have sought independent legal counsel after termination of employment. As time goes by and a new generation takes hold, attitudes about tolerance will evolve and those men who persist in the old ways will be eliminated. And HR will be a critical component.

But it will not be a straight line progression. Peaks and valleys. Right now we are in a valley. It will take more than a couple of pack mules to get us back to the top. And predators have an uncanny ability to adapt and shift to stay in the game.