After telling his coworker that she should smile more often, 32-year-old Stephen Draken apologized by saying he was sorry that she misunderstood him.
“I’m really sorry she misunderstood what I said, but that’s actually not on me,” says Draken. “I do feel bad, but she’s responsible for hearing what I’m saying and figuring out what I meant. That’s not my job.”
Draken is well-known for confronting women with a defensive explanation of what he meant and an accusation that if she had been paying attention she may have understood.
“Sorry you’re so sensitive,” says Draken. “But no one can make you feel inferior without your consent, you know.”
“Stephen was texting during our morning meeting today and after I was done talking, he pitched my same idea because he hadn’t heard me say it just two minutes earlier,” says coworker Karol Comer. “I got mad and he told me to calm down because I had misunderstood. My blood is still boiling.”
“I have no problem apologizing to women. I’m always saying sorry that you don’t get what I said,” says Draken. “But honestly maybe women should work on listening.”
“I went on one date with him and he told me he doesn’t usually go for ‘big girls,’” says another woman, who prefers to remain anonymous. “I told him that offended me, and he got mad at me for not understanding that it was supposed to be a compliment.”
“Stephen tried to kiss me at a party once to which I said, ‘absolutely not,’” says Carter Sinford. “He then angrily said, ‘Sorry you thought I was trying to kiss you. You severely misunderstood my cues and are definitely not my type.’”
