Toward the beginning of the 2002 film Secretary , a domineering lawyer (played by James Spader) barges into the office of his assistant (Maggie Gyllenhaal) with evidence of a work infraction: a memo she has written that has “three typing errors.” Spader’s character spits out a reprimand. “Do you know what this makes me look like to the people who receive these letters?” Setting aside that his screed turns out to be foreplay, Spader’s character was channeling a widespread cultural revulsion: