Sexual harassment has been weaponized. There can be no doubt about it, no discussion required. Anyone, at anytime, can be accused, and the accusers’ testimony must be believed, even if it is questionable. Just ask Al Franken. Statutes of limitation are irrelevant. Evidence isn’t required. All that’s required is a man (or woman) in a position of power who can be taken down with nothing more than the words of a sympathetic accuser.
Although she may have been wrong in the specific instance she was referencing, Nancy Pelosi was right (God, that hurt to type that) when she said that we are strengthened by due process. But alleged harassers aren’t given that due process. They are tried and convicted in the media, and anybody who dares to question the legitimacy of the claims (remember Duke?) is labeled as tone-deaf, at best, and a co-conspirator in systemic sexual oppression, at worst.
And while the sheer number of claims against powerful figures in the entertainment and private sectors are staggering, it’s in the political arena where sexual harassment claims can absolutely shake the foundation of our nation.
Let me give you a list:
- Bill Nelson
- Dick Durbin
- Tammy Duckworth
- Joe Donnelly
- Bill Cassidy
- John Kennedy
- Ben Cardin
- Chris Van Hollen
- Debbie Stabenow
- Gary Peters
- Claire McCaskill
- Steve Daines
- Catherine Cortez Masto
- Bob Menendez
- Cory Booker
- Tom Udall
- Martin Heinrich
- Richard Burr
- Tom Tillis
- John Hoeven
- Sherrod Brown
- Pat Toomey
- Pat Leahy
- Bernie Sanders
- Joe Manchin
- Tammy Baldwin
This is a list of sitting U.S. Senators whose party is in opposition to that of their state’s Governor. In 36 states in the Union, the Governor of that State can name the replacement if a Senator is displaced during his or her term, and only a few require that he/she be from the same party of his/her predecessor. This is a quarter of the Senate, as it’s currently constructed. Why not try to find somebody who’s been harrassed by Sherrod Brown, so that John Kasich can name a Republican replacement?
Of course, the big fish in all of this is POTUS himself. Trump is actually fortunate in the sense that most of the complaints against him came out before the election, and people voted for him anyway. It’s difficult to make the case that he should step aside at this point, since the American voting public decided that having him in office was more important. (Please, save your ‘BUT THE POPULAR VOTE’ arguments here.)
That doesn’t mean that #theresistance won’t keep trying. But Trump seems to be immune to allegations, and the current mess that is the FBI isn’t helping.
But on a personal level, there’s another reason you should be concerned about this New McCarthyism. It’s because you are probably guilty of sexual harassment. Yes, you.
According to a Google survey, 18% of people aged 18-34 met their current partner in the workplace. That’s twice as many relationships formed by having a neighboring cubicle as through match.com, eHarmony, and Tinder combined. I can name at least twenty movies about a poor sap who lusts after the cute girl in the office. There was actually an entire television series about this—remember Jim and Pam?
In other words, flirting with potential partners at work is woven into the fabric of our culture. Sometimes it’s harmless, sometimes it’s clumsy, and sometimes it steps over an acceptable line into something that actually is harassing and needs to be stopped. Real sexual harassment is a terrible thing, and it can’t be allowed under any circumstance. But who defines what’s real and what isn’t? Is asking a coworker on a date sexual harassment?
According to a disturbingly large amount of young people, the answer is definitely YES.
I’m particularly sensitive to this subject because my life and career have nearly been derailed by false claims of harassment—not once, but twice. Long ago in my career, I was accused of sexual harassment by an employee because I wouldn’t make her work schedule coincide with her boyfriend’s (who also worked for me). It was provably false, and she was terminated. Later, I was accused of sexual harassment by a woman who was in danger of losing her job due to poor performance. Again, it was provably false and again, she was terminated.
Both times, however, I was suspended with pay from my job while my colleagues and employees were interviewed. My phone was confiscated and each text message was read, each photo reviewed. After I was cleared of even the smallest wrongdoing, I then had to go back to work and look each one of these people in the eye and continue to lead and manage them. Not an easy thing to do, let me tell you, even when you’ve done nothing wrong. You can keep your job, but your reputation is eternally tarnished.
The end game here is obvious—smash the patriarchy. Put women and minorities in charge. I’ve had any number of moronic Facebook friends say things like “Isn’t it funny how all the harassers are white men?” Doesn’t matter that it’s not true. If you say it enough, it becomes true. Accuse any powerful man you want of harassment, and you’ll be believed. You can force him to sell his business, step away from office, or even kill himself.
Where does it end?