I have two concrete
things I want to write about, but as I did mention the structural issue as an
impediment, we should take that into consideration.
Sexual harassment and
assault is built around a power imbalance. The abuser can not only leverage
access to jobs and wealth, but also tends to have the social and political
power so is less likely to be questioned. I don't know that we can really call
it trust, because not believing the victim is not quite the same thing as
making a choice to ignore it, but still, it's a factor.
Bearing that in mind, one
potential solution comes from a New York Times op-ed by
Lupita Nyong'o:
After recounting her own
experiences with Weinstein, she says that she has not had an similar
experiences since. She attributes this not to her actions, but that the
projects she has worked on have had women in positions of power, and men who
were feminists. This has created good environments.
Yes, there are women who
are abusive, as well as abusive men who are self-proclaimed feminists, but
there are people who don't abuse. You can hire them and then you don't need
chaperones and people wearing wires because you are not giving the predators
free rein.
I have written about how
some of this is luck, and perhaps an area in which Nyong'o has been lucky is
that more women are slowly getting more directing gigs, and they are making
some pretty profitable films. Putting more women into production roles and onto
boards could be a great step toward reducing harassment, and the odds are good
that it will still be profitable. Weinstein didn't rape and sexually harass
everyone, but he was a bully to a lot of people too. What if you don't need to
put up with people like that to make money?
It doesn't mean that you
fire all the men either, but if Hollywood truly cares about this, then they need to
quit hiring the open secrets. They need to quit resolving issues with
Non-Disclosure Agreements. That is so blatantly obvious that you have to wonder
if they would care if no one were talking about it.
But we are talking, and
that's the second thing.
Tarana Burke started
"Me too" ten years ago in the absence of community outreach for
survivors. It is supportive and provides a way of finding your own voice. I
have been planning on writing about that as a way forward for days. It has gone
far beyond that now.
It's not just that other
names have been added to the list in Hollywood. It is not just that Condé Nast has cut ties
with Terry Richardson anymore, though that is huge. It is not just that
legislators are getting called out.
It is that people are
talking and listening. Many people remain terrible, as expected, but others
have been much better than expected. This moment has gained momentum.
A few days ago I was
thinking of how to build on the moment. Should there be a drop-in event where
people can talk, or a chat room? How do you make it easier for people to speak
out?
There are still many
people for whom it is hard to speak, but at least there is an existing
conversation they can join. There are still people with a lot of trauma to work
through, and careers that have been lost, but this feels like forward motion.
A male acquaintance who
had been simply watching the conversation asked about what to do with his own
sexual harassment experience. There are some different obstacles there, where
men are more likely to be attacked on their masculinity instead of their moral
worthiness. It is progress that more men can feel safe divulging their stories
too. There is room for encouragement here.
There is a tangent or two
that I want to explore next week, but where we are in this moment is better
than I expected. Listening matters.
And don't be surprised
that both of those examples came from listening to Black women.
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