Before you pat yourself on the back too hard please tell me
you feminists are not going to let Conyers and Franken get
a pass. If they are not pushed out you have little credibility.
This article was written, sent to the editor, approved and published quite quickly.
Almost as if it was all lined up before the "surprise" allegations came to light thid morning.
Something doesn't smell right.
Ha ha ha ha! Good joke! Oh wait, you’re seriously trying to claim that “free markets” are responsible for the wave of revelations? Please. You will still find the private sector well in the lead on malfeasance of all sorts. I know that Reason (sic) magazine’s position is that anything good must be the result of independent, free thinking, bold, individuals striding Atlas-like over the common mass of communal propaganda...blah, blah. But you know who was a terrible sexist as well as an awful writer? Ayn Rand.
Just how many 8 x 10 glossies does Trump have?
Good column, until that cheap shot at Democrats.
Why is it that Trump isn’t held to the same level as the rest of the sexual predator? The Republican Congress is the Guardian on their Dear Supreme Leader.
Too bad "we" weren't around to help Anita Hill.
Next up, one-time troubadours, now icons of extended adolescence preseted in lefty wrapping. Springsteen, Taylor, Jagger, Crosby, Kiss musicians - oops, check that, there are no musicians in that comic book - Tyler, and anyone left ambulatory from Van Halen. Everyone either a noted womanizer, abuser, adulterer, harasser or plain old creep who mouth the usual platitudes - the Stones the exception as they celebrate their misogyny - and proceed to live the hypocrite's life. And be VERY well paid for the effort. Keep buying those tickets ladies!
I feel bad for the children of these men. What affect will it have on them?
How dare these men dirty the lives of their powerless kids. Selfish, thoughtless, irresponsible. No one blames the kids of parents who embarrass them, but the kids do endure that shame. And that is just plain unfair.
1
Uh, I didn't.
1
You forgot to mention Trump, you know that guy sitting in the White House pretending to be our President? Where is the pressure to do something about him? His name rarely comes up in these reports about sexual harassment! Can that many women (16) really be lying? Now Trump is claiming the Access Hollywood tape is a fake? The man is deranged and dangerous, come on, call him out!
3
Yes we did fire Matt Lauer, but we have to keep some sense of proportionality. Exposing yourself is far worse than patting someone's fanny, and the price paid should be far worse too. I think Garrison Keillor was dealt with too harshly.
2
Oh boy, accusations breathlessly reported as the truth. From 15, 4 years ago? Give me a break.
1
You it's the power of the people, but it looks to me like we're verging on mass hysteria.
Do we have lynching mobs to look forward to?
When it was advantageous to keep the sexually harassing employees, they kept them. Now hat its disavtantageous, they are firing them. It's all about the bottom line. I'd like to see women get Trump fired next, if they really think they have that influence, instead of just encouraging corporations to do what's best for their bottom lines.
Now when do “we” demand an end to racist behavior?
2
The glaring omition from this Op-Ed is, indeed, the root cause. All of the left (and where is the media - the left) turned a blind eye and looked away when Bill Clinton did this as President of the United States. He was impeached by the House of Representatives, but the Senate and the Media made excuses. Where was the outrage there? The fact that he got "away with it" right in from of the public, gave rise to this problem. Why would any of these people think it would go badly for them. In fact, their own companies looked away for as long as they possibly could. Now the public is primed to be mad and outraged? How horrible. It took 20 years and all of the people on their moral high horse to fall before we cared.
1
I would like to know how he installed the lock button to his office door.
1
I fired Lauer after he destroyed Curry because she threatened his throne.
Although I didn't know him personally, or know much about him, he embodied the worst about celebrity popular culture. Not only did he strike me as an empty vessel -- someone devoid of intellect -- he was like a shiny pot with a rust hole in its bottom. Pretty, and pretty useless for anything but decoration. And I sensed something tyrannical about the man.
So, I stopped watching "Today".
13
Me too. Right choice and reinforced by his hostile and dismissive questioning of Hillary Clinton.
3
President Trump needs to be held accountable for his sexual harassment/assault. Where are the lawyers with these women in front of cameras demanding they be heard, they are all credible! Mr. Trump had been barred from going near the teens at the Miss Teen USA Pageants. He has talked openly about sexually assaulting women, looking at a 14 year old girl and saying he would be dating her in a few years. He needs to be held accountable, this is the leader of out country. It is NOT okay to sexually assault or harass someone. It is NOT okay to be prejudice or a bigot. All of which Mr. Trump has shown he is.
NBC DID NOT FIRE MATT LAUER, We did, We the people!
The rapists are being outed and this will continue for years. #WeAreJustGettingStarted
1
The mob must be sated.
Absolute Nonsense! These people were fired to protect corp interests not bcoz the mgmt thought what they did was wrong; for politicians, their int is the vote which is why they are not being pushed out (there's one in the WH bcoz of that). We've not won anything, we're still where we were. While America goes around lecturing other countries abt women's rights it's been sweeping the atrocities against women under the rug - women have been raped/sexually harassed in the army, in colleges, media... The rug is beginning to stink now. Think abt the no. of strip/"gentleman's" clubs this country has. Look at tv ads-i cannot figure out if they are selling a burger, a car or porn. Kids tv shows/movies have suggestive material, why are girl characters in kids shows busty & well shaped? This is a culture issue. Unfortunately, some women have accepted that abuse is inevitable & have chosen to profit from it and have brought other women down with them (Gwyneth Paltrow accused Weinstein but did more movies with him even after the alleged act & stood next to him while getting her awards - Gwyn got those awards bcoz some other women refused to work with him for his behavior, they are the ones we should feel sorry for). And what's with parents sending their kids to cheerleading classes & treating it as an athletic activity? I never see men in skimpy clothes cheering women's soccer team. The only way we can be empowered is if women reject this behavior & stand up for other women.
5
No matter how much we deny it, Humans are predators. We learn at a very early age how to manipulate those around us to get what we want. In the end, we mostly want to "belong" but we also want to "control" out of fear of loss.
Some of us learn that the way to "belong" is to get-along. To help others is to enable them to help us. Mutual love and respect goes a long way.
Others learn to get their way through intimidation - it is about having power over their peers. They start off as bullies on the playground and end up as predators in the workplace.
All too often these people are rewarded in the workplace for their predatory behavior. Predatory behavior should never be tolerated anywhere - but especially in the workplace.
The worst part is that, one way or another, we are all responsible for the perpetuation of this behavior. Is there any real difference between the perpetrator of domestic violence and sexual predator? Both rely upon fear and shame to keep their victims quiet.
We must all take away the predator's power over us. No one deserves to be abused and no one has the right to act abusively toward another. No excuses.
It is time for all of us to SPEAK UP. Not just the victims - and not years after the incident! We can no longer hope that the behavior will subside or wait for the behavior to rise to the level of sexual assault.
We need to put a stop to this abuse of power NOW!
7
Bravo to the corporations who have acted decisively. But let's keep in mind that so far it's been limited to the entertainment industry and its off-shoot, politics. I haven't seen a single dismissal of an oil executive, a banker or a tobacco tycoon. We are still very far from a country where all or even most corporations have adopted a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment.
3
One wonders if the power structure in certain industries make them more prone to abuse. Trump's words in the Access Hollywood tapes states the logic of some in power. "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."
With the public exercising its conditions on the power it grants to stars and elected officials, perhaps Trump's words will be a thing of the past.
1
Except that, many people I know - in my older age bracket - are deeply concerned about what they see as a reactionary, hysterical mob environment that sees no nuance, divides issues into good-promote/bad-destroy and has no patience for fair process or a full airing of the facts. I will bet that there are millions of us, and we don’t see social media as a tool of social justice. I’m sure that nobody worth listening to wants to defend the creeps, but I’m also confident that a great many of us see grave dangers of a different sort in the way this whole thing is playing out. What will the mob target next?
5
I fully support your position on sexual harassment, but your conclusion that this progress, little that it is derives from "The modern American capitalist system" is a fantasy that distracts from an otherwise sound argument.
Our great capitalist system has historically and systematically oppressed women, treating them either as a legal non-entity or a mere extension of their husband. This complete legal and economic subordination of women naturally translated into the workplace as men continued to dominate women as their sexual objects.
The changes that have occurred have never been due to enlightened capitalism. They have come about from years of determined struggle.
The fact that social media has now become a valuable tool in that struggle is due to the skill and determination of women, not some noble feature of an otherwise exploitive system.
2
There is also the other side: the ability of consumers to boycott companies that fire people over unproven accusations. I've watched my last Today Show, as have many others.
Social media can advance social justice. Sexual harassment and sexual assault should never be tolerated. I previously related in the Times a detailed account of how, right inside a courthouse, a powerful judge sexually assaulted a young female client I was representing. I question if this social media campaign would have helped that woman, who was young, Latina, and poor, or if it will have any positive impact on the women I've represented for most of my career as a civil and criminal rights attorney who work, for instance, in a local diners or in other low paying jobs, as opposed to in the media or in Hollywood. Social media's impact on right-wing media has been ineffective. O'Reilly and Ailes were sacked because advertisers, responding primarily to phone calls (how analog) from irate customers, pressured Fox to ditch them. Both received massive payouts from Fox and Ailes was hired by Donald Trump. The article states that social media has had little impact on elected officials. It isn't true. It's impact has been highly negative; it was central in the making of Trump. Meantime Trump and the Republicans are about to pass a tax bill that will destroy the middle class, working class, the poor, destroy healthcare, and ultimately Social Security and Medicare. Self-congratulation throughout social media is misplaced. Most women will not benefit by what has happened so far and social media is having no impact on the pending economic destruction of American workers.
10
We don't like to believe bad things about people we admire. That's why evidence is so important. Ms. Pelosi (who is not my favorite politician) had the same issue we all do when we learn that someone we admired is charged with something awful. That's why journalism is important, too: it sorts out the false from the true by weighing and sifting evidence. I think the push to believe ALL women (in lieu of corroborating facts) is just as dangerous as the previous impulse not to believe any of them. It's what got the Rolling Stone into trouble, but after all, that's so last year.
Don't get me wrong: men need to stop it and there's no reason to think they can't. But we are not the Furies. We cannot sweep up the innocent with the guilty and call it a wash.
1
You said it best early on in this essay: it's not about protecting women from predators. If it was, these men would have been out long ago. It's all about protecting their brand. Very sad to see that--as usual--money counts more to companies than the lives of the people who work there. And if you happen to be a woman, well, it's clear the ruins of your life and career is a cost of doing business.
We need mandatory reporting by HR to the authorities, just like doctors and teachers do for suspected child abusers. And we also need a government agency to which anonymous whistleblowers can report without fear of retaliation.
1
What we're seeing started last January when women all across the US were so disgusted that Trump was elected even after the Access Hollywood tape that we turned out in protest and said enough. We made it ok for victims to speak out and for the press to actually break the worst kept stories about powerful people abusing their privilege. We were finally ready to listen, to believe, and to take action.
Politicians can be fired for bad behaviour. Their constituents have the power to vote them out of office if they choose not to do the right thing and step aside. Politicians may cover for each other but a diligent press helps us hold them accountable.
As each of these stories break I keep seeing comments from those who are concerned about the current witch-hunts that are going on. When multiple victims have similar stories that can be verified that's not a witch-hunt, that's finally being held accountable for bad behaviour. Had the other women been allowed to testify against Clarence Thomas he wouldn't be on the supreme court.
We owe it to Anita Hill and all the other courageous people who have stepped up and confronted their abusers even though they, not the guilty party ended up being punished. Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Donald Trump got away with their behavior because people in power decided that they were worth the cost. Bad behaviour ends when we demonstrate that failure to act has very expensive consequences.
1
If "everybody knew," so did senior management. Why aren't they being fired for harboring knowledge without taking earlier action? Limiting punishment to the big names lets their enablers get off with a mere slap. Institutional change will come with greater institutional accountability.
1
There are consumer preferences and then there are consumer preferences.
You might want to pause before relying on them all.
As of today, yes this rings true; but with the loss of net neutrality, I fear this bidirectional influence will end, with media conglomerates steering social media platforms to conform to the narratives they’re willing to spin, while negating issues they won’t!
1
Thanks, ENB for this and your overall good journalism. I've appreciated your articles over the years.
Everyone knew is the refrain. They covered for the bad behavior. Money was at stake and ratings were an issue. This is all too little to late. Too late for anyone to take the moral high ground here.
The Congress is composed of elected officials who cannot simply be fired. That is a key factor here. The Congress has had members convicted of crimes in office and others on trial for fraud .
NBC covered . That is it.
In many written and oral discussions there is a tendency to make an argument pro or con about one thing while masking another thing which is really the message being made.
This Op-Ed piece is a fine example. While it appears to discuss the latest wave of firings, litigation, settlements, and so forth related to abuse of women in the private and public sectors, the last two paragraphs encapsulate the real message: capitalism is great.
Here are the two paragraphs:
"The modern American capitalist system is far from perfect. But for all its flaws, our system — and the digital communication channels it enabled — has delivered social justice more swiftly and effectively than supposedly more enlightened public bodies tend to.
As we observe and adjust to the sociosexual (sic) storm we’re all in, let’s appreciate the powers and paradigms making it possible: feminism, but also free markets."
But the real story is that capitalism is a total failure and any progress is made despite capitalism and the governmental structure that sustains it.
Assume for a minute that social media makes it all possible. Really! Charges are made, the private and protected religious sectors investigate and the ax falls. Charge made. Jury finds guilt. Justice is served.
To assume that a 'free market' made it possible to destroy sexual abuse of women must face this acid test: 'The Constitution and Bill of Rights did nothing to protect women from day one. Why did the American free market take so long? '
This free market power that Ms Nolan seems so taken with doesn't care about innocence or guilt. The "social justice" delivered by social media makes a mockery of true justice.
1
It staggers the mind the voices of men in these comments citing witch hunts and the "court of public opinion" and the accused having rights and all other manner of excuses for these men's behavior. Boys, you are on the wrong side of this and have been all along. Corporations have the right to defend their brand, the accused have the right to representation and the court of public opinion has no legal power and certainly does very little to protect the victims of sexual harassment and assault. And look at that, in almost all cases the men have apologized for their actions-what else do you need guys? Seriously.
Although there may have been no formal complaints does not mean that Mr Lauer's activities were unknown, even by Andrew Lack. It was common knowledge that Lauer was a bad actor that everyone talked about, but as long as the Today show was number one, his behavior would be overlooked.
2
The reality is that none of us have the information that was provided to NBC or any of the other employers that fired men for sexual harrassment related behavior. Time to take a deep breath and realize that our opinions are based on very limited information which may not tell the entire story. Furthermore, firing an employee does NOT require the same level of "innocent unless proven guilty" that is in a court of law. The vast majority of us can be terminated without cause. Those who are under contract negotiate a buy out. Unfortunately unless we are on the inside, our trigger happy opinions are more like shoot first and ask later. With the internet, it has become much worse. The "perp" has been thoroughly shot-up by the public before all the info comes out if it comes out at all.
1
The reactions of these companies were not acts of social responsibility. They were decisions driven by protecting the brand and future revenues in the face of nationwide revelations of outrageous wrongdoing by high-profile employees.
Will these actions result in real change in male attitudes about women? Not until the nameless mass of male managers in the workplace stop using economic power to sexually harass women they see as subordinate. These incidents don't make the headlines, but are far more numerous and form the firm base of the problem.
21
Free markets made this possible? What free markets? This country is run by giant multinational corporations--oligopolies--the very antithesis of Adam Smith's idea of free markets. Ms. Brown is living in a libertarian dream world.
1
Congress should reform its ridiculous protocols for dealing with harassment. But there is a reason sectors like academia, public service, and the political sphere don't have the kind of firing policies you see in the private sphere.
In private business, there is only one bottom line––profit––and concentrated authority at the top. Boss's can fire people quickly, as in the cases of these harassers. But let's remember that those same bosses *protected* outrageous harassers for the very same reasons: to protect high earners, at the expense of those harassed.
I think it's actually a good thing that employees in other sectors are less at the mercy of an all-powerful boss. Imagine if Donald Trump were the CEO of Congress. We know who would be fired and who wouldn't, and the howls of protest by the public wouldn't matter one whit.
There is no disagreement between feminism and globalist capitalism. The former is now a key bulwark of the latter.
The Democrats in Congress should take the lead immediately to force the Congressional republicans to acknowledge Trump's impeach able offenses.
This should take the form of the House Judiciary Committee opening an investigation of Trump for complicity with the Russians in manipulating the presidential election.
The thrust of the pressure on republicans should hinge on their own complicity in letting their members get away with wrong doing and the effect that will have in the next elections.
This high emotional moment in America regarding sexual harrassment should not be allowed to pass without pressure on republicans to do the right thing!
1
You may think "We" fired Lauer and the others. But then you have the politicians who want to find a way to give their abusers a pass. And then you have the politicians who lie to your face and deny any wrongdoing. It doesn't hurt their brand. It doesn't hurt their money making operation. It helps it. Bad behavior, be it against women, be it against minorities, be it against a religion, be it against athletes, and so on is cheered by our leaders. They can be the coach on the sideline who sticks his foot out, tripping the runner on a clear. unimpeded path to the end zone. Then mocks the runner lying on the ground. And the fans cheer. But I have news for all of them. Enjoy it while you can. Your day of reckoning is waiting down the road.
1
Maybe I am being naive on the extent to the allegations against Senator Franken, but nuance and degree matter. The allegations against him, while improper - given both the timing, degree and other circumstances do not appear to rise to the same level or other allegations. We need to work on creating a clear paradigm of offenses and draw lines moving forward. But lumping them all together you both are unnecessarily harsh on him and mitigate the action of others. Nuance matters, facts and circumstances matter and if we want to solve this going forward we are going to need to start creating some rules so individuals can learn to act properly both in and out of the workplaces. These rules will evolve but without them how are we not going to end up creating an over correction? And atmosphere that will encourage individuals to act as Pence supposedly did and not have female staffers work late? A solution which admittedly misogynist and would create the wrong outcome but unfortunately without clear rules would not, unfortunately, be irrational.
2
Media has been doing this for years, so have lawmakers. The rightous are now falling fast. Always beware of these people (the righteous), didn't someone say that once ! ( I believe it's in the Bible).
Oh please. Social media did not fire Lauer. Money did. NBC is terrified of boycotts of their advertisers, shareholders winning lawsuits just like at Faux news who just had to pay 90 million ... 90 million to their shareholders for not doing their job.
It is ALWAYS about one thing and one thing only - MONEY. Their GOD.
2
Going forward, I fear we will ruin good people based only on accusations.
1
Imagine if white media personalities, public figures, politicians, etc. had faced negative consequences for racist behavior similar to those experienced by Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, and Matt Lauer, Anthony Weiner, et al, for sexual harassment and assault. Much of what moves and sustains our society would have been staggered or halted.
I am not asking women (especially white women) to dismiss or forgive the abominable behavior of these men, but instead to try to understand what African Americans have endured for almost four centuries. Oh yes, African Americans Bill Cosby and John Conyers have been accused, but black involvement does NOT remove "race" from the analogy. We must remember that there were African Americans who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War! Surely, that didn’t remove slavery from the struggle.
2
Good article, but to say that politicians are protected in this new age of no-tolerance for sexual harassment (about time) is to be premature. The Franken saga has yet to run its course, but if the election was next week, he'd be in deep trouble, and his sins, while serious enough to demand his resignation, weren't as serious as others. Moore, likely, will be elected because hatred of Democrats in the Deep South is so deep and engrained that Jack The Ripper would get elected if there was an R behind his name. Conyers is a byproduct of a deeply corrupt political system wherein you can survive forever if you have a machine behind you and vote the right way for the party elite. Where were Pelosi and the rest when Conyers showed up in pajamas for a public function? At the very least, Conyers now should have appeared in public to defend himself and answer questions so that we can be assured of his mental fitness to hold office instead of issuing a written statement that likely was authored by someone else. And Pelosi and the rest still twiddle thumbs. Their silence then only underscores that Democrats have their own issues that are just as serious as issues on the other side.
Allegations against Trump may well prove the bomb that destroys everything. The defamation litigation has the potential to be, as Trump himself might say, huge. The political world moves slowly, sure, but it is no more immune to public sentiment than the media world. Get some popcorn, and stay tuned.
Nancy Pelosi could not just unilaterally remove Conyers. She had to get buy in from the Congressional Black Caucus. Notice he lost his post very quickly. That is called playing politics which she did very well.
1
Has the witching begun? Beware of social media (aka: gossip) because its power has never been greater.
1
One other thought: these media types are paid exorbitant salaries that made it possible for them to develop outsized egos and sense of their own omnipotence. We must put a lid on salaries. Monstrous salaries evidently leads all too often to monstrous behavior. Yes, poor men also molest women, but apparently not with the same sense of entitlement and sense of protection that puts the Lauers and Roses and Weinsteins of the world in a bubble.
1
OK. But if you get the credit for firing Matt Lauer, then maybe you should get the blame for R Kelly. Who is going to go after Lady Gaga for joining forces with R Kelly? Her song was called Do What You Want. Did she know that R Kelly did what he wanted with under age girls? R Kelly married Aaliyah when she was 15. What about Jay-Z? They did albums together. What about Jimmy Fallon? He had R Kelly on his show. They didn’t know? What about Chris Brown? They’ve paired up. Oh, yeah, never mind.
"Instead, at least so far, these politicians have been protected, and whatever happens to them, it’s clear that the political system is structured to insulate men like them from the consequences of their actions and keep their accusers quiet.
Yes, indeed. And that stinks.
1
We also got Donald Trump elected President of the United States.
2
I don't buy the premise. There is no reason that sexual harassment should have been more tolerated under the much more workplace-sensitive Obama administration. So, we have to ask why now? While all these lecherous men deserve their recent comeuppances (forgive the Dowd-like ironic word choice), they are also proxies for Trump. If the sexual-harasser-in-chief is currently untouchable, we will make darn sure that the other biggly predators pay. This is not a bad thing. The right thing for the wrong reason is still the right thing. But let's recognize the spark behind the current dynamism. A Rose by any other name is a Trump.
2
I've read the comments and the consensus seems to be that free enterprise begets harassment of a sexual nature. I can only infer that a pristine socialist state would be a women's paradise.
What about Trumps accusers of sexual harassment? He too should be investigated and held accountable. Trump is NOT above the law. Dictators are.
4
I heard that Juanita Broderick and other Clinton accusers are coming to DC for a rally against current Congressional perpetrators: Barton, Conyers, and Franken.
I'm OK with this as long as they also include Donald Trump and Roy Moore in their protest.
They *all* have to go. Enough.
~
2
It's also beginning to look like the modern version of pitchforks and torches. Some good frontier justice.
1
Firings and calls for resignations have occurred only in media companies and for a few prominent politicians. Where are the calls for POTUS DT and SCOTUS CT to resign and go home?
1
Too bad we can't have this kind of affect on Congress.
2
Having experienced many kinds of harassment,including sexual, I understand how damaging and dangerous it is.
While I am happy that finally society is able and willing to start to clean up a culture that for centuries has not only allowed men of power to possess women, but awarded it, we should make certain that the removal of men today isn't just selective as we may weed out the guys who in general know that what they are doing is wrong and women should be supported, but have fallen into the pattern that has been accepted until very recently, but the others remain and keep doing what they believe a man should do. This is a deep rooted problem, and, like bigotry against those of different religions or races, is not easy to eradicate, nor is behavior. As mentioned above, it has been deeply embedded in culture and law for centuries. When trying to change rapidly from one culture to another, remember what has happened in other circumstances of rapid change, the Arab Spring, the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, etc. where the first wave of enthusiasm resulted in a new system just as bad, if not worse than the original.
1
"Delivering social justice for sexual predators is nice if it happens but is not that important in the scheme of things. Delivering social justice for economic predators is far more important, but it does not happen very often." - so said a commenter on this thread. Justice for victim of sexual harassment is "nice?" But "not that important?" How tragic that we STILL don't see powerful men's sexual harassment of women and men in the workplace as not only an economic issue but a human rights violation.
1
This is an imperfect analogy and I wouldn’t take it too far. I’ve been writing about SM for more than ten years and the best I can say is that it’s fickle. It might work well in a climate charged with grievances over pent up sexual harassment, but it’s not an unalloyed good. It hasn’t been very effective in curbing racism for example. Or why hasn’t a SM campaign curbed abuse of the second amendment? SM harnesses the “wisdom” of crowds and as we saw in the Putin-driven election, the crowd can too easily be manipulated. So chalk one up for SM but it’s an imperfect messenger at best.
1
How true. NBC did not fire Lauer. They were FORCED to let him go. About time.
We are bragging about "swift justice" but in doing so, we are showing we place no value on Constitutional safeguards like the right to a fair trial and the right to confront our accusers. In the Court of Public Opinion, there is no "Innocent Until Proven Guilty." We assume accusation equals guilty. We can't even say "guilty until proven innocent." If you're accused, you're guilty. This problem continues to be exacerbated as this witch hunt mentality has seeped into actual criminal law, like the Marcy's fLaw movement (spelling intentional BTW).
Do not confuse swift and effective with proper and righteous. The Salem Witch Trials were also swift and effective.
1
Great article.
Employers know which of their male employees are harassers. It's not necessarily the handsomest or the funniest guys, the smartest guys, the tallest or shortest guys. It's not necessarily the guys with the best teeth, the nicest hair, the best suits, or the Ivy Leaguers. Nope. None of these things have anything to do with who the harassers are.
The harassers are almost always among the guys who bring the most money into to the firm. They are the rainmakers. They keep upper management wealthy. They fatten the bottom line.
I learned this as a young, idealistic employment discrimination lawyer. "Why," I asked myself time and again, "Why do these big companies allow these guys, who are sued over and over again, to keep working here? Don't they know that he is breaking the law? Don't they care about being sued, or the bad publicity?"
The answer was that the companies cared more about the river of cash flowing into the firm from the harassing rainmakers. Plus, the public perception was that victims were phonies; that they were greedy opportunists. Large companies slipped this message into the popular culture in many, many ways. (I was watching an old "Friends" with my wife the other day. Rachel /Jennifer Anniston tells a prospective boss during an interview, "You should hire me. I didn't complain when you tried to kiss me. I am not litigious.")
We should be praising the brave women who have brought these cases into the sunlight.
27
In mentioning the politicians who have seemingly been unpunished, you forgot (as most have) to mention Trump. The biggest and most important and obvious offender of them all.
4
There's two problems with this view, I believe. One is, nearly all of the accusations against these men (so far, just men) are unsubstantiated. No physical proof, most of the events were years or decades ago, generally it's just two opposing stories of incidents (with exceptions).
So, some of these men being tried, judged, and fired in the public arena are going to turn out to be innocent. Probably not many, but some innocent men are going to have their lives ruined permanently by allegations alone.
The other problem, completely opposite, is that this remedy of the people rising up does not work against political targets. Trump, definitely a sexual assaulter, gets away with it despite half the nation being pretty sure of his guilt. Roy Moore, a child molester, is probably going to be elected to the Senate, and held office for decades despite being banned from a mall early in life to keep him away from the girls there. There are tons more sexual offenders in government, and if they're Republican, they get away with it every single time.
Nonetheless, overall this is a good trend and I hope it leads to cultural shifts here. America should have men and women treated equally; most of the world can't manage it, but we're better than them, or should be.
Effective journalism (New Yorker mag Weinstein expose that started it all) and the Social Media had a huge role in shaping the collective conversation around this topic and bringing it out from its tabooed status. The world is finally listening and acting on #MeToo. Now, we just have to be careful and ensure good people are not wrongly accused and hastily punished.
"Now, we just have to be careful and ensure good people are not wrongly accused and hastily punished."
Little late for that. Social media is the tool of the devil.
I always thought Matt Lauer was sleazy and I never understood his popularity. But I am angry that I didn't know that so many men have acted criminally and reprehensibly towards women, including so-called high profile men. And it reminds me that I'm very lucky this abuse never happened to me.
I always found Matt Lauer repulsive and hostile as a viewer and changed channels when he was on. I could never understand why he was hired in such a high profile position. Therefore, I'm not surprised about the accusations. Sexual harassment is not about sex but about control and power. And that is what I always sensed in him. He never communicated integrity. I'm surprised it took so long for the network to fire him.
"Character may no longer count in politics and public service — if it ever did — but it matters more than ever in the private sector, where consumer preferences prevail." It' about money. There is no moral ground higher in corporate America than there is in our elected officials.
7
Tobacco executives were never ostracized in their social circles. They believed in the rightness of what they were doing -- doing what had to be done to preserve a business that caused millions of deaths -- just as Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby believed that what they were doing was in some sense valid. Self-brainwashing is not that hard, and happens a lot.
Delivering social justice for sexual predators is nice if it happens but is not that important in the scheme of things. Delivering social justice for economic predators is far more important, but it does not happen very often. Wells Fargo abused tens of thousands of their customers, but most of their other customers who were not abused or did not know about it, did not leave.
Delivering social justice by public pressure depends on external events and on the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Effective marketing campaigns got us prohibition and our current policies on marijuana, which have been expensive and had horrible side effects.
12
If, in some of these high profile cases, "everybody knew," then perhaps none or of very few of the Everybodys cared enough to blow the whistle. If management persisted in a cover up, there are other ways to get the word out. Did some "go along to get along," taking advantage of the Big Guys to feather their own careers?
If the people via social media did fire Matt Lauer, let us hope that at least some of lesser stature who stand accused of sexual harassment will not be fired without a fair investigation and hearing.
In cases that don't involve rape or other violent abuse, should we object to warning alleged abusers to cease and desist before moving to trash their lives? Somewhere in the hurly-burly, fairness is being ignored.
As for politicians, voters can choose for whom to vote. Many have been elected whose lives were not spotless.
If public outing fired Matt Lauer, a growing call for mob justice could steamroll over many other lives, crushing the innocent with the guilty --just because it could be done.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
24
So you are OK with Witch Hunts and conviction by accusation?
The apparently widespread sexual misconduct in many areas of American business is appalling, but so is the drawing of an immediate conclusion of guilt to any accusation by businesses more concerned with protecting their brand and image than the protection of their employees. Make no mistake- the HR and Legal departments of these companies are as motivated by a desire to limit brand damage as to see bad employee behavior punished.
The American tradition is the assumption of innocence until proven guilty and most law requires it. Just as every victim of abuse should get justice, so should those accused and that does not mean a trial in the press with a public accusation equating to guilt.
In todays' fevered environment I fear we could be having scores settled by the use of a simple accusation of sexual misconduct or harassment as a cudgel. Just as no business or employee should tolerate a toxic workplace, no person should have their reputation destroyed by a simple accusation. Zealotry to out bad behavior is no excuse for abandoning due process or failure to protect the rights of the accused.
26
Most employer-employee relationships are based on employment at will, meaning that an employer can terminate an employee for any reason or no reason. Due process is Constitutionally required before anyone is deprived of "life, liberty, or property" by government, but not a private employer.
1
You are calling for the use of legal criteria by an employer. "The assumption of innocence until proven guilty," "due process," and "the rights of the accused" apply to our judicial system. There are also the right to counsel, the right to confront witnesses, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, among others.
None of those have ever applied outside of government action. People have lost their jobs at the hint of scandal. What we don't have is "the use of a simple accusation of sexual misconduct or harassment as a cudgel."
1
The trouble with these "witch hunts" is that they, with a few exceptions such as Roy Moore, are all accompanied by multi-million settlements and statements of apology or contriteness, if there are any statements made at all. If they're witch hunts, the accused, who are wealthy, have access to courts.
These don't strike me as witch hunts. These seem like chickens roosting.
1
You know what made a difference? Ronan Farrow’s expose on Weinstein (and the New Yorker’s decision to publish). It made it OK to talk about this, and THAT finally put the fear of god into entertainment and media organizations who had enabled this widespread abuse. I’d be OK with him getting a Pulitzer, at the very least.
83
Yes, and now we see why NBC tried to stop Farrow from shining a spotlight on sexual harassment and rape by powerful men.
23
Yes, and we have NBC passing on his story such that it was published in the New Yorker, canceling Farrow’s contract with the MSNBC, letting the Washington Post scoop it on the tape of Trump bragging about grabbing women’s crotches Despite that Access Hollywood was owned by NBC. Very soon I’d like to see an in-depth expose top to bottom of NBC.
3
Agreed. Would like to see Ronan as the person of the year on the Time magazine cover. Obviously Mia raised her kids well. Ironic that he is Woody Allen's brother in law.
One less admirable aspect to this whole business is that many men are likely to find themselves presumed guilty until proven innocent. While it's true that there seems to be ample evidence against the prominent men accused so far, everybody should be wary of the potential for lives and reputations destroyed over nothing more than an accusation. That is not "erring on the side of caution," but a form of harassment/power abuse in itself. Okay, shoot me.
27
"While it's true that there seems to be ample evidence against the prominent men accused so far, everybody should be wary of the potential for lives and reputations destroyed over nothing more than an accusation."
What about the women whose lives were destroyed when they were harassed, complained about it, and were subsequently fired for doing so?
1
“Character may no longer count in politics and public service — if it ever did — but it matters more than ever in the private sector, where consumer preferences prevail.”
... the private sector... “where consumer preferences prevail.“ ???
Finding that there is some limit to what we will acquiesce to isn't exactly the same thing as being in the driver's seat.
: ) L
12
I want to hear nothing but 100% expose on the disastrous "tax reform" bill that will devastate the masses. It needs to be stopped now. Publish phone numbers! The rest, perhaps except NK can wait a few days!! Help stop the taxes!
43
Public servants are all reachable at their offices. Those numbers are public record. I am assuming you are, therefore, demanding personal phone numbers be published. It is abhorrent and serves only to allow people to be vulgar or worse in this age of untethered rage.
My Mother was once featured in a TV ad supporting an Ohio politician. His opponents' supporters vehemently disagreed with the content of that ad, posted her home phone and address on social media and urged readers to call, send letters or ring her doorbell and tell her that she was just a stupid old woman acting as a mouthpiece for a lying candidate. My Mother was in her 70's at the time, did not use a computer and was truly terrified at the phone calls she and my Father received. The callers were vulgar, explicit and threatening. Suspicious cars cruised by their home or parked across the street.
This is the outcome of demands such as yours.
Pretty soon there's not going to be an adult male left on television with the possible exceptions of Big Bird and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
But don't be too triumphant, Ms. Brown. Matt Lauer is not going to starve; neither will the others. And this unhappy situation could have been nipped in the bud long go, with far fewer victims, if more recipients of unwanted sexual attention had spoken up sooner.
8
Spoken up sooner?! Are you kidding? Many did. NBC knew about this. Charlie Rose's staff knew about his gross behavior. Same for Harvey and Spacey. Women complained. They were ignored or punished. Paid hush money--hello O'Reilly. Fox paid over $30 million to an accuser to keep that pig on air. Do you not read the paper or watch the news? But, bust out the champagne, because times are a changing. Matt Lauer and men like him deserve to be shown the door. For starters.
108
What are you talking about? ? Big Bird is a chick. Everyone knows it.
Matt Lauer will not starve but his public persona is ruined. And, I am sure his wife will divorce him.
You need to rename your group Feminists for Corporate Dictatorships. Congratulations on covering for Trump and electing Moore with your witch hunt
7
I'm not sure all this progress can be laid at the feet of social media but it certainly exist as a narrative and in that narrative it seems as though the country has more collective power root out these predators they can influence outcomes on (for now) and in doing so exorcise some of our Quaker repressions gone awry, in lieu of not being able to find the collective foothold (yet) to influence the outcome regarding the mentally ill elephant in the room: yes, him.
3
Matt Lauer's treatment of Hillary and Trump was sexist to a high degree.
Hillary he barely let speak before he continuously harped on the emails.
Trump he buddied up to.
I am not surprised that he is in the men's inferiority club with Trump.
TV laughs all the way to the bank with Trump's election. NBC was particularly complicit - Trump himself, Dr. Oz, Matt Lauer, Jimmy Fallon, they all treated him as a colleague helping prop up the glitzy salaries. (over $20 million and helicopter).
Ugh!
85
I had the, apparently mistaken, impression that the media were supposed to find things out and make them public. Now we discover that this appalling behavior was going on under their noses for decades, CBS, NBC, PBS, NYT, Fox, a whole alphabet soup of investigators, and they never noticed? They could discover 40 year old sordid activity by Moore in far away Alabama, yet not in the next office.
One source puffs itself up and tells us "Democracy Dies in Darkness". What does willful blindness do it it?
24
An old problem without a name. It could be called "manosis": the disposition of men in power to be drunk with their control, to the point of not only humiliating their subordinates, but targeting the most appealing young women subordinates for forced sex, knowing that such victims are not likely to scream, or to be believed.
But as Bob Dylan could put it, the times they are a-changin.'
23
We didn't fire Woody Allen and look what he did.
7
NBC was once the network of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Look it up on YouTube, for a taste of what news journalism once looked like. The Today show was once graced by the great and gracious Jane Pauley. Now, NBC is getting to be best known for sexual harassment and/or the suppression of news about it (Access Hollywood; the Ronan Farrow story; Lauer). The 1980s Yuppies who took charge of great institutions of American culture have taken those institutions and just made them so crass. They've run them into the ground. Nice work, people.
24
Anyone else notice that all the comments about " mob justice " and
" unfounded allegations " are from Men ??? Interesting, that. If you are a decent Man, you have nothing to fear, despite the rumor mongering and agita from " Men's Rights" groups. Do some soul searching, refuse to encourage the BRO culture. All most Women want is to be treated like you want YOUR sister or daughter treated. With dignity and respect. It's that simple. Seriously.
40
Shaming is a very ancient way to make people obey rules, but I was taught that we improved on it by making people prove allegations in court. I would guess that now, even if the accused sued accusers and won it would make no difference, as people seem to have decided that the law cannot properly address this issue as the actions involved can leave no evidence that might persuade a judge or jury. There now seems to be a consensus that shaming is good, at least in this matter.
11
I guess Hester Prynne deserved her shaming too. What awful times we have returned to.
7
Dignity and respect is, indeed, all most women want. Most being the operative word. And most men spend lifetimes of self-denial rather than harming others. Most, again, being the operative word.
I disagree, however, with your opinion that "all" the opinions about unfounded allegations are from men. Quite a few in these pages are from women. Many of whom relate how their husbands, brothers, sons and male friends have been railroaded and destroyed. And numerous feminists have made it clear they are untroubled if innocent men are swept away in the cleansing flood, which means they anticipate that decent men will be cast onto the rubbish heap because the ends justify the means.
I'm glad to know that the "free market" will solve all problems. We don't have to worry about wage inequity, North Korea, the Russians working to elect Trump, global climate change, workplace abuse (all forms), poverty, war, or anything else because the "free market" will take care of it all. Just like it did with unsafe cars, unsafe products, air and water pollution, massive poverty for the elderly, worker's rights, racist business practices, millions of people not having adequate healthcare, old people dying because they didn't have money to get healthcare, gun violence, workplace injuries and deaths, AIDS and other healthcare plagues, etc. I'm glad we all are in good hands with the libertarians and don't have to worry anymore.
43
Thank you! I couldn't have said it better myself.
Your very first sentence is a straw man. Not a good start in any argument.
It's one thing to congratulate women for speaking out and the general public for believing them, sufficient to pressure the most visible of corporate America to do the right thing. It's another to suggest cutting out credit for responsive and responsible corporate action entirely, as this piece does. That's cheering social media at its worst: mob rule. It also reveals an utter ignorance of how things work inside corporate organizations; that there exist persons and factions of different views even within the most monolithic, often only awaiting opportune moments and events to effect long advocated changes of internal culture and corporate direction. Egregious self-congratulation is not the smartest of rhetorical moves if one wants to build the kind of broad consensus required to make this a true turning point and not what it runs the risk of becoming, like so many such scandals before, a flash in the pan. Worst of all, don't get so giddy with a social media success as to forget that the current ruling mob, thanks in large part to social media, is Bannon's and Trump's.
13
I'm afraid I have a more cynical view: sexual harassment, like everything else in our culture, has been monetized. If the harasser makes more money than he costs the company, he's OK. If not, he goes, Progress? Perhaps, but it doesn't have much to do with women's rights. It's pretty much business as usual.
29
We need a Mandela to champion a truth and reconciliation commission. Guilty (mostly) men and their (mostly) women victims would come together and admit their crimes and discuss the effects. No statute of limitations. I dislike the word 'closure' but it might be apt here for many.
5
From my point of view, this is not happening in a vacuum.
- Fall 2016: after the Access Hollywood tape with Trump's "locker room talk", I was appalled that my mother was still going to vote for Trump. It was as if my own mother was voting for all of the men who had made passes and harassed me at work over the years (sidebar: the "whatabout Clinton" argument does NOT hold water. When we know better, we vote better.)
- Winter 2017: peaceful women demonstrated all over the world, with creative and humorous signs, signifying that there is a strong and powerful resistance to a man who is an egotistical and narcissistic liar
- Fall 2017: the dam has burst and the floodgates are open. My vote for the Time person(s) of the year are the reporters who relentlessly pursued allegations of sexual misconduct. As much as I am sickened by hearing these never-ending stories, it is an important issue that must be exposed.
The hope of an improved culture throughout our country; this may be the only benefit to Trump being elected. That is, if we all live long enough before his continual and careless comments cause nuclear annihilation.
48
Right on! And as we wax morally indignant, celebrate the fall of yet another Neanderthal (can I write that?), and congratulate ourselves on our new-found power, DT will again waltz into the White House in 2020. We ain’t learned nuthin’ since the last election. And yet the lessons abound: look at the latest polls about Moore! And observe the interesting political divide: half the electorate wink at homosexuality but want to hang heterosexual predators, while the other half wink at heterosexual predators but want to hang homosexuals, whether they prey or not. Ain’t America great, especially now that cyberspace AND the government get to regulate sexual behavior?
8
DNA shows that we're all part Neanderthal. Also, Neanderthals got a bad rap - and were probably neither better nor worse than moderns.
There's another term for "social justice", called "mob fever". Let's not forget that for every well-intentioned person with a mouse and a mouth, there's another with less honorable intentions, or at least one easily swayed by the crowd.
The title of this editorial makes me queasy. NBC was, and should be, the only entity capable of firing Lauer. If they fired him only out of fear of an angry mob, the root of the evil remains to be addressed. And where will the mob turn their anger next?
Through a colossal accident of history, an angry mob seeking social justice put Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Proving that social justice isn't always well-served in the hands of the masses.
52
The acted quickly because they knew already. Ditto with the Weinstein company and Netflix with Kevin Spacey.
15
Thank you Hey Norris. You are one of the very few voices of reason.
6
Yes, and what is it that we can now do to undo this nightmare? My thoughts run to what will happen if the current legislation passes on the tax overhaul? Millions of Americans will be affected, the environment will be forever damaged, just to name two consequences. If we think Washington "cares" about the ordinary American citizen, we are deluding ourselves.
Surprisingly the huge space between discounting women's stories and mob justice is seeming smaller and smaller everyday. It is true that the rule, regulations, and laws have made it difficult for women to be treated fairly; however, I don't like a rush to justice before the facts. Minnesota Public Radio hired and outside - unconnected law firm to investigate the Garrison Keillor allegation...and it didn't leak. I do understand that things could go wrong with that, but it seems more fair that the two alternatives we have been seeing.
2
We keep hearing, "Everyone knew," or that other women reported harassment to management and were ignored. Until the powerful in management positions are also held responsible, this abuse will not stop.
18
Per Elizabeth Nolan Brown "The modern American capitalist system is far from perfect. But for all its flaws, our system — and the digital communication channels it enabled — has delivered social justice more swiftly and effectively than supposedly more enlightened public bodies tend to." Are we not celebrating the creation of a swifter and more effective way of delivering justice, whatever that includes, a bit too swiftly? Even this congress, crippled as it is, gives more time, attention, and deliberation to proposed changes in our system. OK maybe not this congress! But still, this approach smells a little like lynching and a bit unconstitutional!
3
Capitalism - your word - is great when the results are what you want them to be. And those results are clearly appropriate in every case you mentioned and many more. But "social justice" is a very strong phrase to be using here - all the people involved in Lauer's case are in the 1% or headed there. And 2 things make the issues very different when a c-suite or 30 Rock or Hollywood is not involved. First, political agendas mean there is a higher standard of proof for political figures accused by people with connections to the "other" side. Moore's, Conyers' and Trump's accusers clear that hurdle easily, but Franken's have not, yet. Second, imagine things a little further down the salary/position scale. Much less social justice there. The women (and men) victims have far less power - no ability to get Variety to write about them, for instance. And they need their jobs far more. Capitalism is flat out failing them and will likely continue to do so. Labor laws exist for a reason. We should make them much stronger for all concerned.
12
17 million paid out by we the taxpayers to settle allegations against Congressmen, without a word being said about it in public. These guys are living large. I want to know how much and for whom.
50
It used to be that a complaint was not enough to crucify a person. The presumption if innocence is dead. Congratulations America.
4
As opposed to crucifying women who come forward?
I'm OK with that.
I got a chill down my spine reading about the button that locked his door from his desk... If the higher-ups found that in his office, I think he can surrender any presumption of innocence.
17
presumption of innocence ONLY counts in court. in corporate America, those rules do not apply. they never have. In most states you're an employee at will, and can be terminated just because.
16
Matt is not saying the accusations are not real. Al Franken admitted his, and apologized, as did Wienstein and Louis CK. Congratulations male entitled Americans.
6
Both the nature of the allegations and your explanation for their retribution are troubling since both speak to the core of human nature. Both the acts and the rationale for the retribution betray the entirely transactional nature of our relationships. Someone like Lauer may have said:" Have sex with me and I can help your career". And our reaction to that corruptions is to say "Fire Lauer for his miscreant behavior or we will boycott your product and punish you financially". So much for core values. Democrats in particular, as the party of female empowerment, should be concerned about the very long list of liberal men (Weiner, Weinstein, Franken, Conyers, Lauer, Rose, Dick, Spacey, etc) who profoundly betrayed women as predators masquerading as advocates.It makes one wonder whether women can trust any man who professes belief in gender equality as anything other than a sycophant plotting a sexual encounter.
2
Given the way that Good Old Boy Louer conducted himself while interviewing Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, I am not surprised at all. Hello NBC Management, you should all fire each other and clean house. Good going guys!
17
Just to state the obvious one more time: What about Trump?
125
What we are seeing is an unforeseen result of the widespread availability of Viagra and similar drugs- and I am not totally joking here.
2
People are saying that Trump is destroying our democracy but the author of this essay is celebrating the demise of our judicial system of truth, justice and the American way. She is rejoicing with mob rule and mass hysteria with no regard for the Constitutional protections of due process. She is celebrating the success of agitation propaganda and its influence on the indignant, ignorant masses.
Innocent until proven guilty has no place in the thinking of these fervent crusaders. Anyone who protests in favor of seeing actual proof is condemned as one who supports sexual abuse.
7
Innocent until proven guilty has no place here. Lauer violated an NBC policy, and was fired for it. If he thinks it was unjust, he can sue the network. It won't happen.
14
We used to have unions so employers couldn't just fire at will. All this celebration of corporate power- firing employees based on hearsay- can and will be used to hurt many more people than it helps. Be careful what you celebrate.
This was open bullying by men who hate women in the workplace. It was tacitly encouraged by the old boys network (some women were complicit) as a way to humiliate women, demean women and keep them down. The punishment served on these predators is nothing compared to what women have endured.
14
It seems all the men mentioned here(in the public eye) have finally had their Waterloo. Sexism has existed since biblical times (Eve made to serve Adam) referred as a helpmate but not equal , ergo the snake. Amazing how a little power coupled with the attitude and big ego that they feel they can say or try to do what they want with a woman . Not surprising at all , since there is a lot of disrespect going around nowadays and the ingrained idea that a woman should be subject to a man's whims. Will there be a backlash ? Not all men behave so boorish and innocent men will be accused ; the media and social network will keep whipping this one up until it becomes a passing thing when it becomes old news .
JUSTICE Is being administered by large corporations who wish to protect their brands from being devalued by sexual predation by males. It is a fascinating commentary on the times we live in that corporate America is way ahead of the government in defending the rights of women to work in environments free from sexual harassment. How long will it take for that policy to trickle down to the lawmakers and leaders of our nation? The dilemma is that it has become excruciatingly clear that politics is far too important to be left to the depredations of politicians. What's the way out of this quagmire. It's worse than the Mideast. Meanwhile, guys, a word of warning: If you want to wave your junk around, DON'T!
4
"...the market is demanding that companies do something about sexual predators and pests in their midsts..."
If that were really true, Trump would not continue to be our president. We appear to be complicit.
24
Frankly, I've had enough of guilty until proven innocent. Sexual harassment claims seem to be turning in to a modern day witch hunt.
4
You're obviously not female.
10
Most of these men will never see a jail cell. Their behavior drove a lot of talented women out of their industries.
Who out of the recent accused do you think is innocent?
6
If all these people being fired without due process and paraded before the public were female, would you support the process? Justice is supposed to be a little more blind than your answer suggests.
NBC did not fire Lauer without good cause. He was their star. He was a rainmaker. His name alone gave specials their luster. He was their number one guy.
You don't give that up for nothing. For accusations. For empty accusations.
It was him, he did it, and the woman accusing him - and her story - was ultimately believable, eminently believable, unassailable or they would not have so quickly and easily divested themselves of such an asset - without a fight. They knew it was a fight they would lose, her story was right.
Nothing else makes any sense.
83
This kind of thinking will create many lonely women sometime in the near future. Wise person once warned me about being careful what I wished for...
2
Uh, seriously Bud? No. Wrong. Basically you're saying all men are such jerks that if we women call out the rapists and sex pests there will be no men left. Interesting world view you have. Tell me about your own behavior with women beucare your frame of reference for male behavior is concerning. I know many, many men who haven't "whipped it out" in public or even offered to.
13
I’m sure the “ many lonely women “ would rather be lonely than be subjected to physical abuse and harassment!
I am reminded of how Ann Curry was treated in 2011-2012 by Matt Lauer. It was a disgrace then and is still a disgrace to this day when I think about it. Lauer went on to pocket $25 million per year while being a serial molester and ruining the career of someone who just wanted a shot too. Perhaps her disqualification, in Lauer's eyes, was her refusal to submit to him. I mean, do we know any better?
And no matter how many excuses all these men make (and as a man, I must say sorry to all women), I think I once read somewhere that when something happens once, its an issue, twice, its a problem, thrice its a crisis and the fourth time, its the culture.
So we have no excuses. This was a culture that developed and needs to be crushed.
77
The overwhelmingly vast majority of social issues present a plethora of differing opinions; this is no exception. While I wholeheartedly support the changing tide regarding revelations of sexual harassment, I am growing increasingly concerned with the power public opinion is wielding on the careers of those accused. I am not challenging any allegations. Rather, I fear we are moving away from the due process afforded in our Constitution. As despicable as these allegations are, they are still allegations. Yet they have predominantly resulted, at least in the private sector, in suspensions or terminations. Many of these allegations are of years-old abuses, which are no longer considered by the courts due to statutes of limitations. I argue that we currently live in a broken system desperately in need of repair. We must have greater education, better and more consistent reporting avenues, a standardized protocol for investigation, and guidelines that criminal courts can adhere to. Rather than focusing on a non prosecutorial past, we need to spend our time and energy moving forward to create a better environment henceforth.
5
On the theoretical side, we are seeing more and more examples of the inversion of Jeremy Bentham's idea of the Panopticon. In his analysis, amplified by Michel Foucault, people behave well when they understand their actions may, at any given moment, be under observation by an agent of power. Classically this leverages the power of the dominant or oppressor class. Prison surveillance is the prototypical example.
We are at the flood tide of an sea change in this paradigm. Starting with the Rodney King video, and culminating with the social media epidemic of "speaking truth to power," the functions of the smart phone/hashtag/social media inversions of who holds the keys to public opinion and censure has shifted to masses.
There are visionaries to thank. We can fairly mention Steve Jobs here, but I advise reading up on Augusto Boal's Theater of Oppression. In his works, played on first in Brazilian prisons, he taught how to reverse the field on Oppressors via moral speech acts. Also please look at Foucault's analysis of "parrhesia" - loosely the art of speaking from one's subjective experience, in a political manner, and accepting the risks of such acts as a Stoic.
In these ways victims of all kinds are giving voice their experiences and changing the political landscape. I predict this will travel to the very top, to the presidency, and our national leadership in general. It is a manifestation of that wonderful '60s chant: "Power to the people!"
5
If voting isn't an act of consumer preference, now driven by the internet, I don't know what is. As such, you're mixing apples and oranges when lumping Franken, an elected official, in with the rest. In this type of rush to judgement, all men, no matter how trivial or inconsequential their questionable behavior are being painted with the same broad brush. It's as if the ones that get caught are being asked to bear the brunt of our outrage for the rest. No system of justice countenances such a "one size fits" all approach. In either the public or private sectors.
If we applied the same standard to shoplifters as we do aggravated murderers then we would need a few million more prison beds. Clearly there are gradation of severity of the crime, acceptance of responsibility, and remorse and punishments must be cognizant of those elements or mitigating factors.
In Franken's case the voters have the ultimate ability to decide his fate. In the case of corporations their messaging and behavior needs to be fair, clear and responsive to social trends. Otherwise their consumers will simply stop watching their shows and buying their products.
23
The one you did not mention is the most dangerous harasser on the planet, Trump. Social media has not laid a glove him. Why?
150
That's my thought too. What if that tape we heard before the election only surfaced now? Would he be out of office? Not sure why it's not part of the discourse.
17
Because people are seeing what happens to a Matt Lauer and wondering if they speak up, will they be next ?
1
" .. Social media has not laid a glove him. Why?"
Because 60 million Americans are waiting for the Clintons to be indicted, first? Y'know -- first in, first out?
Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose are just like my EX-brother in law. Creepy, weird don't know or care that their behavior is inappropriate in the work place. They think they are above all that. Good riddance to all. The executives need to have women at the table don't fill with another man. Why does there need to be a man???
18
Ha ha you're kidding.
Most likely Republicans fired Matt Lauer, and they appear to be the force behind the #MeToo movement.
Notice who isn't getting touched by ANY of this. I'll give you a hint, he needs a Tic Tac.
35
And Andrew? He gets to stay?
4
Great. You just made a case for the angry mob method of management.
I hate what this country is becoming.
10
As upposed to men having the power to harass any woman, and the women being afraid to report it. Times are changing, Brian.
9
Lauer is a creep and it was obvious. Good riddance.
We HAVE caused this to happen, but I'm not giving credit to social media or capitalism. That's like saying that cobblestones enabled the French Revolution. Outrage will use whatever means at hand to express itself.
I'll also give some credit to Hillary for shouldering this alone for so long.
52
If only absolute outrage could fire Trump.
86
If only absolute outrage could fire the Clintons.
When are we going to start hearing more about pro and college athlete sexual assaults?
8
Let's play the numbers game.
"...Matt Lauer — the “Today” show star who reportedly commanded a salary of $25 million per year —..."
Say, for argument's sake that he, as a broadcast "journalist" (not really, but for purposes of this) worked 10 hours a day. His $25,000,000 works out to $480,769.00/week. Per hour, $48,076. That is more than what percentage of Americans earn in a year? And we've come to put him (and others like him) on a pedestal. At eight hundred one dollars a MINUTE, he exposed himself (that was one fancy sex toy); harassed; abused; and exerted power over colleagues, employees, and who knows who else.
Overpaid? Absolutely. And also, WAY over-rated. Shameful.
Shame on you, Matt. Truly. I'm glad you were finally revealed to be the person many of us suspected for a long time.
And to the women who came forward -- BRAVA to you all. Thank you for your moxie and your need to get the truth out. Let the healing begin.
73
The smoking gun will be that NBC DID know about the string of harassments and looked the other way. They will then be on the hook to pay the women that reported Lauer's behavior. Only then will justice be served these women who were treated like playthings by such a monster.
30
"Character may no longer count in politics and public service"
It never did, Elizabeth
7
Though as with many another temporary feel-good watershed in the partial overcoming of immemorial injustices - the Emancipation Proclamation and Civil Rights Acts, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the election of Barack Obama, the cancellation of "Cavemen" on ABC - an offset always reveals itself when bitter-enders double down on their movements unto revanchism and residual inertias are made manifest, I'm going to take a brief moment to reprise the opening lyrics from that great anthem of humanist hope from 1969, "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman:
Call out the instigators
Because there's something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right ...
4
what about inoccent until proven otherwise ?....it seems that its enough to raise an allagation and you are guilty by default..harassment and sexual abuse are horrible and should be eradicated and punished ;however this emerging enviorment an allegation can destroy a person life is not the answer
2
There is no "innocent until proven otherwise (guilty)" in Corporate America. That special rule is reserved for a court of law. As is you first amendment right of free speech. Of course, you can, against the government; but don't dare try it against a corporate policy you hate, or the CEO of the firm that pays your mortgage.
No. Allegations, whether or not they're true, end in being fired, unless and until the implications are dropped or the individual proves his/her innocence.
6
You mention Conyers and Franken....What's different about Trump? He should be the first to go!
109
When I start seeing non-famous people held accountable for the harassment they have either delivered or condoned towards their female employees, I'll believe we are finally on the right path. Right now, I have seen none of that. The sad part is how many women in positions of power, think HR, have protected male managers who sexually harass their employees.
13
"The modern American capitalist system is far from perfect. But for all its flaws, our system — and the digital communication channels it enabled — has delivered social justice more swiftly and effectively than supposedly more enlightened public bodies tend to."
the american capitalist system belongs in a dumpster and there's nothing resembling social justice when an angry lynch mob unleashes its fury and takes (guys out) in this instance based on allegations and lack of any kind of due process. it's an utter failure in social justice.
4
I want to be very clear that I don't endorse or minimize claims of sexual harassment but it does concern me that accusers can make these claims anonymously, and then are heralded as courageous. A fundamental principle of our judicial system is the right to face your accusers. I have no doubt that the accusations regarding Matt Lauer are credible, but why the anonymity? These are serious charges that carry significant consequences (termination of employment). A nameless accuser is not justice at work.
9
What makes you think the accusers are anonymous? NBC knows their names, and is certainly under no obligation to disclose them publicly.
5
She is not nameless. The identity is known to the NBC and, also, to media. The woman has requested anonymity. For the NBC to react so swiftly, there has to be some pretty compelling evidence. Lauer has the means to hire any number of high powered lawyers to offer him a defence.
7
If you were a woman who ever tried to come forward, you would know the answer to your question.
6
It’s great to see all of these high profile deviants getting what they deserve and hopefully we’ll start seeing more fallout from politicians, especially if their secret settlements are revealed.
What we really need to figure out however is some way to strengthen our laws to make sure the same protections are afforded to the little know abusers of women who work for the smallest of companies.
9
No, he fired himself. If his behavior violated any corporate standards or laws, then he is responsible. NBC decided that his behavior did not meet their standards, so they allowed him to experience the consequences of his behavior.
8
So, is "social justice" the new term for "mob"?
I jest of course, but honestly, when any group is dancing in the street and giving high fives, virtual or real, for watching people "hang" due to 40-year old "testimony", then it sort of cheapens the finding of the Real Bad Guys and Gals, because mobs don't care if they are right or wrong. They just want to see someone hang. It vindicates their own missteps. It makes them feel good, like a drug.
Generally, though, it doesn't end well for anyone. Folks might want to consider that.
9
Social media can create a mob mentality. For example, the University of Tennessee was going to hire Greg Schiano as its football coach until there was a social media uprising, based on unsubstantiated allegations, by fans that made the school retract the offer. Want a further example? A few posts on Facebook led to Arab Spring. Egypt hasn't been the same since.
1
Actually, NBC did.
Fair enough. In fairness not just the accused but those who truly have been victimized there needs to be some rigor to substantiating any claims. IT will take only one illegitimate claim to alt the progress. One this happens we will become entangled in a conflict of dualistic thinking: male v female society.
1
"Companies are more susceptible than ever to our outrage and our moral suasion."
Almost NONE of which applies to our president, our congressional representative, or the current candidates for Congress.
Trump is LOVING this.
14
Right-on! Hurray for frontier justice, delivered via the aggregating power of the market plus Twitter! Soon, we may be able to eliminate the costly and ponderous apparatus of the criminal justice system altogether.
6
Social media is little more than mob justice. Nothing less, nothing more. It has nothing to do with affecting the bottom line and everything to do with public humiliation and shaming. Not to mention a big target for starving lawyers to line up on. And it certainly has nothing to do with truth and due process.
4
Is the nexus of corporate opportunism and anonymous social outrage really a good replacement for actual justice?
Some ardent ideologues are saying they are O.K. with punishing some innocent men to get at the bad ones, but two problems arise. First, what gives them the right to decide how many innocent victims is an acceptable number? And second, if the numbers so far are any indication, the men who are unjustly caught up in this purge will greatly outnumber those are are penalized appropriately.
So far, only two of the men accused and publicly humiliated have even been ACCUSED of anything rising to the level of a possible felony. The rest have been accused of misdemeanors at most, and yet the public grist-mill adds bodies to the pile indiscriminately.
The social contract demands procedural integrity. Accusation, trial, evidence, cross-examination, verdict, sentencing. When procedural integrity is abandoned, you get showmen as President, and trial by assumption.
Is anyone even paying attention? Has the whole country gone insane?
5
Social contract describes the relationship between those governed and those governing. Capitalism is the description of an economic model which says that individuals and non-individual entities (i. e. corporations) can do whatever they want unless restricted, regulated or otherwise controlled by public policy (i. e. laws). Capitalism in America means no government except those that serve and protect the capitalists and military service to protect capitalists and the taxes to do so are to be paid by others. Examples of those who never served and want to pay no taxes include Trump, Cheney, ).
The educational deficiencies are sometimes obvious by those who write in ways that clearly show a lack of understanding of the fact that while government and the private sector are related in many ways, there is a sharp and distinctive difference between the two. Punishment when an employee violates employer policy is decided by the employer not the government.
America is not a capitalist country but a mixed capitalist-socialist combine where the capitalists accept a certain levels of socialism when it meets their needs or the capitalist model fails so badly (which it has about four of every ten years since 1790.) For example, economic turn-downs, stagflation, economic Panics, recessions and great and small depressions.) that the top economic one percent quietly await their turn to destroy the socialist programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, progressive tax structures, etc.)
2
"..corporations are susceptible to the moral suasion of the public is right!'. But, is it 'right' that it is now so??
We are now giving way too much power to social media forces. All it takes is for something to be part of the latest 'trend' and/or for the right individual(s) to express their outrage on social media, that they have the right amount and/or type of (influential) Followers and.... in a perfect storm, anyone can be 'taken out' within mere hours. Their life is forever altered, their job terminated, their spouse files for divorce, etc.
We have become way too reactionary, way too PC, and now engage in sheep-mentality behavior.
No one on the planet is without fault. Life ain't perfect, nor should we try to 'curate' it to be so. I could care less what people do (aside from obvious 'assault' or rape) in their private lives. So long as there is a thing called sexual desire, we will have instances where grownups have awkward interactions, misunderstanding, regretful behaviors, etc. At the rate this 'trend' is going, there will be no one left standing to govern us, entertain us, inform us, teach us, etc.
7
The heightened attention on sexual harassment in the workplace is long overdue. However a renewed wider focus on physical and sexual assault against women is sorely needed. Every single police department in this country deals with assaults against girls and women each and every day of the year. It's an issue that we have within our ability to dramatically reduce if we take it seriously as companies seem to now be doing with respect to sexual harassment. We congratulate ourselves on being a civilized country, better and freer than anyone else. It's time we act to make our women feel safe and free from assaults of all kinds.
6
Boycotts are a most effective tool for getting the attention of companies.
LeBron James refused to stay at Trump Soho and less than a year later, the Trump brand is being removed.
Bill O'Reilly would still be at Fox News except for boycotting his advertisers.
NBC fired Matt Lauer because not to do so would hurt its bottom line.
Boycotts are a powerful tool. Use it.
14
Wish I could bring myself to agree with you, but 'we' (even if I didn't vote for him) elected a confessed (on tape) serial assaulter for our president. Not sure we can extrapolate anything from this, much as I'd like to, except the powers that be within these media organizations believe that the revelations will harm their ratings if they don't act quickly. On the political front, there seem to be few if any repercussions for the politicians who've been outed to date.
4
I watched The Front last night. It's a movie from the 1970s about a cashier, played by Woody Allen, who becomes a front for writers who were blacklisted as "Commie sympathizers."
Many of the people involved with the movie had actually been blacklisted.
Those included Zero Mostel, who plays a successful comedian accused of being a Communist. Much of his story is based on his own experiences.
A guy who owns some grocery stores tells the network he thinks Mostel is a communist. That he has objections to sponsors who support Communists. That he's put up signs in his stores over those sponsor's products, telling people they support Communists.
The network fires Mostel, whose end is tragic.
Lauer is disgusting. I would guess he's also stupid.
But using the "free market" to express opinions can have very bad endings.
26
Communism versus sexual harassment? Bit of a stretch, don't you think?
3
I'm sorry, but it's not as simple as that. The private sector is certainly sensitive on this issue because it has everything to lose and nothing to gain. It listens to the public because of the bottom line.
It doesn't listen to the public on economic issues for the same reason. It buys politicians to enact tax giveaways, and helps immunize those who wield their power to transgress sexually. How many business-friendly politicians have paid a price. And then there's the case of Eliot Spitzer, who suddenly resigned when a prostitution scandal came to light - which I'm sure would never have seen the light of day had he not been a thorn in the side of Wall Street.
48
OK. Then let’s also fire the management, the lawyers, and the hr personnel that protected and enabled the scoundrels.
121
Fire all the everybody! That's a great idea! It's coming to waitresses and truck drivers as it has already come to gas pumpers, tellers and grocery store clerks. No jobs for you! or you! or you! Go home; hope someone in your house can still afford Netflix, a bag of chips and a cold beer!
2
Clearly management knew. Clean House. Get rid of 'em. If not, boycott all the advertisers and let them go down that way.
If you have proof that NBC mgt did not act legally, post it.
I don't see any.
OK, you have highlighted the good side of this, but "social justice" in this context can easily slide into mob justice. When the sanctions are severe, the process should be rigorous. The free market makes no sense in the pursuit of justice.
95
There are multiple systems of justice in play here. Some are legal and regulated, some are social and unregulated. When you say that "the free market makes no sense in the pursuit of justice" you need to clarify the sort of justice about which you are speaking. As far as I know, Matt Lauer has not (yet) been indicted on criminal charges and is not subject to the criminal justice system, which ought to operate according to law, rigorously and "blindly." But if people no longer want to see or hear Mr. Lauer, that's their prerogative, naturally and constitutionally. And if this should affect a free market, that would seem to me to embody what it means for a market to be free.
4
OK...but women have long been commodities in the free market--especially in the televised journalism and entertainment industries. The victims of Matt Lauer and his ilk were treated as such. Their careers suffered irreparable damage, not to mention their emotional lives. What's good for the goose...
6
Agreed. I'm looking at Garrison Keillor and thinking that what he did was not nearly in the same field as most of the rest of these people. Touching a woman's bare back and apologizing for your hand slipping is hardly the same as sending a woman sex toys and describing how you would like to use it on her. Let's not let this get out of hand and throw everyone in the same bathwater.
2