Harvey Weinstein: Not the First or, Unfortunately, the Last of Sexual Harassment

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/28/opinion/sunday/harvey-weinstein-sexual-harassment.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront

The New York Times Editorial Board, in their article “Will Harvey Weinstein’s Fall Finally Reform Men?” (2017), assert that after the wicked actions of Weinstein have been exposed, and the subsequent chain of victims detailing their stories, the only way change will occur is through men owning up to and understanding the wrong from the right. The authors describe the problem in detail, listing the many authoritative figures that have somehow survived severe sexual harassment accusations unscathed, and how change must occur in our culture, our businesses, our legal grounds, and most importantly, our men. The author intends to illustrate the lack of correcting the problem and a process in which we can correct the problem, in order that the American people will not continue to look past this issue and exhibit a sexist attitude towards woman. The authors establish an informative but straightforward relationship with the men of this country, as they seek to inspire and impose change in the way men treat women across the United States.

The New York Times Editorial Board made many strong, simple points, that simultaneously shocked me as I read them. Linking three different, former and current, Presidents of the United States with sexual harassment is both flabbergasting and disappointing, no matter how many times you’ve heard about it. The fact that our current sitting President has not only grabbed women’s genitalia, but he has bragged about it as well leaves me speechless. Among the many roles of the President is to serve as a moral and law abiding leader. To see that three Presidents have violated such, and that it has grown increasingly worse from Bush to Clinton and now to Trump, shows that if anything our country has taken steps backward in the fight against sexual harassment. Moreover, the fact that sexual harassment accusations do not strike me or many as shocking anymore shows the lack of progress we have made. It’s tragic. However, I do believe it is correctable, as was mentioned in the article. In addition to the three methods mentioned, I believe there are two more steps that must be taken in order to ensure that sexual harassment is no longer a common theme in our country. First, we must teach our youth the issues regarding sexual harassment. They need to understand the patterns of abuse, and how it will not, ever, in any circumstance, be tolerated. The earlier teens and our youth learn about sexual harassment and the detriment it causes to both parties, the less likely they are to engage in such acts. Furthermore, in the world of Judaism, if teens would accept the many laws we have, they would see that these laws are not out to deprive them of an enjoyable life, but rather to protect them from heaps of trouble. Which leads me to my next point. In many cases, not all, there does need to be a certain level of responsibility placed on the victims. Obviously, it’s not their fault, but you have to understand that many of these women put themselves in vulnerable situations. Wearing a flirtatious outfit that might be a little too showy and interviewing in a powerful Hollywood producer’s hotel room is a recipe for disaster. Similarly, in the world of Judaism a teenage girl should recognize that laws such as shomer negiah ­– guarding against touching – is out to protect them. Additionally, the law of yichud, which forbids an unmarried man and unmarried woman from being in a place where no one else has immediate access is there to prevent a girl or a grown woman from finding herself in a vulnerable situation. Even so, there is only so much the victims can do. While many do put themselves in vulnerable positions, even more are simply harassed and no fault can be placed on the victims. Ultimately, the blame must be put on the men, and if we can properly teach our youth and teens the problem with sexual harassment, perhaps the next generation will not have a President that is prone to sexual assault.