In what I thought would be a harmonic convergence of two news stories--the sexual harassment allegations against presidential contender Herman Cain and the Penn State sex abuse scandal--I am sickened to see the opposite effect. In fact, we've regressed. The mainstream media--calling out the Associated Press here--have aided and abetted the smear-the-victims campaign in the Cain case. Penn State--more than a decade after it became aware of child sexual abuse allegations--finally did the right thing and fired the high-level bystanders, but that was met with Penn State students chanting obscenities, dumping trash cans, taking down light poles and overturning a news van in protest.
I came of age during the Anita Hill debate. But 20 years later, it seems nothing has changed, or it has gotten worse. When Anita Hill stood up against the man who sexually harassed her, the country was at least vociferously divided--not yawning. When the clergy sex abuse scandal broke soon afterward, I didn't see people rioting in defense of the perpetrators who abused not only children, but abused their position of trust as priests.
If you really believe that it's time to stop keeping secrets, then stop the tepid or non-support of Cain's accusers and the sad hand-wringing over Joe Paterno. Because if you've ever been a victim of sexual harassment or child sexual abuse (I have the dubious distinction, as do more people than you think, of having experienced both) then you are feeling pretty sick right about now.
In some sort of cognitive disconnect, in one corner, we have Republican Herman Cain who has been accused by five women (that we know of) of sexually harassing them. Predictably, Cain has said his accusers' accounts are "baseless, bogus and false" (referring to Sharon Bialek), or that he didn't know of or remember the woman or her complaint, but that her accusations were "baseless" (referring to Karen Kraushaar). Then many in the mainstream media, including the Associated Press, participated in blame-the-victim smears (Bialek is a woman with a history of severe financial difficulties; Kraushaar is hypersensitive because she has filed more than one complaint in her life) that I thought we had evolved from over the past two decades.
In another corner, we have ousted Joe Paterno, Penn State's much-loved football coach for the past 46 years, who knew as early as 1998 that his right-hand man and heir apparent, Jerry Sandusky, was caught showering (and far worse) with children in the university's locker room. Paterno did the barest minimum of reporting--he told the Athletic Director. In reaction to the the firing of Coach Joe Pa and Penn State's president, students rioted in protest.
In another corner, you have the victims: at least five women and at least eight boys (statistics bear out that the victims of sexual predators and pedophiles are always more numerous than the small number who are willing or able to come forward). The women are being smeared or ignored. The boys (now men) are watching students support someone who allowed the perpetuation of their abuser's crimes by remaining largely silent.
In the fourth corner, there's the public. We watch this from the sidelines and make excuses:
Technically speaking, Joe Paterno didn't act wrongly . . . he did what everyone was doing: nothing
or easy self-righteous platitudes:
It's time to stop keeping secrets.
Really? I spend my life representing people who speak truth to power, alleging harassment and abuse (as well as fraud, waste, illegality and dangers to health and safety). I represent whistleblowers. Institutions and people in power are quick to shoot the messenger (e.g., saying that whistleblowers--including those alleging harassment--are motivated by greed, fame, and personal ambition, or are crazy or vengeful--some of the smears leveled against Cain's accuses) and circle the wagons around the perpetrators who commit crimes by act or omission.
If you really believe it's time to stop keeping secrets, especially when they involve illegality and crimes, then tell Obama who has expanded Bush's secrecy regime and has chosen to "look forward not backwards" at war crimes, torture and warrantless wiretapping. And stop the tepid or non-support of Cain's accusers and the sad hand-wringing over Joe Paterno. Because if you've ever been a victim of sexual harassment or child sexual abuse (I have the dubious distinction, as do more people than you think, of having experienced both) then you are feeling pretty disgusted right about now.