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Not Funny: Sexual Harassment Allegations and Herman Cain
Revelations that presidential candidate Herman Cain was accused of sexual harassment while heading the National Restaurant Association, as well as suggestions that financial settlements bought silence, are deeply troubling.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace. Unfortunately that has not stopped the widespread practice of unwelcome sexual advances, innuendos and jokes in the workplace being leveraged by men against women.
Last night, Mr. Cain's campaign responded to news reports of the allegations with a statement that the press were "Spreading rumors that never stood up to the facts." And yet this morning, Mr. Cain acknowledged that he was accused of sexual harassment while he was at the National Restaurant Association.
Setting the Cain campaign's utter disregard for the facts aside, it's outrageous for anyone to suggest that sexual harassment allegations represent political smears to be dismissed rather than the bravery and dignity of women simply trying to go to work.
This morning, Mr. Cain made a statement saying: "Yes, I do have a sense of humor. Some people have a problem with that. Herman is going to stay Herman. Thank you very much." Feminists will continue to closely follow this story with the seriousness it deserves.
This is the most ambiguous thing I've ever heard. It seems the definition of sexual harassment has expended to what ever makes a woman feel uncomfortable. What makes one woman uncomfortable doesn't necessarily mean another woman will feel the same way. Its based on individual interpretation. For some reason our society has to assimilate to people who are hypersensitive.
Just because there was a payout doesn't mean he's guilty. Many organizations will offer payouts to women to avoid the expense of litigation and negative publicity.
Yes, it does seem Herman Cain has a sense of humor and unlike most politicians, he doesn't appear to be shackled by political correctness.
There are some work place situations where it might be advantageous for women develop thicker skin. It might help close the wage gap and get them promoted to more executive positions. Corporate CEOs don't act like victims.
You can read all of NOW's statements from that time period on NOW's website.
I would also like to put to rest the anti-woman, anti-justice talking points that suggest sexual harassment is really just men joking around or trying to compliment women, that it is somehow akin to women giggling about men's body parts, and that it's really about how certain women just need to get over being so gosh darn sensitive. Sexual harassment, regardless of how harmless you think it is, actually hurts women (and businesses) by creating a workplace environment where women are unable to perform their duties effectively. Sexualizing, stereotyping and belittling women in the workplace is counter-productive and anti-competitive, and everyone benefits when it is stopped (except maybe the men who are getting ahead by unethically disarming their female competition).
http://www.nationalreview.com/home-front/281891/cain-guilty-until-proven-innocent-feminists-say/suzanne-venker
Bill Clinton never raped anyone.
Kathleen was known 2 attend events bill would appear at--Events she didn't have 2 & there was no reason 4 it--It seems she had a crush or relationship with him & she would wear a black dress when she went that she thought he liked--Who does that with their harasser!??
And Paula Jones lied about being in playboy,lied about be sexual prior 2 the allegations,And she claimed she lost wages from clinton,when,In actuality-Her pay went UP!--How do you still believe he harassed her!???But i will agree with the whole now being biased thing--If Joe Biden or Barack Obama got accused of rape or sexual assault,-You wouldn't hear a peep out of now!-BIASED!
"I would also like to put to rest the anti-woman, anti-justice talking points..."
Why do feminists think people who don't agree with them are anti-woman?
I had an interesting discussion with a female friend. She said they're a few people she works with who are attracted to other co-workers but both parties are too afraid to confront one another because such behavior has been deemed inappropriate. I'm not talking about blatant sexual comments, rather innocent banter that lets one another know there's a mutual attraction. Its not just men, it seems women are also confused about the ever expanding definition of sexual harassment and whats considered appropriate work place behavior.
I should point out my friend met her husband at work.
@cabaret: aren't you indulged enough on here? you want to be able to edit yourself, too, after the fact?
I should point out I do agree with NOW on some issues especially strengthening social security. I particularly liked NOW's position on TransUnion and agree that employment credit reports are ridiculous.
P.S.
I think I'd like an edit bar,Just in case i misspell something.-And cabaret DOES make things interesting,He's the most interesting commenter on this blog,..We LOVE You cabaret!
Sexual harassment is not just about quid pro quo -- such as when a boss demands that a women sleep with him or lose her job. It is also about creating a hostile work environment -- distracting a woman from doing her job in a place of business. This is not some brand-new, mysterious concept. I'm sure there's lots of information on the Internet about what sexual harassment is and isn't, including on NOW's own website, so try searching a bit.
But I really do think you and others create a strawman when you bemoan those poor co-workers who are attracted to each other, but who will never be able to declare their feelings thanks to those evil laws against sexual harassment. That's NOT what this is about.
These new allegations are very serious but it makes me wonder why the accuser waited 15 years to address this. Was this alleged assault that traumatizing where it took 15 years to come forward? Discussing this for the first time during a republican primary is a bit suspicious. It seems far left lawyer Gloria Allred is more concerned with destroying Cain than seeking justice for this woman.
Today's Huffington Post (Nov. 8) report on AAUW's survey on harassment in schools stresses this point:
“The AAUW report observes that sexual harassment and bullying can sometimes overlap, such as the taunting of youths who are perceived to be gay or lesbian, but it says there are important distinctions. For example, there are some state laws against bullying, but serious sexual harassment – at a level which interferes with a student's education_ is prohibited under the federal gender-equality legislation known as Title IX.
AAUW continues "Too often, the more comfortable term bullying is used to describe sexual harassment, obscuring the role of gender and sex in these incidents," the report says. "Schools are likely to promote bullying prevention while ignoring or downplaying sexual harassment."”
Interestingly, on the same Huffington Post page as the report on the AAUW study, this report appears:
" Vermont High School Organizes Anti-Gay Bullying Sit-In To Honor Bisexual Freshman (VIDEO)
With photo, video, and story:
“Students at a Vermont high school organized an all-day sit-in last week in support of an openly bisexual teen claims to have been bullied due to his sexual orientation.
"As Vermont's WCAX is reporting, roughly 300 Essex High School students participated in workshops addressing bullying, carrying placards and posters to show their support and sharing their own stories of being bullied in the classroom. Representatives from Outright Vermont, an advocacy group that works with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth, were among those on hand to help organize many of the events.
"I feel amazing," freshman Cole Peterson, who said he was punched in the face by a fellow student at a nearby park but not seriously injured, is quoted by the Burlington Free Press as saying. "I feel really loved and cared for, and I feel like we can make a difference with this, and I really hope that we can change something."
When has a school ever devoted a day to discussing sexual harassment of girls by boys, including critical examination of the permission-giving messages and “jokes” in popular media and pornography that routinely violate the bodies and dignity of girls and women??
It's up to girls and women to stand up for their own importance as a class on an equal basis with all of the various classes which win serious attention because they consist of, or prominently include, boys and men. Title IX means taking women and girls seriously everywhere in schools, not just in athletics.
If using harassment to subordinate girls is acceptable in school, that is the lesson that teaches boys-to-men how to treat women as inferiors in the adult world. Surely girls are entitled to a day that makes boys face up to what sexual harassment is all about and why it must stop.
Be careful of studies by the AAUW. They have a specific agenda and tend to manipulate statistics. This is true of all special interest groups, not just feminists.
Keep in mind, girls have been known to harass boys. When have we determined the well being of one child is more important than the other? Harassing a boy is equally wrong but its rarely mention, unless of coarse a homosexual boy is the victim of bullying.
Also, its fairly common for girls to harass one another. Girls are more likely to bully other girls just as boys are more likely to bully one another.
I remember watching the View a few weeks ago. Joe Biden was discussing dating violence and Whoopi Goldberg made an interesting point. She asked Mr. Biden if we should also teach girls not to hit boys. The audience applauded but he ignored her comment. To make matters worse he than condemned fathers exclusively for child abuse by stating no man has the right to put his hands on someone smaller than him, including children. He's absolutely correct but has he forgotten women are bigger than children?
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