8 LISTENER NOVEMBER 5 2016
BULLETIN FROM ABROAD
I
n the past few weeks, I’ve been overtaken by an
unexpected, even unthinkable emotion: grati-
tude towards Donald Trump. I mean that almost
sincerely. Let’s be clear. I’m not grateful there’s
a mental picture burnt into my brain of Trump’s
favoured method of groping women, which is – as
revealed by video footage in early October – to
“move on them like a bitch” and “grab them by the
pussy”. Nor am I grateful for the knowledge that he
used to show up in the dressing room of the Miss
Teen USA contest to ogle underage beauty queens.
But these revelations, with the accounts of the 11
women (so far) who have accused Trump of sexual
harassment, have triggered something more than
mere disgust – and so for a rare sliver of positivity
in this otherwise godawful election, I’m thankful.
Because for the first time that I can think of, the
US is having an honest and uncomfortable reckon-
ing with misogyny. Not a sanitised discussion of
“women in the workplace” in the mode of Facebook
chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, which puts
most of the burden on women to improve their
lot; and not the one-step-forward-two-steps-backDonald Trump’s behaviour
has given Americans good
reason to discuss men
behaving badly.
Year of the Woman
It’s as if decades
of predatory
behaviour have
culminated in
the existence of
Donald Trump.
New Zealander Rachel Morris is executiveALEX SCOTT editor of Huffington Post Highline.
“I literally just sat down.”
tiptoeing around abortion that mostly
constitutes reproductive rights policy
here. It’s as if decades upon decades
of gross predatory behaviour have
culminated in the existence of Donald
Trump, human boil, and this election
is the lance that lets the pus out.
(Sorry.)T
he Trump tape’s effect on the
election has been startling
enough. Dozens of Republi-
cans have finally denounced their
nominee, creating an unprecedented
schism in the party. First Lady
Michelle Obama delivered a speech
that described the reality of sexism in
more personal, physical terms than
anything I’ve heard from a national
politician: “It’s like that sick, sinking
feeling you get when you’re walk-
ing down the street minding your
own business and some guy yells out
vulgar words about your body.”
But even more fascinating is how
this episode is reverberating through
many corners of American life.
Actress Rose McGowan described her
rape by a powerful Hollywood studio
executive and how “my ex sold our
movie to my rapist for distribution”.I’ve seen female journalists on Twit-
ter talking about being harassed on
the job by senior male reporters. In
private conversations and in public
forums, women are talking about how
the Trump allegations have brought
memories of their own assaults rush-
ing back to the surface.
Not that this discussion has been
confined to women. Recently, a
friend told me about a conversation
that she’d had with her therapist.
Couples were suddenly revisiting
old adulteries, the therapist said- indiscretions they believed they
had moved on from but which no
longer seemed okay. For many men,
this episode has been revelatory – an
education in how, for women, harass-
ment is simply part of the fabric of
daily life.
This is hardly the only recent high-
profile sexual harassment case – there
was the explosion of rape allegations
against actor Bill Cosby and the resig-
nation of Fox News chairman Roger
Ailes following allegations of sexual
harassment. But perhaps the Trump
story has resonated more because
practically every woman alive has
experienced the kind of behaviour he
describes: being grabbed or pawed at
by some guy without consent.
And so I wouldn’t be surprised if
the reverberations continue. We may
yet learn more about that Hollywood
executive or some of those male
journalists. A woman who has gritted
her teeth and ignored the creepy
guy at work may now decide to file
a complaint. If this happens, it’s not
really Trump I should be grateful to,
of course. It’s the women who came
forward to bravely tell their stories. l
RACHEL
MORRIS
IN WASHINGTON DC