NOW WHAT?As we enter this new era, here’s a comforting thought from some-
one who has spent his life thinking about how to ferret out the truth,
the prominent evidence scholar Roger Park (a colleague of Joan’s).
His observation about sexual harassment is this: “Men have a motive
to do it and lie, whereas women don’t have a motivation to lie, con-
sidering what an ordeal it is.” Making even true allegations of sexual
harassment has historically been a poor career move.
That provides some assurance that reports of harassment are
truthful. So do large numbers of people with similar stories. At least
42 women have come forward with allegations against Weinstein,
and at least 10 against Ken Friedman, the New York restaurateur. At
least a dozen people have made accusations against Kevin Spacey.
Those numbers lend credibility to the allegations.
Employers who want to set up processes for handling harassment
can begin with the standard sexual harassment policies. The Society
for Human Resources has one; others are free online. Organizational
training should spell out what’s acceptable, which will vary from
company to company. Some companies may want to add detail in
light of recent events. Surprising as it sounds, some people seem to
need a heads- up that porn, kissing, back rubs, and nudity are not
appropriate at work.
How can this be? Here’s a clue. At a dinner Judge Kozinski held
with law clerks, he steered the conversation to the “voluptuous”
breasts of a topless woman in a fi lm, according to someone pres-
ent. When one woman at the dinner reacted negatively, Kozinski
responded that, well, he was a man.
Some men have an urgent need to preserve sexual harassment
as a prerogative because, they feel, their manliness is at stake. But
theirs is just one defi nition of manliness— a toxic and outdated one.
It’s time to move on.
The Workplace Today
Virtually all women and most men are now aligned against that
toxic brand of masculinity. No one is asking men to stop being men
or for people to stop being sexual beings. What’s happened is that