Harassment and #metoo: The Cult of Individual Power

 

Every so often, some brave soul comes forward and finally exposes one of the bastions of our society as a predator (usually sexual). Through this person’s courage, a bunch of other victims gain the confidence to provide support because of similar experiences with the same perpetrator. And there is a great furor in the media, and the villain has his career destroyed, if we are lucky, because then the accusers are treated abominably by the court system, and discredited because of the disconnect between the way victims of abuse act and the way the law expects “normal” people to act. And the perpetrator escapes any legal sanctions, society pats itself on the back for being so sympathetic, and everything goes back to normal. If we’re lucky, we have made a tiny step forward. The Gian Ghomeshi incident in Canada last year is a textbook example. But hopefully, each step forward helps others in the same situation, and makes the next revelation bigger and more effective. Like the Weinstein accusations, which have spread throughout the entertainment industry.

But that’s the tip of the iceberg, my friends. Sexual harassment in the workplace only moved into the realm of taboos since the feminist revolution, 50 or so years ago. Other types of workplace harassment have been reluctantly included, but the regulations are so lax as to make it far more difficult to have a charge actually stick. Sexual abuse of children is far more widespread than most of us are willing to believe. Other sorts of abuse of children, women, employees, and anybody else who is in a position of weakness are still systemic, even in the most progressive societies.

5% of the People Cause 95% of the Trouble

Harassment is the abuse of power. It is the most egregious remnant of the law of the jungle that plagues modern society. And it’s not going away any time soon. At least, not until human society rids itself of the cult of the worship of individual power. We have come a long way since primitive times when the strongest individual in a herd of hominids could take what he wanted, whether in terms of food, sex, or advantage, without any other member of the group denying him.

But not far enough. The cult of individual power has been papered over with a veneer of civilization and social convention that seems to protect us from the predation of the bullies, but in actual fact, it still exists with far more tenacity and malevolence than most people want to think.

The present spate of revelations of the systemic sexual harassment in the entertainment business comes as a surprise to no one. Everyone knew that the “casting couch” was the way business was done. And it seems still is done. Nobody except the perpetrators liked it, but everyone accepted it with a shrug.

And the problem is caused because the abuse of power goes hand in glove – why wouldn’t it? – with the attainment of power. A very small number of sexual abusers can damage a large number of lives. A small number of people attain positions of power in our society. An even smaller number of these leaders are abusers, but they still affect huge numbers of the population.

Mistaken Definition of Leadership

We have a situation where a man commits an atrocity, and the leader of the most powerful nation on earth can shout that he is going to “get him” and take vengeance on him and have him put to death, eschewing legal niceties like the right to a fair trial. Certainly, you can understand that both the perpetrator of the atrocity and the leader who holds such extreme views are aberrations. But what about the multitudes of people who cheer either one of them on?

Aiding and Abetting

The power junkies of this world are unconsciously supported by the rest of our leaders, especially of industry and commerce. When charges are made, these people naturally close ranks, because protecting one of their own means, in the long run, protecting themselves and their prerogatives. The first consideration of the power junkie is to never, at any time or in any way, let his superiors know what he’s doing. So his own bosses, especially if they’re not sensitized to the problem, think he’s just fine. The guy you only see at board meetings or over drinks at the golf club may be as hail-fellow-well-met as anyone. This kind of person thrives on being “one of the boys.” Oh, sure, he may tell the odd off-colour joke, but they’re really funny, you know?

So in the “us-against-them” world of the powerful, harassment accusers rank right down there with whistle blowers and union organizers. And in the lower ranks, many would-be successes who have fallen for the myth of the American Dream tell themselves they must think the same way, to protect the prerogatives they will some day enjoy. Along with the flying pigs and the pie in the sky.

Unity is the Solution

Just like the abuses of the early Industrial Revolution were only solved when workers finally realized that they had to get over their differences and unite to protect themselves, citizens of our society need to support each other.

After all, the advantage that sexual abuse victims have is that their treatment is easier (note, I didn’t say ‘easy’) to define than most forms of abuse. The “You’re not doing your job” form of harassment is much harder to defend against. Since the vast majority of sexual abuse is against women, we can look to them to lead the way, as they have been doing for the past few decades. The harassment laws and ethics that are developing for them expand to cover everyone else as well, sooner or later.

So it’s up to everyone to support anyone who is being harassed, from the fellow-employee to the girl on the bus to the female firefighter. If you don’t mind me misquoting the Bible, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.” And if we let them do it to others, they’ll be coming for us sooner or later.