Sunday, August 6, 2017

Sexual Harassment- The Beat Goes On

The beat goes on, the beat goes on.
Drums keep pounding rhythm to the brain.
La de da de de, la de da de dai.
Charleston was once the rage, uh huh,
History has turned the page, uh huh.


- Sonny Bono







Drums Keep Pounding a Rhythm to The Brain

I am dumfounded that sexual harassment scandals continue not just among politicians like Anthony Weiner, who sexted penis pictures, but the beat goes on with "on-air media types" who claim to be the voices for truth and justice for us all.  Bill O'Reilly, long time voice for right-wing journalism on Fox News, was finally forced off the air because the stench of allegations against him were too overwhelming, including:
"Approaching an African American woman whose desk was near his, referring to her as “hot chocolate,” and grunting like a “wild boar”
offering multiple unwanted sexual advances and lewd comments to a woman producer on his show, phoning her “when it sounded as if he was masturbating” and describing “various sexual fantasies”
suggesting that she “buy a vibrator,” “engage in phone sex or a threesome with him,” and listen to “the details of his alleged sexual encounters with a cabana masseuse, airline stewardesses, and Thai sex-show workers”-
The Atlantic, April 19,2017
L- Gretchen Carlson, R- former CEO Roger Ailes
The former top guy at Fox News:  Roger Ailes got outed in July 2016, after allegations emerged that he had harassed female colleagues.
"In a lawsuit, former anchor Gretchen Carlson claimed she was sacked for refusing Ailes’ advances. Six other female Fox employees and former Fox host, Megyn Kelly, also alleged harassment by Ailes.- Newsweek August 5, 2017


Boys Keep Chasing Girls

And now, out of that same camp, comes allegations of Eric Bolling's unprofessional and disrespectful behavior towards women.  Bolling was a former co-host of the Five and recently began an O'Reilly Factor replacement gig of an afternoon show known as the "Specialists." Ironically Bolling, a voice decrying the disgusting behavior of Anthony Weiner, now has been accused by three female colleagues of sending them sexting pics of someone's man parts.  Fox, looking past his "Boobs on the ground" remark, and referring to another on-air female contributor Caroline Heldman, a politics professor at Occidental College, as "McHottie" now has been forced to deal with this issue.


Eric Bolling on suspension
I can't help it if you feel like there is a conspiracy against all right-wing male journalists at Fox. The  problem is with the institution, and not with me or anyone who would tell you to your face that sexual harassment from anyone is wrong and indefensible. When any institution or corporation throws out a few bad apples but doesn't dig deeper to root out this cancerous behavior, then they're asking for more blow-back of the same kind.

Little Girls Still Break Their Hearts

Victims of sexual harassment face losing their jobs, being branded as a troublemaker, a liar, or worse. Caroline Heldman chose to try to navigate through the harassment with Bolling, O'Reilly, and Roger Ailes right hand guy Bill Shine, to try to keep making a difference on-air. As I look at Twitter and Facebook accounts, I'm blown away by the insensitive and down-right misogynist replies from full grown people with high-school mindsets. When you trade plain ordinary values of respect for the devotion to our favorite politician, celebrity, or institution, then humanity is in trouble.

So here is my final big-picture thought-- If you think women who accuse men of this, have an agenda of trying to wreck someone's career, you're part of the problem. If you think sexual harassment is no big deal, then you're disconnected from people. If you think it's a political conspiracy, or the person making the complaints hates your party, then you really don't care about the truth. It's easier for me to turn the channel, rather than turn my back on victims of sexual harassment. And no person on either side of the political isle should get your vote, knowing that they carried on in a way that demeans another person.

Activist Celebrity David Schwimmer
"I really feel like men need to be made aware that this is happening to their wives, their daughters, their sisters, and their mothers. I don't know anyone in my family, that hasn't been a victim of sexual harassment." - David Schwimmer, Associated Press April 5, 20017
Check out David's video series on this issue. Of course Sexual Harassment can happen to either gender. So my aim goes to those who are in power, as well as those making excuses for this behavior.




Watch and share my Invisible Warrior Report
RAPE KIT BACKLOG: JUSTICE DENIED
On YouTube

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