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Friday, December 01, 2017
"Progress Is Painful:" Dismantling the Boys' Club in News Media
The Mary Sue: NBC News Correspondent Katy Tur isn’t interested in the question of “Who’s next?” as far as the issue of sexual harassment in media. She wants to know “What’s next?”
This article is a really important one in our current climate. So much of the media's focus is on who is next and what star/celebrity/politician/famous person will be accused and fall next. While we should not stop exposing those who have committed these offenses, we also need to start asking what is next. As Tur says, "We can talk about the sea change or reckoning until we are all blue in the face but the real question right now is ‘what’s next?’ What concrete measures can be put in place by organizations large and small in the workplace?” We need to focus on not only what the problem is and who perpetuated it, but how we can solve it moving forward. She mentions a study from the Quinnipiac that shows "that sixty percent of women say they have been sexually harassed, and most of those say that it happened at work." This is unacceptable, and needs to change. Even more important is focusing on the impact that this situation has had. The article states: "They bring up the idea that rather than being so deeply concerned about a handful of men who acted wrongly (and in many instances, criminally) getting fired, we should think about the many more women who’ve lost their jobs, or been passed over for promotions in the interest of keeping those men powerful. And still more women who leave their industries of their own accord, afraid or unwilling to put up with that level of humiliation." We should erase the names and legacies of the men who have offended, but remember and support the women who have endured for so long.
1 comment:
This article is a really important one in our current climate. So much of the media's focus is on who is next and what star/celebrity/politician/famous person will be accused and fall next. While we should not stop exposing those who have committed these offenses, we also need to start asking what is next. As Tur says, "We can talk about the sea change or reckoning until we are all blue in the face but the real question right now is ‘what’s next?’ What concrete measures can be put in place by organizations large and small in the workplace?” We need to focus on not only what the problem is and who perpetuated it, but how we can solve it moving forward. She mentions a study from the Quinnipiac that shows "that sixty percent of women say they have been sexually harassed, and most of those say that it happened at work." This is unacceptable, and needs to change. Even more important is focusing on the impact that this situation has had. The article states: "They bring up the idea that rather than being so deeply concerned about a handful of men who acted wrongly (and in many instances, criminally) getting fired, we should think about the many more women who’ve lost their jobs, or been passed over for promotions in the interest of keeping those men powerful. And still more women who leave their industries of their own accord, afraid or unwilling to put up with that level of humiliation." We should erase the names and legacies of the men who have offended, but remember and support the women who have endured for so long.
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