IndieWire: The 2023 Hollywood Commission, founded by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Nina Shaw, has found that fewer people are reporting workplace harassment, not because fewer incidents have occurred, but because of a shared knowledge that studios won’t respond appropriately.
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This article honestly makes me upset. I think that is due to the fact that there are so many misdeeds and harassment that happen every day to people, and yet they choose not to report it because they know the company will not do anything about it. In our society companies and other things like huge corporations and largely famous people are allowed to get away with so much more than they should be. It is incredibly harmful to everyone when there are serious things happening that go under the radar just because a company has enough money and power to have those charges ignored. I think it is incredibly important that these two women are recognizing what is going on in this world and working towards fixing it. This is something that I think everyone needs to focus on and work towards making better, because without a large number of people pushing for change, this issue will continue.
This is really unfortunate to hear that there still are issues with workplace harassment, especially in Hollywood. I mean it makes sense that there are less reports now because of the lack of consequences. This seems to be a common theme that people know what they are doing is wrong and they are able to recognize what is harassment, but nothing much is done about it. People in high positions that harass others often just get a slap on the wrist and can continue working in the same position. I definitely think that some more work needs to be done on making sure that people understand the certain amount of accountability that needs to be taken by the company and the harasser. Without accountability, these same problems will continue happening because people are not being punished for their actions. If harassers are not probably held accountable, there is no reason for someone to report harassment.
This is incredibly scummy behavior on the part of studios. By not responding appropriately to incidents of harassment, they are effectively applying a tacit endorsement of it. If serious issues go under the radar, and the harasser has to face no repercussions at all, there is nothing to signal to them that their behavior is not wanted in this workplace. When working on a show or being out in “the real world” it's so important to report harassment when you see it, and to stand up for people who are experiencing it. These big studios aren’t even acknowledging that there is a problem, because if they did, it would mean they would have to do something about it. Hollywood in my mind has always been on the scummier side of the workforce, with workers frequently experiencing poor working conditions and low accountability from large studios. I think that something needs to be done, and that studios need to take action against harassers, showing that they actually care about their employees.
This article was super disheartening to read. The fact that a culture exists where people are so sure that their complaints won’t be taken seriously that they don’t voice them at all is a really big problem. The additional training, protocols, and company reorganizations that stemmed from the #metoo movement don’t make a difference if not followed through on. This article proves this point. In my opinion, the blame for this situation cannot go on the employees choosing not to report but rather must fall on studio leadership who are complacent and allowing this to continue. Knowing something is wrong and choosing not to seek further action is just so ignorant and immature. The job of company management is to reconcile issues, and this isn’t happening in Hollywood studios. I’m really glad that the Hollywood Commission is conducting this research. Quantifiable measurable problems are easier to prove as “wrong”, not that one should ever have to argue harassment in the first place, but the Commission is providing change makers with the tools necessary.
This was definitely a disheartening article to read. However, I think that's something interesting that was mentioned was that while the problem of sexual harassment is still very prevalent in the industry, people are much more aware that there is a problem. This means that they are aware that what they are being treated as is wrong. I believe that this is a powerful step towards solving this problem. Make no mistake, this is an extremely disheartening article. Something that was especially horrendous to me was that once people found ways around the structures that kept them from speaking out, there were new structures formed to try and protect the people abusing their power. I think that there has been an increased awareness of what constitutes a sexual harassment, and that sexual harassment is wrong, but we have a lot more work to do when it comes to accountability.
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