The Oklahoma Eagle Editorial
From President Donald Trump to the teacher down the street, the dirty secret of men using the power of their position, or just physical size, to make unwanted sexual advances on women is being dragged out into the streets. And no one is exempt or above proper scrutiny.
Judge Roy Moore is under pressure for complaints he made unwanted sexual advances on young women in Alabama when he was a 32-year-old Assistant District Attorney. One young woman was just 14 years old. None of the complaints have been proven, and he hasn’t been convicted of anything, except by some in the court of public opinion.
Liberals and Democrats who are hungry to see one of the Republican candidates go down in flames, are all giddy over the prospect. Moore has not listened to those asking for him to step down, but there are repeated calls for him to do so. There is a myriad of political scenarios in everyone’s feigned concern over someone like Moore entering the U.S. Senate. His election would create a stain on the Republican brand. But, that is a ridiculous concern at this point. It’s the women and their safety and healing which should be the beginning and end of this discussion.
All races are subject to the devastation caused by men in power making advances or even raping women in vulnerable positions. One must only think back to Anita Hill and her stories about Clarence Thomas when he was being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court. Like Trump, Thomas moved up and forward despite the charge of inappropriate sexual advances. And like thousands of other women who courageously stepped forward to tell their stories, they were roundly criticized as money hungry and self-serving liars trying to ruin a good man’s name. Often, it’s other women who are first to rise in defense of the men they support, no matter how awful the stories are. Could this all be changing?
Well it is certainly a time when more and more women are stepping forward to reveal disturbing stories of misconduct of men in positions of power. Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes, and now U.S. Senator Al Franken, a man seemingly destined for great things, and a champion of women’s rights, at least once joined the terrible fraternity of men who abuse. This was before he was a Senator, but this is of no consequence. He has apologized and has called for an investigation on himself. His victim has accepted his apology but there are calls for him to resign from the senate. When and where is the line of legal jeopardy and or a bad decision at a time in a man’s life? That line is starting to become clear.
It appears that with so much blood in the water there will be calls for action. Probably one of the first acts is going to be what the voters of Alabama do on their coming election day. The most recent polling information has Moore falling behind in the polls. He once held a double-digit lead and while it’s true his most ardent supporters are still with him no matter what he might have done, there are those in the middle and left who say they will not vote for him.
Many in the U.S. Senate are calling for him to step down. Even the young Republicans of Alabama have pulled their support. Moore is also famous for this defense from the bench in wanting to see the Ten Commandments be erected on public grounds and for brandishing a handgun to make his support for the second amendment more relevant. He may or may not win in several weeks. But, the word is, even if he wins, the Senate will work to have him removed.
Has sexism become the new racism? Hard to say, the President has acted in ways that would lead one to believe he is not a friend to people of color. His staff is full of white nationalists and they make no excuses for pro white policies. It did not hurt Trump. Would it be different today? Are the tables turning? Would he win if the election was held today? It’s a good chance he would lose badly, his actions since and before he took office have made him unfit. This country still has a long way to go on race relations.
Is sexual violence against women far behind, or did it rocket to the front of the line? It has the feel of a watershed moment where what was once accepted, is now something that should be dealt with in a serious manner. And for those who have a history of sexual assault, it doesn’t look good.
Truth is, this problem is everywhere. And while we are dragging the guilty into the harsh light of public condemnation we should also remember we should find out what would drive a man to treat women horribly. Public execution is easy, but this is a time where society needs to not just look at what happened, but why it happened in the first place.
