WILLIAMSON (WV)
Williamson Daily News
November 30, 2017
By Diane W. Mufson
Following the revelation of many instances of sexual abuse and harassment from males in powerful positions, Americans seem surprised and ask, “How could this happen and why didn’t people know about it?” The answer is simple. This is as old as time and many people knew about it.
Powerful people, often synonymous with men with wealth and high political, religious or business status, have clout and control. Most were and still are immune from negative repercussions regarding their actions. Often the recipients of the abuse were punished or blamed. So today’s question is this: With all the well-known sexual abusers and harassers being publicly identified, will this age-old practice stop?
In the past year or two, some of the biggest names in media, theater, politics and high places have been identified as sexual abusers or sexual harassers. Until recently, most weren’t a bit worried as that’s been the status quo for eons.
So, why now? Some suggest that last winter’s Women’s March in Washington led women to feel that they actually had a voice; others point to the rise of women in business and elected offices. Many women claim that electing a president who was recorded saying that when you are powerful you can do almost anything you want, including grabbing women sexually, put women on notice that it was their job to take control of their lives. Social media and large numbers of victims speaking out have had a major impact.
Women also can be sexual abusers. The most publicized cases usually involve young female teachers and adolescent male students. This is obviously wrong, but the frequency of these situations pales in comparison to powerful males taking advantage of females. Same-sex sexual abuse, as exemplified by Kevin Spacey, and same-sex child sexual abuse, exemplified by Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky and some clergy as well, are also nothing new.
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