UNITED STATES
Catholic News Service
November 7, 2017
By Greg Erlandson
Harvey Weinstein is a pig.
It’s not language I would normally use in a column, but the cascade of revelations about his treatment of women and men, most particularly his twisted and apparently constant sexual advances, demands a blunt assessment. The accusations that have toppled this modern-day film mogul make for disturbing reading every morning at the breakfast table.
The exposure of his predatory bullying in this age of predatory bullies has had at least a few benefits, however.
First, it has ignited an explosion of confessions on the part of women in the entertainment industry as well as other professions. I might say all professions. The #MeToo hashtag makes for harrowing reading, a rolling tide of upsetting, at times horrifying, anecdotes that can easily fill the reader with a deep despair for man’s inhumanity to woman.
While many of us make our way through our days without harassing or being harassed, it is clear that many of our sisters (and some of our brothers) are not so fortunate. That so many have felt it necessary to remain silent for so long speaks not just to fear of the abuser’s retaliation, but also to the fear that the rest of us will turn away.
As we Catholics have seen in the clergy sexual abuse crisis, this fear is not unfounded. Of course, we must be sensitive to the risk of false allegations, which is why we need due process, but not no process or a sham process.
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