...while the iron is hot.
There is a saying that you have to strike while the iron is hot. Apparently now is the time to strike on issues of sexual harassment.
Let me be clear. Strike away!
It is a little overwhelming to hear day after day new allegations, and the scope and severity are just as bad. Perhaps though, and this is just perhaps, we as a country have finally awoken to an issue (would that we could react as quickly on issues of race and violence).
I find it interesting that allegations are enough to end careers (except for some politicians and public figures it seems). I do have a little bit of a problem with that. Only because allegations are just that: allegations. Yet the fact that some actors have quit roles and shows just over allegations seems to me to be some kind of declaration of guilt.
Perhaps, and again - perhaps, we are coming to a point where we can actually learn to value persons as persons and not sexualize or objectify them. As such, I think Stephen Colbert missed a great opportunity a few nights ago when he went after the selection of Blake Shelton as the sexiest man alive (according to People Magazine). What Colbert did was to dispute the choice. What he could have done is asked why we need to decide who the sexiest man is? Why do we need to have a person declared the sexiest? Isn't that objectification? Isn't that what we are seeking to stop? So why promote it through a cover story?
Likewise, we also need to reevaluate our policies as a country and get behind the idea of equal rights. Women do not deserve to be victimized because of their sexuality. No one deserves to be victimized because of their sexuality.
And let me make a side story here (which will lead into next week's blog): I know some female pastors - colleagues of mine - who have been so badly treated by people within their churches but, more often than not, by other male clergy. One story that sticks out in particular is when a friend of mine was an associate pastor in a fairly large church in Cleveland, Tennessee and was told that the office for Associate Pastor would not be her office, but that a closet would be. Why? The pastor wanted to make sure that she knew how much he disliked her. Now there was no groping or demand for sexual favors. But there certainly was harassment because of the fact that she was a she.
We need to be the country that sets the standard for how to treat not only women, but all people. We need to stop with the double standards and stop letting people with power and money act however the want.
Because what begins to happen is that we find that television shows and movies that we dearly loved are now somewhat less enamoring when we learn that the leading man was doing this or that to the co-star or to someone on the set.
Good luck watching House of Cards anymore.
Let me be clear. Strike away!
It is a little overwhelming to hear day after day new allegations, and the scope and severity are just as bad. Perhaps though, and this is just perhaps, we as a country have finally awoken to an issue (would that we could react as quickly on issues of race and violence).
I find it interesting that allegations are enough to end careers (except for some politicians and public figures it seems). I do have a little bit of a problem with that. Only because allegations are just that: allegations. Yet the fact that some actors have quit roles and shows just over allegations seems to me to be some kind of declaration of guilt.
Perhaps, and again - perhaps, we are coming to a point where we can actually learn to value persons as persons and not sexualize or objectify them. As such, I think Stephen Colbert missed a great opportunity a few nights ago when he went after the selection of Blake Shelton as the sexiest man alive (according to People Magazine). What Colbert did was to dispute the choice. What he could have done is asked why we need to decide who the sexiest man is? Why do we need to have a person declared the sexiest? Isn't that objectification? Isn't that what we are seeking to stop? So why promote it through a cover story?
Likewise, we also need to reevaluate our policies as a country and get behind the idea of equal rights. Women do not deserve to be victimized because of their sexuality. No one deserves to be victimized because of their sexuality.
And let me make a side story here (which will lead into next week's blog): I know some female pastors - colleagues of mine - who have been so badly treated by people within their churches but, more often than not, by other male clergy. One story that sticks out in particular is when a friend of mine was an associate pastor in a fairly large church in Cleveland, Tennessee and was told that the office for Associate Pastor would not be her office, but that a closet would be. Why? The pastor wanted to make sure that she knew how much he disliked her. Now there was no groping or demand for sexual favors. But there certainly was harassment because of the fact that she was a she.
We need to be the country that sets the standard for how to treat not only women, but all people. We need to stop with the double standards and stop letting people with power and money act however the want.
Because what begins to happen is that we find that television shows and movies that we dearly loved are now somewhat less enamoring when we learn that the leading man was doing this or that to the co-star or to someone on the set.
Good luck watching House of Cards anymore.
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