Harassment then and now
Dear editor: Recently, social media has been following several highly profiled individuals as to their sexual exploits. It seems that morally degrading exploits are making “page one news,” so to speak.
Some of these exploits are current while others are almost ancient history. It seems that one or two individuals have sparked investigations and that the proverbial Pandora’s Box is now opened.
Now that things are out in the open, where does it go from here? There is a plethora of ladies and a few gentlemen that have come forward with varied allegations as to sexual harassment both current and from days of yore.
In the past, it appears that not much was said as life patterns or social success might be jeopardized. This became evident with allegations and charges made against Bill Cosby, the TV dad portrayer of true family values. It would appear that the current allegations and charges are on hold. No one seems to know why.
In the past, it seemed to be the unwritten, unspoken way to get to the top in acting or certain other positions. Sexual exploitation was the order of the day. Until recently, this idea seemed real as no one reported any misgivings because of fears of non-success or reprisal.
All of those in vogue as to sexual harassment right now, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K. et al will, in all probability, have their day in court.
Having said that there seems to be something amiss here. The slate that I have referred to is without a significant name. This individual deflects comments of a sexual nature even though they were made to the press and have been shown to be true on TV. As a matter of fact, he makes no apologies for the statements he made regarding women and would have us believe that references to his behavior toward women are “fake news.” His press secretary downplays through spin-doctoring any allegations made toward, you guessed it, Donald Trump.
It leads me to ask the question as to why he is not on the carpet with the others. He seems to downplay his actions and would have us believe that he is beyond reproach and that he holds women in high esteem. If this is so, he should be adding a new job title to his name. That job would be at Buckerfield’s as president of the fertilizer bagging division!
It’s time that he was held accountable. Other than his presidency and being a millionaire, he walks, talks and acts like the others. Why should he be unfettered?
Ron Barillaro Penticton