By Lucee Laursen
We can all remember a time in which we felt helpless, a time in which we thought we had no other option but to do what we are told. For some, it may have been when your new boss asks you to come in short notice on a Saturday; for more than 30 women, it was when Harvey Weinstein cornered and sexually harassed them. We all know the feeling of feeling trapped into doing something by someone in power.
Now, picture this. A young woman’s biggest dream is to become a movie star. She struggles to find work; she relentlessly searches for a big break. Weinstein, a Hollywood giant, approaches her and casts her in an upcoming feature film. He later asks the young woman to come to his hotel room. She goes because she feels as though she has to; he has some kind of commanding power over her. The young woman walks into the room to find Harvey Weinstein in a robe. In no way do I believe that being asked to come in on a Saturday and being sexually harassed are comparable workplace infractions. I am explaining that in both of these instances, there is someone who is being taken advantage of. No matter the circumstances, it is not ethically right to take advantage of others; we cannot stand for it.
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Weinstein has more than 30 accusations of sexual harassment against him dating back to the early 1980s. Weinstein’s predatory ways has been the butt of a running joke in Hollywood. At the 2013 Emmys, as Seth MacFarlane introduced the nominees for Best Supporting Actress, he joked, “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.” The crowd erupted in laughter. Woman after woman came forward and spoke out about their experience with Weinstein, yet for 30 years little to nothing happened.
Sadly, stories such as this happen all of the time. Young people are taken advantage of in order to “earn their place.” These victims tend to have little to no power in their respected fields; they tend not to say anything. Perhaps even more unfortunate, when they do say something, nothing seems to happen. Take Bill O’Reilly’s story as an example. He was accused of sexually harassing numerous women; Fox News pulled him off the air because sponsors of his show started to pull out. But it was not until Fox was faced with losing money that it made the decision to remove O’Reilly.
So, this says to young people, or people at all who are taken advantage of or used in unethical ways, that they will not have a voice. It would be easier for a company to settle with you out of court or to threaten to take you off the job than it would be for it to remove the higher-up employee. This is not always the case, but more often than not, it is.
As a generation, we have grown up seeing young people being taken advantage of, with little to no repercussions for the harasser. For us, it is far too easy to feel like we are trapped. We do not have a way out when something like this happens. I do not want this to continue to be the case. As a society we must truly take a second and remember that it is never okay to take advantage of others. So next time, if friends or family members or coworkers tell you they are being taken advantage of, say something. Take notice. We must be better; it is unacceptable to treat each other in an unethical regard.
