You can't have failed to miss the accusations of sexual harassment and rape made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein this month.
Actors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Cara Delevingne are among those who have spoken out against the producer, who is under investigation by police and has recently been expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Weinstein has admitted to improper behavior but has denied accusations of rape.
Rather than add to the mountain of articles -- not all good -- about the issue, I wanted to share the words of those who I believe have done an exquisite job in understanding and portraying everything you need to know about sexual harassment. I urge you to read them all.
- Guardian reporter Zoe Williams points out that the aftermath of the Weinstein revelations has unearthed a weird level of ignorance around the whole issue of sexual harassment. So here is your harassment 101.
- It's not me, it's my brain. Some sources have suggested that Weinstein will be seeking treatment for sex addiction. But is that even a real diagnosis? Clare Wilson at New Scientist highlights the controversy over the term "sex addiction" in a succinct and scientifically-based article. The condition was rejected by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists in a 2016 statement, in which they state that they have not found "sufficient empirical evidence to support the classification of sex addiction or porn addiction as a mental health disorder."
- Who are the Harvey Weinsteins of your industry? Buzzfeed is asking men and women to confidentially share information about those in their industry who have been abusing their power, who people warn each other about in secret and who are acting inappropriately. The #metoo campaign is revealing the scale of abuse -- social media is flooded with personal stories of harassment -- but viral campaigns can often bring problems to light before fading away without solutions. Society needs to start making lists of perpetrators too -- how we do this carefully, consciously, legally and sensitively is unclear. Should it be down to Buzzfeed to undertake this role? I'm not sure, but I'm glad someone is making a start.
- Rebecca Solnit puts the issue of harassment into wider context. She points out that this week was the first anniversary of the release of the tape in which now-U.S. president Donald Trump boasted about sexually assaulting women; the week when a Swedish model received rape threats for posing in an Adidas advertisement with unshaven legs and the week in which the University of Southern California’s dean of medicine resigned over allegations of sexual harassment of a young researcher. The solution, she says, is in "a plethora of small acts that accrete into a different world view and different values. It’s in how we raise boys, in what we define as erotic, in how men can discourage each other from the idea that dominating and harming women enhances their status." Well said, Rebecca.
- Weinstein's accusers tell their stories in this long-form article in the New Yorker. Prepare to be thoroughly appalled.
And if, after all that, you're still not clear how to treat your colleagues, just apply the Rock Test.
