Growing up a short drive from one of the great wonders of the natural world has taught me something about resiliency. I actually prefer Niagara Falls in winter. Majestic.
Sexual Harassment Costs Way Too Much
Recent revelations about the sexual misconduct of some very famous men have shone a harsh light on a pervasive problem plaguing our country. The #MeToo movement will be remembered for showing how ubiquitous the mistreatment of vulnerable people by those in power is. And remind us that “no means no” is not enough.
Call it rape culture, toxic masculinity or even the inevitable bi-product of a patriarchal society—but it’s become clear that powerful people abusing their positions can no longer be tolerated.
It is also important to note that sexual harassment is not only deeply painful—it is very expensive.
Fox News has famously paid over $90 million to settle a slew of lawsuits, and Harvey Weinstein reached at least 8 settlements, with a class action suit in the works. And Congresswoman Jackie Speier just revealed that US taxpayers have paid $15 million to settle sexual harassment allegations in the House of Representatives. Cha-ching!
Big companies and organizations might write that off as the cost of doing business, turning a blind eye to alleged abuse because of the perceived “talent” or ”charisma” of the accused.
But know you who else is talented? The victims of this sexist system. For far too long a small group of socially-elevated men have been the gatekeepers to power, stifling the contributions of women.
Because to actually change the culture, the fight against sexual harassment has to go beyond punishing men to actually helping women.
How do we fix this?
We can start by putting more women in positions of power. Gender inequality in the workplace creates a power imbalance that can feed a culture of harassment. Just like with racial diversity, women bring different voices and ideas to the group. When all employees are valued participants, it is much tougher to think of colleagues as objects, or ignore their contributions.
Only 19% of Congress is female, and in Hollywood only about 7% of films are directed by women.
Building greater gender parity in the workplace will help chip away the underlying causes that make it easier for serial abusers to operate with impunity.
And creating a safer work environment will empower women to speak up and bring all their skills and creativity to the organization. And that would be win-win for everyone.
Our ugly sexual harassment problem is a crisis—but also an opportunity. Let’s turn the pain and anger into action.
Gaslight Nation
No, you are not going crazy.
While it’s true that “rolling shock” machine that is the Trump Regime finds new ways to outrage and mystify us every day, we should know, by now, what they are really up to.
It is easy to get outrage fatigue, but that bonkers Nazi-sympathizing press conference from yesterday seems like it might be the beginning of the end.
Of course, he’ll likely get what remains of his minions to keep spouting the lies, but who still believes them? The whole regime has tried a massive Gaslight experiment on the country—whether they know it or not. That was the movie where a man tried to slowly make his wife think she was going insane in order to enrich himself. And like that criminal, Trump is a shell of a man. But this shell has also convinced millions that he has a vision for the country. But he’s got nothing.
Even the left fell for it, with many of my far left friends thinking the Russia fever was just a Cold War cover for Hillary’s shocking loss. But even if every awful thing said about Hillary Clinton is true (which it’s not) some things are bigger than one election. It has become obvious that Trump and company have been deeply compromised by Putin’s Russia. It is not a battle of ideology or culture, either. It is just a straight up criminal conspiracy aimed at keeping all the interested parties rich. And it is tough for normal people who don’t think like criminals to understand that. But think mafia, not Marxism, to understand what is going on here.
That also explains his sudden doubling down on white supremacy. Those are his people, and he’s under siege, so he’s closing ranks.
He’s an agent of chaos, and has always been. He merely tapped into something, this time, that reached a significant portion of the American public. It didn’t even reach the majority, but it didn’t need to.
I know good people who claim we need to reach out to Trump voters, and address their needs. I disagree. Yes, economic inequality and political parties controlled by wealthy elites have ripped the American Dream to shreds. But that is not what got people to Trump rallies, and what keeps them defending him even as he proves again and again that he has no real interest in helping the average American. But I do think that we need to call out the white hot irrational rage that made them vote for such an obvious fraud.
Because when he’s gone from the White House—and he will be—we still have that rage to contend with.
Hawaii’s Radical and Humane Idea to Solve to Homelessness
Housing is a human right—and it’s hard to stay healthy when you are living on the streets.
Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste
Closing in on President’s Day and I am struck, once again, about how radically different America is now that Mad King Trump is in charge. Were we always this close to chaos? Is it really possible for one ignorant, emotionally unstable former game show host to totally dismantle the last superpower?
It’s tempting to compare his Trumpness to Hitler or Mussolini. I get it, but only because all autocrats share certain qualities. But with Trump, I think he may just be the ultimate manifestation of the Tea Party movement. He’s got that fake folksiness tailored to appeal to “Real America” along with the infectious outrage that the country is being lost to multiculturalism and political correctness. But, like the Tea Party, it is all a ruse meant to shovel as much money as possible into the pockets of America’s business elites. And that is what the Republican Party has always been, at least for a few generations. The outrage over welfare queens, Roe vs. Wade and secret Muslims was just cover for an extreme crony-capitalism that goes so deep as to be indistinguishable from the actual government. Think I am exaggerating? Then count up how many Goldman Sachs alums have served in the Whose House and get back to me.
But while he might be the Tea Party’s great success story, he might also be their last hurrah. He is the monster that sprung fully formed from their toxic and greedy vision, and he’s proving to be a bridge too far not only for the majority who did not vote for him, but for the GOP establishment that has grown comfortable with their “obstruct everything” philosophy. Because I believe the scales have fallen from people’s eyes.
I was one of the marchers at the Women’s March on Washington in January and I was struck by how joyful and confident it was. The voices of women and our allies were deafening, and I felt like we really were the winning side—the side with a future—in a movement that must be led by women.
I had a similar thought when I had drinks with three friends a couple of weeks later. All of us are media people in stable relationships, and all of us voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary and Hillary Clinton in the general election. And we all complained of the same chronic dread that emerged with the Trump victory—followed by an overwhelming desire to do something about it. We also, all, complained that the men in our lives were not as outraged or convinced about how truly awful our new Commander-In-Chief was as we were. And maybe that is how it should be. Men have been trained to see other men as “normal” leaders and even the pseudo alpha energy of Trump works on some deep level on guys who otherwise despise everything he stands for. And maybe the role of women and minorities in this new world is to lead and teach.
I may never fully understand why so many voted against their own best interests in November, but I am now convinced that cruelty and pain were part of it. Sure people can talk about “jobs” and wanting a “straight-shooter,” but people reacted to him in a visceral way, like they do con artists. Sure, there is plenty of buyer’s remorse out there, but should Trump get impeached or resign (and he will) those people and that pain will still be there. So while I am committed to resisting the regime with my daily actions, I know that the trickier part is keeping my heart open, and encouraging others to do so.
Chelsea Manning—Freed
Today a good man, did a good thing, by granting clemency to an American hero who risked all to tell the truth about her country. Chelsea Manning would not have stood a chance without the unwavering commitment of her many supporters, and this remarkable turn of events just goes to show what a group of good people can do, when they share a goal.
Notes From the Resistance
Feeling hale and hearty on this crisp and sunny day as I continue to grapple with what a Donald Trump presidency means for me, the people I care about—and the world at large. The despondence and shock of last week has morphed into purpose. I am excited by all the possibilities of the newly-emboldened activism, even as I mourn for the fact that the new regime has made this necessary. Just like W’s win in 2000 (which was not quite a win) we all brought this upon ourselves. Did I fight Trump as much as I could have? Probably not, but I did fight, and guilt is not particularly helpful for someone with so much shit to do. I will say that this is a process, and in my longterm goal to be as useful a person as possible, I do spend a fair amount of my day working to create a more compassionate world. So there is that.
I was lucky enough to participate in Saturday’s Trump Tower march, which I would recommend to anybody. There is something about shouting yourself hoarse chanting “This is what democracy looks like” while surrounded by people of all ages and colors carrying “Love Trumps Hate” signs to make you feel better about the world. The resistance has been launched.
But I do feel some lingering sorrow about the fact that so many white women voted for Trump. In my Facebook feed, I was shocked to see that an aunt, who rarely posts, was “sick” of people guilt-tripping her over her Trump vote. She wanted them to know she was a “moral” person. The defensiveness and confusion she seemed to be feeling was palpable, and I’m guessing some of her kids or grandkids got to her. It almost seemed like a cry for help, like no one showed her there was a better alternative.
At the same time it is important to note that I am not talking about a disgruntled unemployed rust belt machinist or Appalachian coal miner who has seen their possibilities evaporate in our winner-takes-all neoliberal economy. She lives in Florida and she and her husband own a small business. They sail for fun, and he’s been known to brag about the amazing work ethic of his Mexican employees—who he is most definitely not vetting for immigration status. So I’m left thinking that racism and misogyny played a part in her decision. And since the USA is a racist and misogynist country, still, everyone is somewhere on the curve, and needs to recognize that.
And if we are going to place blame for the election results, there is plenty to go around. Yes, the media was biased and had a double standard when it came to Hillary. The FBI shenanigans, email leaks, and breathtakingly out-of-touch DNC all played their part as well. But, ultimately, there is something deep and dark in us that responded to Cheeto Jesus. And the only way to fight that, longterm, is to create an alternative that is lighter and brighter than anything that hate monger and his movement can barf up. Strategize, plan and act, by all means, but also understand that it will take an internal shift in our neighbors’ hearts for us to really be free of this dark cloud.
Whose Streets? Our Streets
Resist fascism. Always.
Outsourcing Emergencies
I worked on this with the team at act.tv. It’s a good reminder that the market shouldn’t be a factor for our first responders.
Summer of Hate, Summer of Love
Are the wheels really coming off? I say this after a few months of such over-the-top chaos in the world at large. I think people will be processing this year for a long time, and books will be written about how the world nearly went off the rails in 2016, with mass shootings, terrorist bloodbaths, failed coups – and the phenomenon of Donald Trump.
Trump hits close to home because he has caught many of us by surprise. He’s a con man, maybe the best in the business, but something else as well. His toxic narcissism resonates with so many people because, I think, it reflects their own pain and alienation. He’s our own monster, born and bred in the USA. And maybe screaming about Mexicans at a rally feels good in the moment, but anyone who thinks his cruelty and lack of empathy makes for a good leader is likely not dealing with their own pain and separation. And it seems like there are a lot of these people, way more than expected. Because unless you are a committed racist, Donald Trump’s America holds nothing for you. And judging from his track record, he won’t actually be able to execute any of his fascist-flavored vision.
As for me, when I see him it’s like my ears go back and a low snarl builds in the back of my throat. I feel like screaming, can’t you see what he is? It reminds me of a documentary I saw once about the porn business. The women performers said that they had a number of disqualifiers for male partners, but the one that stuck in my mind was the creep factor. You know it when you see it, and The Donald has it, and then some.
I also find myself of two minds on Hillary Clinton. Yes, she is a strong and smart woman with an amazing work ethic who has fought long and hard for her place in the world. But she also has been a politician for so long that any sincerity she once held has been polished off. I’ve heard she has a wicked sense of humor, and I’ve heard from people who work with her that she’s effective and doesn’t forget a thing. But she’s also someone who spends Christmas with Henry Kissinger, making her a global elite. And the global elite see people and countries like pieces on a chessboard and are not likely to change—unless they have to.
So this is turning into a summer for the ages, with so much sound and fury packed into the hottest months, that I am still not quite sure how to separate what matters from that which is really nothing.
But there is still plenty to feel good about, in spite of the bombardment of atrocities on the news. The country is beginning to come to terms with the lingering issue of police violence in communities of color. Paying people a living wage is no longer a fringe idea, and the mania to privatize every aspect of our society is being revealed for the scam that it is. And I am delighted that so many activists have made this shift possible.