If Not Us...Who?

“There is no present or future. only the past happening over and over.” Eugene O’Niel

As I was trying to make sense of  the fall out of the Harvey Weinstein story, my daughter who works in Human Resources said something I had never really thought about, “Its not easy being a woman these days.”

Wait…What?…These days?  The actions of Weinstein were events that happened years ago much like the women who accused Bill Cosby of similar acts. Today Women are succeeding in the workplace, men are actually working for women and the glass ceiling has been shattered.

Or so I thought.

We’ve been exposed to the exploits of people like Weinstein and Bill Cosby, Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes and even President Clinton. We listen in shock of their sickness and disregard for women. We hope their world collapses around them with little disregard for the lives of their victims. Yet we fail to wonder if,when and how it will ever end, what will it take to stop this appalling dis-respect towards women and bring much needed hope for change.

As a man and a father of two amazing daughters, I am sickened to think that they may have experienced something like this. I am disgusted by men who can justify their actions by joking or even bragging of their behavior. I’m mortified by men who feel they are superior enough to prey upon on a woman just to prove his strength over them with little concern for their well-being, emotions and the lifetime of emotional scars they inflicted.

   

And I’m embarrassed that too many men do not have the ability or even understand what it means to treat a woman with the respect and dignity they so much deserve.

 After many classes on sexual harassment and producing training videos that put the fear of God into the men who had to watch, the idea of treating a woman with anything less than equality seemed ancient.

And this idiocy also includes racism and equal rights based on sexual preference. The KKK is making a return, white supremacy supporters are growing in number and the division between whites and other people of color is getting wider.

I suppose I was a lucky person growing up in a family that stressed showing respect for others and wanting little in return. The Golden Rule was the way to lead my life along with the the laws of scouting to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Seems too simple. No where does it say create and follow my own agenda at the total expense  of others. 

  

How did treating others with respect and dignity lose it’s way in a society that is screaming  for direction and leadership?  Why is it we complicate the simple things in life specifically how we treat each other. We’ve had enough history to learn from, speeches to be inspired by and hurt to be humbled with. But somehow the message seems to fall short of those who consider themselves superior to others simply because of the color of their skin, their power hold in business and society or even their gender.

   

Only one of those we can control. We don’t choose to be male or female, black or white, straight or gay. And like the argument goes, what gives anyone else the power to dictate the rights and privileges of others based on sex, race or even sexual preference.

 

It’s become obvious based on the reaction of our elected officials that they lack the ability or courage to bring about change without affecting their ability to raise money, so where do we turn.

We will always need people of courage to protect our lives and our freedoms from terrorists. But now we need people with the courage to stand up and lead the way against bullies, sexual predators, power seeking selfishness and ego strutting maniacs.Where are these leaders?

Maybe we’re all to blame in some way. Our elected President in an interview degraded women and justified his comments by saying it was locker room talk and went so far as to call his opponent a nasty woman, yet he sits as our 45^th President and his comments are not even mentioned in comparison to Weinstein or Cosby or even President Bill Clinton. These stories just come with lots of coverage and opinions but as soon as the news cycle takes away the attention, we take comfort in the hope that the problem no longer exists

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Once again we’re confronted with the need for leadership and change, change that will bring us hope for a safer, trusting and  loving country. 

When a woman no longer feels safe just going to work without fear of intimidation or physical harm, is there hope?; When a black person can no longer return from work with a sense of value instead of a feeling of fear and hatred is there hope? When none of  us can look at our neighbor or co-worker with trust or friendship is there hope? When it becomes impossible to simply walk through a park or shopping center without fear is there hope? When we are all forced to lock ourselves into our homes like a self imposed jail sentence and cut ourselves off from society because it’s the only way to protect our lives and family, where is the hope?

 

Maybe it’s time we look beyond the headlines and opinions, and instead of placing blame take it upon ourselves to bring about change. If not us, then who?

Maybe then we can begin to find ways to discover and deliver much needed hope.