This is Joseph
I want too outsource today's comments to Megan McArdle. I don't agree with everything in her piece, but I think that she highlights the consequences of not working out due process for these issues. The real underlying issue, which I think that she omits, is that powerful people have been protected by position of great privilege from facing the consequences of loathsome behavior. That has led to some justifiable rage, after years of torment and this needs to be thoughtfully considered. But let's make sure that the path forward is developed on solid ground, because it would be a pity for this forward progress to be lost.
I'm all for due process and that is something that was lost when unions lost any power.
ReplyDeleteBut her piece also gave those men's point of view and while what they said sounded innocent enough, that is also the position they would take if they were guilty. i'd be interested to hear what the women had to say.
I agree completely.
DeleteThere are some asymmetries here that really are not good. One of them is that the men are able to control the public narrative. The response given to the Ryan Lizza case wasn't especially detailed:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/12/13/how_should_we_process_sexual_harassment_allegations_when_no_specific_allegations.html
“In no way did Mr. Lizza’s misconduct constitute a ‘respectful relationship’ as he has now tried to characterize it.”
But what could they say, presuming that they wanted some degree of privacy?
However, the union piece is a very good point and one that I missed.
What I most look forward to are constructive suggestions about how to proceed in a way that is both fair and makes the likelihood of punishment for serial abusers high.
She has a point. Decisions in the workplace are arbitrary and rarely subject to due process. Try organizing a union to improve things and see how long you last on the job and whether you can avoid the blacklist, despite this being illegal. I wonder just how much traction she'd get if she had developed her thesis a bit further and gotten into this a little more deeply?
ReplyDeletempledger had the same insight, that I missed.
DeleteOf course, I would be all for a new and larger role for unions; heck, workplace empowerment in general.