In October of 2017, numerous allegations were made against Harvey Weinstein in regards to his sexual misconduct. Currently, the number of women coming forward has alarmingly risen to more than 50 victims. A subsequent movement has swept through the country, resulted in more women coming forward to accuse more men of sexual harassment. A majority of those men were involved in the entertainment industry, and perhaps more disturbing were politicians. Most notably, politician Roy Moore, popular actor Ed Westwick, Kentucky Speaker of the House Jeff Hoover, Director of CBS Rick Najera, and many more have been accused of sexual harassment.

Most of the accused have either resigned or been fired. This still does not answer the question which remains; why is sexual harassment and abuse still happening in the United States? America is one of the most socially advanced countries in the world, and yet, many men fail to understand the meaning of “consent,” or, they simply do not respect women. The immense domino effect that was created by the first allegation against Weinstein is very frightening but, “thanks to the trend of bravery sparked by actresses coming out against Weinstein, victims are allowed access to power in numbers. More and more victims can have a voice and expose the problematic reality of a women’s world” according to Maddie Mertz ‘17. Although, it is revolting that such a large number of women have been harassed in this manner, there is still hope that our community as a whole can grow from this and improve treatment towards women.

Improvement will not just happen on its own, though. In order to highlight the seriousness of sexual harassment, offenders must face consequences proportional to the crime they have committed. America must acknowledge that harassment is a valid issue, and the first people who will admit it should be the men who have already been caught. Some might say that if everyone who is a sexual offender was fired, or resigned, there would be a substantial loss in employees. Not all offenders have been fired yet, so there is no way to know if that is true. Nonetheless, countless people tainted by sexual harassment charges have gotten by without facing the consequences. The obvious example is Donald Trump, who made it to the Oval office despite proudly admitting to sexual assault. The fact that the leader of our country is a sexual offender should be disgusting in the eyes of all American citizens. It is imperative that the dozens of men who have been recently accused of harassment following Harvey Weinstein are penalized accordingly. If this is done, it will set the standard for many future generations to come, and desensitize other popular figures from mistreating women as well.

In our society, we often idolize important figures like actors, and judges, as being hard working, ethical people. It is unacceptable that people who have gotten away with sexual misconduct and continue to live their lives, as if nothing has happened.

The same goes for the women who have not told their stories about what they have gone through. Madison Sinofsky ‘20, explains how “it is great that now all of these women are able to express what they went through and share their stories with the public”. In spite of all the women who have kept their secret to themselves, women can feel empowered to now do so. It is a very emotionally traumatizing thing, experiencing sexual harassment. Many women feel “disgusted or embarrassed.” Therefore, reliving that time, when you are telling the public is very difficult for them. One of the brave victims, Gwyneth Paltrow—a brilliant actress—says she was “expected to keep the secret” between her and Harvey Weinstein, and that she thought “he was going to fire her” if she told anyone. Fear of losing their jobs and of feeling embarrassed, are two of the main reasons why women choose not to come forward after experiencing sexual harassment . One way to support them is to not question their actions, to not judge the situation that the women was put into against her will, to not ignore an issue which has obviously negatively affected others, and most importantly, to have consequences for the men who commit this crime.

In a school environment such as Ridge, it is important that we are not ignorant to the issues within our society, and do not ignore those who need help. “Harvey Weinstein is not the first but and will undoubtedly not be the last Hollywood star to be caught in a sexual harassment scandal” states Arianna Minassian ‘19. Soon enough it will be our responsibilities to act accordingly to an accusation of sexual harassment with the hope that one day it will no longer be an issue. With the goal that men can look at women as not an object for their use, but as an equal human being who is deserving of respect and fairness.