Opinions
Have an idea for a story? opinions@theotherpress.ca
OO Trick-or-treating should not have an age limit OO Young motherhood and marriage should not be romanticized And more!
Taking a stand against sexual harassment and abusers
ööPower dynamics and the complacency of men Cazzy Lewchuk Contributor
A
s you have probably heard by now, top Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by at least 13 women. Many women have spoken out about their own experiences of harassment by Weinstein and other executives, seeking solidarity with victims and taking a stand. This problem is not a few bad apples, nor is it widely condemned. Sexual harassment and abuse range anywhere from a rude sexual comment all the way to rape. It is not just alarmingly common, but condoned and defended amongst society. It’s not just in Hollywood: Sexual misconduct—particularly perpetuated by male authority figures—happens everywhere. Men feel an entitlement in treating women like garbage, and we as a society make it easy for them
to do so with no consequences. It’s not enough for men to spout vague statements about condoning bad behaviour during a high-profile case. This is a systemic problem that enables and protects powerful men who abuse women. Many men know about the abuse, and many men are guilty of the abuse themselves. Many others protect the abuse for friendship or career reasons. Protecting and enabling an abuser hurts everybody. It creates a system where abusers are free to promote and engage in this kind of behaviour. It’s not just women who are victims: James Van Der Beek and Terry Crews have both come forward as being sexually assaulted by powerful executives. This is not a big name suddenly being revealed to everyone that he abuses women. This is a big name’s actions which were well-known around the industry suddenly being exposed to the public. Not every celebrity is admitting
they knew, but with the number of allegations and legal history, it’s clear this was not a big secret. This is only the tip of the iceberg for exposing abusive and powerful men. It’s clear there’s a lot more happening we don’t know about yet. This happens in every industry. When a woman tells a man someone abused her, the man has a duty to listen and respond. This includes not associating with the abuser anymore or confronting them about their actions. Naming names is important. It’s not easy to call out an abuser—particularly if you might suffer personal consequences or you have been hurt by that person in the past—but it’s the only way to ensure this behaviour has consequences. Direct action works, and knowing who is behaving badly is important. While men like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby have (unfortunately) not been punished legally for their actions, their careers have essentially
So, you’ve gone wanderlust, huh? ööWhy your all-inclusive vacation isn’t real travelling Jillian McMullen Staff Writer
A
s expressed by the name, all-inclusive resorts include, well, everything. Resort prices typically cover your room, food, and usually drinks (both nonalcoholic and alcoholic). This makes them particularly attractive to families with children, who are looking for the most hassle-free vacation possible. Realistically, these resorts are incredibly practical because their structure doesn’t offer much room for surprise. However, the problem with these resorts is you can’t really call them “travelling,” you would more accurately call it “vacationing.” Throughout high school, schoolmates would tell me of their plans to go to a beachfront resort in either Los Cabos or in Maui with their families over the winter or spring breaks. Their hotel was always steps away from the ocean, featuring fluorescent sunsets just outside their suite windows. My friends would bashfully tell me stories of getting tipsy on too-sweet margaritas with their favourite aunt after their parents had gone to bed because “nobody cares over there.” I also seem to remember every trip somehow including, at one point or another, a ride on one of those inflatable banana boats. However, that’s just it—every story was the same. They are formulaic. One of the most rewarding things about travelling is the moments of unexpectedness. Moments where you’re presented with an
opportunity to participate in something you could have never expected during the planning process of your trip. When I was 17, I went to Greece. On my last night in Athens, we snuck out and ended up in a bar frequented only by locals who barely spoke English. We sat for hours talking about our lives in Canada and theirs in Greece, constantly laughing whenever our broken translations failed our purpose. This remains one of my favourite memories of that trip. Resorts are bizarre because they exist in some sort of limbo, simultaneously in another country but paradoxically suspended in their own fantastical “no-country.” I think the people who serve vacationers are often either totally divorced from their heritage, presented only as a type of resort representative, or obnoxiously “caricaturized,” presented as the penultimate example of the country’s culture. All-inclusives separate their patrons from their locale by virtue of their very construction. Patrons are contained within the grounds of their resort—which is often gated, creating another very tangible boundary—and are fully provided for so they have no reason to ever leave those grounds. Can someone really say they’ve been to a country if all they did was drink cocktails on the beach? This is not to say I don’t understand why people choose resorts. If the goal of a trip is simply rest and relaxation, then yes, a resort is probably incredibly attractive. However, I don’t think you can call yourself well-travelled if every trip you’ve taken has been to an all-inclusive resort.
ended and they are widely known as sexual predators. Collective shame does work, particularly when the powerful speak out. If you have the privilege of being well-known and influential (especially if you’re a man), you have a duty to expose the bad behaviour of others. It’s not enough to hint that some people are abusive: Publicly calling out names sends a better message. Sexual assault and harassment is not something that can be shaken off. It is dehumanizing, predatory, and traumatic. It is an experience that can haunt victims for years and is one of the worst feelings that can happen to you. It’s also not about your own personal feelings towards an abuser. It doesn’t matter how nice of a person they are or how shocked and upset you might be. The victims and their trauma matter much more. They deserve to be believed and sympathized with, and their abusers deserve to be punished.