Power is sexy

Sexual harassment is new to our legal and cultural lexicon, the first cases happening as recently as the 1980s.\nThese cases put the fear of God into some male employers and workers. In order to avoid the reality of power relations in the workplace, women who file sexual harassment lawsuits are routinely derided as uppity, politically correct women who can’t handle a joke. Or, the women who file these lawsuits are painted as neurotic and hypersensitive.\nAnita Hill is perhaps the single most visible person associated with the rise of sexual harassment lawsuits. Sixteen years ago she testified against Judge Clarence Thomas in the thick of his Supreme Court nomination hearings, saying that he had made sexually explicit comments and propositioned her repeatedly while he was her boss (ironically, at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).\nThe lawsuit was a national sensation. Some in the black community accused Hill of being a traitor for bringing a lawsuit against a fellow black. Thomas also said the ordeal of the testimony against him amounted to a ‘lynching.’ \nIn his new autobiography, “My Grandfather’s Son,” Clarence Thomas re-launches an attack on Hill’s credibility. Apparently he is still fuming, even though he sits on the most powerful judicial body in the country despite her accusations. \nThis past week Anucha Browne Sanders won a lawsuit against the owner of Madison Square Garden and the coach of the New York Knicks. \nIsiah Thomas, the African-American coach of the Knicks and former IU basketball star, was accused of calling Browne Sanders, a marketing executive for the basketball team, a bitch and a ho. Like Clarence Thomas, Isiah Thomas (no relation) touched on racially charged issues to downplay his guilt. \nHe said early last week, “A white male calling a black female a bitch is highly offensive. That would have violated my code of conduct.” In other words, Isiah Thomas didn’t violate his code of conduct. He thinks he’s innocent.\nIsiah Thomas plans to appeal the court decision that found him guilty. \nWhile name-calling, denial, and racial hot buttons are not unheard of in the courtroom, the resurgence of these behaviors in the past week illustrates how much farther society still has to go to in order to understand sexual harassment. \nSexual harassment is punishable by law if it creates an ‘offensive or hostile working environment,’ according to the 1986 Supreme Court decision.\nFor many people, calling women names, making sexually explicit jokes or commenting on a co-worker’s appearance derogatorily are all part of a regular day on the job. These types of disrespect are rooted in power hierarchies, not necessarily in sexism. But because men are often more powerful than women, sexual harassment often plays out in gendered ways. \nAs long as people see sexual harassment in terms of gender, men can continue to say they are not sexist and claim innocence.\nBut as soon as we realize that sexual harassment is an abuse of power, it will be easier to identify, and eventually, end sexual harassment in the work place.