For quite some time I’ve avoided
commenting on the twin scourges of sexual abuse and sexual harassment; the
former because of the obvious mishandling of the issue by our own Church over
the course of the last three or four decades; the latter because, quite
frankly, it has been a head-scratcher for me to learn – particularly lately –
of the systemic and pervasive character of this sin against the seventh
commandment in American society. I assure you, I am not being naïve. I
recognize that men – especially men in positions of power and authority – can
succumb to the temptation of using their influence in deleterious ways,
particularly with respect to women. People of a certain age don’t need the
disgusting behavior of Harvey Weinstein to be reminded that a Hollywood
stereotype – the “casting couch” – was rooted in reality. What causes me to
scratch my head these days is not only the extent of the scourge of sexual
harassment but that it can be (and is) found in pretty much every occupational
category one can imagine: entertainment, politics, journalism, sports,
transportation and, yes, religion. And, now, we learn (November 17, 2017,
National Catholic Reporter) that this scourge can be found in the hospitality
industry.[1]
Unhappily for Catholics, renowned New Orleans Chef John Besh, the subject of a
months-long sexual harassment expose by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, is well
known as a Catholic activist, having served on the advisory board of the Center
for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame as well as participating
in the Middle East Ecumenical group Chefs4Peace.
I suppose it is naïve of me to think that an individual with such a deep
commitment to his Catholic faith could lose his way in such a spectacularly
calamitous fashion…yet another head scratcher.
This is particularly discouraging
for me as one who has spent the last 40 years in Catholic education. After 40
years, I recognize that it is enormously challenging for parents to guide their
teenagers safely through the rough and tumble world of adolescence. I have seen
these challenges manifest themselves in different ways, whether it was the
seventies, eighties, nineties or – especially –the current moment. Not only has
Social Media fundamentally altered the landscape teenagers negotiate, but it
has also created an environment in which information is shared instantaneously,
giving adults little opportunity to shape their children’s understanding of its
significance. Shaping how young people understand the world which surrounds
them is central to the process of forming a values-based perspective. Those of
us of a certain age remember that the dinner table served as a Petri dish for
values formation. Discussing the day’s events, its challenges and successes,
enabled parents to provide a context for the moral formation of their
children's consciences. With the advent of Social Media, it is almost
impossible to prepare children for the onslaught of the unmediated information
to which they are exposed, let alone to put it in the context of a values-based
world view. Which is why the prevalence of sexual harassment is such a head
scratcher for me – how do we help teenagers learn how to respect others –
especially women – when they are fed a steady diet of #metoo messages? How do they learn to manage their own emerging
sexuality when adult celebrities – some of whom they may be inclined to admire
– have clearly failed to embrace the messages of respect for the other that we
are trying to teach them at home and at school?
As bleak as this appears (to me), I
am encouraged by the rapid response trend of different institutions to the
charge of sexual harassment: they are quickly severing ties with those
individuals who have been credibly accused. While I want our teenagers to learn
Respect for all persons (a Lasallian
core value) in the classroom and at the dinner table, I recognize that we all
need reinforcement of social values through negative consequences (I am not
necessarily being an upstanding citizen because I obey the posted speed limit).
While our teenagers are being exposed to a steady diet of “bad boy” behavior by
adult celebrities, they are also learning that there is a price to be paid for
it. I suspect that the scourge of sexual harassment will continue to unfold,
but it will be met with an increasingly vigorous “zero tolerance” response. Our
young people will observe this dynamic, going forward, and will, inevitably,
make the necessary connection to the importance of the values we teach them at
home and at school.
It will not be easy. I regularly
tell parents that everyone has their individual demons which lurk just below
the surface; unfortunately adolescence is that time when the filter hasn’t been
fully developed – all the more challenging when they see too many adults who
are incapable of maintaining their own filters. We need to double down on this
challenge. While I am comforted at the prospect of a healthy student culture at
La Salle enabling our teenagers to acquire appropriate pro-social skills when
interacting with their peers, I also recognize that high school is a time in an
adolescent’s life when the hormones try to throw a party and forget to invite
the brain! Together, parents, teachers and administrators must confront the
scourge of sexual harassment and equip our young people with the tools to
resist the bad boy behavior of celebrities who should have known better.
