The continuing revelations about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuses of women comes after numerous disclosures of reported abuses by other male “celebrities.” Among these notables are Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby as well as Amazon’s Roy Price and Fox News’ hall-of-shame all-stars, Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, Charles Payne and Eric Bolling. Over the years, dozens of other celebrities have been accused and/or convicted of sexual abuse. And then there is Donald Trump, the nation’s commander-and-abuser.
By the time of Trump’s election, the New Yorker identified 24 women, including his former wife, Ivana Trump, claiming to be victims of his aggressive – and non-consensual – sexual advances. His reported incidents of misogyny and sexual aggression took many forms, from verbal put-downs and insults, to groping and fondling, to outright rape. It remains a secret as to how many women he might have paid for sexual services and what fantasies – and abuses — he played out.
Sexual abuse is a form of sexual terror, an all-American male sport. Women who experienced sexual abuse from Weinstein, Trump and others report being shamed, harassed, assaulted, professionally threatened and even suffering from PTSD – all forms of terror. Hopefully, the growing number of exposés of male abuse of women by male celebrities, politicians and athletes will foster a deeper social debate, one shifting from the elite to everyday workplaces, classrooms and…