In Our View: Opening Salvo on Sex Assault

There is no question that 2017 has been a tumultuous and memorable year. The presidency of Donald Trump has been unusual, to say the least, moving America toward either greatness or disaster — depending upon your perspective. North Korea has kept the world on edge with its nuclear provocations. And there even was a solar eclipse, which briefly left Clark County in near darkness during the middle of the day.

Among the year’s most notable trends, however, has been the empowerment felt by victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment. The importance of the movement was recognized last week when Time magazine awarded “Person of the Year” to the people it calls “The Silence Breakers” — those who have combined their voices to create a cacophonous resistance against a culture of abuse.

Those voices have led to a national examination of who we are and how we treat one another. But for lasting and necessary change to occur, it must not end with headlines and magazine articles. As Time wrote: “We’re still at the bomb-throwing point of this revolution, a reactive state at which nuance can go into hiding. But while anger can start a revolution, in its most raw and feral form it can’t negotiate the more delicate dance steps needed for true social change. Private conversations, which can’t be legislated or enforced, are essential.”

Indeed. And in conducting those private conversations, it would be a mistake to suggest that harassment is limited to Hollywood hotel rooms or the halls of Congress or network newsrooms; those are merely the most visible locales for tales of abuse that have sparked a national discussion. Nor is it defined by political persuasion or gender; liberals and conservatives, men and women have been hit with credible accusations that have resulted in the loss of jobs and prestige.

Yet while the well-known accused and their accusers have grabbed the bulk of public attention, it must be remembered that the most insidious abuse victimizes those who are powerless to speak out. As Time wrote, “What hope is there for the janitor who’s being harassed by a co-worker but remains silent out of fear she’ll lose the job she needs to support her children? For the administrative assistant who repeatedly fends off a superior who won’t take no for an answer?”

It will take years or generations for those questions and their answers to result in an altered culture, and it is important for the conversation to continue. The varied stories of harassment must be accompanied by thoughts about how one would feel if it happened to their mother, their wife, their daughter or son. They also must be accompanied by a vow for us to change as a society and create a nation in which such behavior is vilified rather than greeted with a look-away glance.

At a visceral level, the dam of silence was breached by last year’s election of Trump, who had been recorded saying, “When you’re a star, they let you do it, you can do anything … grab them by the p—y.” The day after the inauguration of an admitted sex offender, millions of people marched in protest in more than 400 U.S. cities. Since then, the year has been marked by victims speaking out about abuse or harassment, intensifying the spotlight upon an issue that for too long has remained in the dark.

That spotlight must continue to shine in order for America to achieve the greatness to which it aspires. The Silence Breakers have courageously spoken up for victims throughout the country, but their efforts will be for naught if we fail to work toward lasting change.