Speak Up!

Guest Column

Dec. 9, 2017

 

In 1955 Vladimir Nabokov published “Lolita,” a fictional account of Humbert Humbert’s obsession with and violation of 12-year-old Dolores Haze. The book is filled with literary tricks and deceptions (her name is Haze — figure it out) but at its heart, narrator Humbert uses self-aggrandizement to disguise his evil obsession and actions with a child.

In literature classes we discussed “Lolita” for the word games Humbert plays and the way he continually undermines his own credibility as a narrator. To those who’ve never read “Lolita,” it’s a salacious tale of pedophilia. But Nabokov was an exile of communist Russia, and as with all his work, the book is an allegory of how tyrannical governments exploit the weakest to derive their power. Nabokov himself, like Humbert, play with the reader: He insisted that he hated allegory, but nevertheless, describing his body of work, he famously wrote, “Even ‘Lolita,’ especially ‘Lolita,’ is a study in tyranny.” The book is a metaphor, but today, there would be no way to read ‘Lolita’ as anything but literal.

Make no mistake, predatory sexuality is only about domination, power, and control. There is an abyss of difference between a horndog who’ll find as many willing, equal, partners as possible (think Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and a person who preys on subordinates. Exploitive relationships come in many forms: parent to child, teacher to student, supervisor to employee, producer to actor, and even president to intern. They are all equally repugnant. Yet, for every one of these evil predators there are complicit enablers who turn a blind eye, or even defend the perpetrators to preserve their own position and standing. The person who doesn’t speak up is painted with the same guilty paintbrush.

Before the 24-hour news channels, the daily news was anything that fit in today’s edition. The thickness of a newspaper wasn’t determined by the amount of news available, but by the number of ads sold. More ads meant there needed to be more news to hang them on. With 24 hours to fill, every day, the old tricks to fill space don’t work. To keep eyes on their products, news outlets need new stories all day, and the more salacious the better.

There was a time when the death of an icon like Jim Nabors would have filled the news. Last week it was a little special interest story below the fold. The big news was each day’s news anchor, celebrity, or politician revealed to be using power to exploit people who look to them with trust. However, the outrageous behavior has been treated like tabloid gossip rather than an attack against those of weaker status.

The media have no taste for calling out their own, so while they like to have the word sex in their headlines, they won’t name the crimes and violations actually committed. The news outlets have adopted the phrase “sexual misconduct” to describe something far worse. Sexual misconduct is cheating on a spouse with a willing, equal partner. Matt Lauer locking the door to his office to defile a star-struck page is pure evil.

Everyone has seen the photo of Al Franken with his hands on a sleeping Leeann Tweeden. The photo offers a glimpse into the heart of exploiters like Franken. In the photo, at that moment, Tweeden is like a child innocently sleeping. Most people would see a sleeping Tweeden and look for a blanket to warm her. A predator like Franken saw it as an opportunity for humiliation. Franken, Rep. John Conyers, Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Clinton, and others are lost. They will brew in their own evil. Their pathological needs will drag them down until they wither in self-hatred.

I am concerned with the people who willingly are dragged down with them. From politicians to spouses, from shareholders to voters, we have tolerated this depravity. We now know that Matt Lauer’s exploitation of women was an open secret. Word on Capitol Hill was that a woman shouldn’t get into an elevator alone with John Conyers. Now, 20 years later, female news anchors who created the smokescreen for Clinton are admitting they should have listened to his accusers. It’s too late, way too late. 

Every one of the so-called feminists who provided cover for Bill Clinton are guilty, from his wife to ABC news anchor George Stephanopoulos (yes, millennials, he was part of the make-excuses-for Clinton staff). They are guilty of sending a message to the perpetrators: You can prey on and use women as long as you stay on the correct side of the issue. Their message to the victims was clear too. If you dare to speak the truth to power, you will be ignored at best, and probably vilified and dismissed.

In the 1950s when “Lolita” was published, it was a fictional allegory. Today, it’s real. In current politics, entertainment, and who knows where else, men prey with impunity on those of lesser status. Enough.

Where are the women in the ridiculous pink hats? Why are they not calling for the list of names on the “creep list” of well-known, predatory U.S. legislators? CNN has the list. Why won’t they publish it? If you are a feminist, you must ignore your party’s “icons” and demand a house cleaning.  If your boss grabs your ass, you can’t brush it off. When someone suggests that sexual cooperation will be good for your future, you must tell everyone who will listen — and even people who don’t want to hear. If you know a colleague is preying on subordinates, if you suspect a parent is exploiting his or her child — even if you have avoided the leering eye — it is your obligation to get involved.  Make this your New Year’s resolution: Speak up!

Thomas Kachadurian is a photographer, designer, and author. He lives on Old Mission with his wife and two children. He is a member and past president of the Traverse Area District Library Board of Trustees.