美国国家公共电台 NPR Women Are Speaking Up About Harassment And Abuse, But Why Now?

 

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

For decades, women generally kept quiet about being sexually harassed¹ or even assaulted at work. But just in the last few weeks, hundreds have come forward with their own stories. So what's changed? Are we at a turning point when it comes to outing sexual misconduct? NPR's Elizabeth Blair went to find out. A note to listeners - her story includes some graphic² details.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE³: Let's take a look at what happened to a woman who came forward at a time when people didn't talk about this stuff.

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JOE BIDEN: Committee will come to order. Welcome back, professor Hill.

BLAIR: In October 1991, all eyes were on a Senate hearing in Washington as covered by ABC and NBC.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: And they will be continuing the attacks either on Thomas or on Hill. That drama will play out until 6:00 p.m.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Anita Hill arrived in Washington under heavy police guard because of telephone threats.

BLAIR: Anita Hill, an African-American law professor, went before an all-male panel. She testified that then Supreme⁴ Court nominee⁵ Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her.

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ANITA HILL: His conversations were very vivid. He spoke⁶ about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals and films showing group sex or rape⁷ scenes.

BLAIR: In response, senators grilled⁸ her.

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ALAN SIMPSON: Why in God's name would you ever speak to a man like that the rest of your life?

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ARLEN SPECTER: How could you allow this kind of reprehensible⁹ conduct to go on right in the headquarters without doing something about it?

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HOWELL HEFLIN: Are you a scorned woman?

BLAIR: Anita Hill kept her cool.

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HILL: It was a very, very trying day.

BLAIR: Today Anita Hill teaches law, social policy and gender¹⁰ studies at Brandeis University. She says by asking questions like, why didn't you speak up, they were answering them.

HILL: They were exhibiting the exact kind of behavior that keeps people from coming forward.

BLAIR: Shame, character assassinations¹¹ - the episode took over Anita Hill's life. She was famously referred to as a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty. Years later, the author of that line apologized, saying it wasn't true. Crucially, there were three other women in Washington ready to testify to corroborate¹² Hill's account. The Senate panel never called them. Anita Hill says back then, sexual harassment¹³ wasn't taken seriously.

HILL: You even had courts that said, well, these are personal matters and not any matter that the law has any business dealing¹⁴ with.

NIOBE WAY: That could never happen now. Literally¹⁵ that could never happen now.

BLAIR: Niobe Way teaches developmental psychology¹⁶ at New York University. She remembers watching the Anita Hill hearing.

WAY: Looking back on it, it sort of embarrasses me that I didn't see it as a larger issue that it was. I saw it as an issue, you know, true to that context and that Anita Hill was speaking her truth. But I didn't see it as a larger pattern.

BLAIR: While many people discredited¹⁷ Anita Hill, her testimony¹⁸ opened the window. Sexual harassment claims to the Equal Opportunity Employment Office doubled. Over time, awareness¹⁹ and coverage²⁰ of sexual misconduct became part of the culture. Anita Hill...

HILL: Since 1991, we have been raising children, daughters in particular, with the understanding that sexual harassment is illegal and it shouldn't be tolerated and that it's wrong.

BLAIR: And more and more, we have scenes like this.

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GLORIA ALLRED: Thank you for coming today. I'm attorney Gloria Allred. Today I'm here with two new accusers of Bill Cosby.

BLAIR: Gloria Allred works on some of the most high-profile sexual misconduct cases in entertainment, the military, sports.

ALLRED: I like women to have access to justice.

BLAIR: Allred thinks the reason so many women are coming forward now is a kind of domino effect.

ALLRED: The more women speak out, the more other women want to speak out. And those who have in their view perpetrated wrongs against them now are facing accountability in the court of public opinion. The wrongdoers or the alleged²¹ wrongdoers have faced very serious consequences themselves.

BLAIR: Cosby, Bill O'Reilly, the late Roger Ailes, Harvey Weinstein - mighty²² figures continue to fall daily. Did their accusers speak out because of the reasons we've talked about - strength in numbers, greater awareness, consequences for perpetrators? Reporter Ronan Farrow, who covered Weinstein for The New Yorker, told NPR earlier this month there's another reason women are coming forward.

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RONAN FARROW: A factor in their decision was that he was less able to hurt them - was one exact quote that was used by one. And look. You've seen that in a number of cases about high-profile men recently - that allegations only emerge when their grip on power and success slips.

BLAIR: But most everyone I interviewed for this story says the real catalyst²³ started with the infamous²⁴ video released by The Washington Post last year.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP²⁵: And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.

BILLY BUSH: Whatever you want.

TRUMP: Grab them by the [expletive].

BLAIR: The "Access Hollywood" tape rankled²⁶ a lot of women. During the presidential campaign, there were also allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump.

JODI ENDA: Trump has reinvigorated feminism and the women's movement in a way that nothing has done for decades.

BLAIR: Journalist Jodi Enda points to the women's march on Washington the day after President Trump's inauguration²⁷.

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ALICIA KEYS: Ladies and gentlemen, are we here?

BLAIR: The women's march drew one of the largest crowds ever to Washington. Enda covered it for CNN.

ENDA: That was sort of the first inkling that we had that this really was something. Women were upset. And like the old movie, they weren't going to take it anymore.

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KEYS: Feet on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Feet on the ground.

KEYS: Not backing down.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Not backing down.

KEYS: (Singing) This girl is on fire.

BLAIR: But clearly not every woman felt the same way. Forty-two percent voted for President Trump. It's also true that there are still plenty of women who don't feel safe coming forward. So is the fact that so many are speaking out now a true turning point? Niobe Way says no.

WAY: We don't address the problem - the deeper, deeper problem, not the superficial problem but the deeper problem.

BLAIR: That being how boys are raised, says Way. She's been looking at this for more than two decades. Her book is called "Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships And The Crisis Of Connection."

WAY: We essentially²⁸ raise boys in a culture that asks them to disconnect from their core humanity, which is their desire for relationships and all sorts of things that the boys articulate that they want - not only to disconnect from it but to say that if you are that way, if you're emotional, relational, et cetera, then you're not a man.

BLAIR: Way says that leads to a culture that accepts lonely and aggressive boys and ultimately puts them in positions of power. I ran this idea by some students at American University. Men and women alike nodded in agreement.

JEAN THOMPSON: The first thing that came to my mind was the whole boys will be boys thing.

BLAIR: Jean Thompson and Matt Goldan point to movies and TV shows that depict²⁹ old stereotypes³⁰ - "Superman," romantic comedies.

MATT GOLDAN: In the culture, you have a sense of toxic³¹ masculinity where men are kind of expected to have bravado³², to be a little bit more aggressive in, like, talking to...

THOMPSON: Pay for dinner.

GOLDAN: Pay for dinner, yeah, absolutely.

THOMPSON: (Laughter).

GOLDAN: So right off the bat, you have a sense of very, very different roles. And I think it makes it easier for that whole messaging to get distorting in a way that could be conducive³³ to, you know, sexual assault.

BLAIR: And not just sexual assault, says Niobe Way, but all kinds of violence. She says the culture continues to divide these problems as if their roots are different.

WAY: We look at mass violence, and we're all writing articles about mass violence. Then we have a rapist, and we're all writing articles about rape. Then we have an article about police violence, and we're focused on police violence without understanding that there's a common root across those problems. If you raise boys to go against their nature, some of them will grow up and act crazy.

BLAIR: Meantime, allegations of sexual misconduct and consequences for many of the accused continue to rise. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

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1 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

2 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

8 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

9 reprehensible   

adj.该受责备的

参考例句：

• Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。
• It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。

10 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

11 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

12 corroborate   

v.支持，证实，确定

参考例句：

• He looked at me anxiously,as if he hoped I'd corroborate this.他神色不安地看着我，仿佛他希望我证实地的话。
• It appeared that what he said went to corroborate my account.看来他所说的和我叙述的相符。

13 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

16 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

17 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

18 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

19 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

20 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

21 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

22 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

23 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

24 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

25 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

26 rankled   

v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her comments still rankled. 她的评价仍然让人耿耿于怀。
• The insult rankled in his mind. 这种侮辱使他心里难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

28 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

29 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

30 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

31 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

32 bravado   

n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能

参考例句：

• Their behaviour was just sheer bravado. 他们的行为完全是虚张声势。
• He flourished the weapon in an attempt at bravado. 他挥舞武器意在虚张声势。

33 conducive   

adj.有益的，有助的

参考例句：

• This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
• Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。