Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain addresses the media Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Cain said Tuesday that he would not drop his bid for the Republicans’ presidential nomination in the face of decade-old allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. (AP Photo/Matt York)Matt York/The Associated Press
Overt sexual harassment in the workplace – sexist jokes and employees screening pornography on their computers -- is harder to deny than the more subtle variety, a grope following a work dinner, a lewd advance in an office.
This pattern of harassment, when it becomes public, often devolves into a "he-said-she-said" polemic, and an attack on the accuser's character.
The allegations against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain follow the second pattern: a person in a position of power accused of coercive sexual behaviour towards underlings.
Mr. Cain has denied inappropriate behaviour occurred during the 1990s when he was with the National Restaurant Association. And nothing has been proven in court. He says he does not know who one of his four alleged victims is, calling Sharon Bialet a "troubled woman."
One Washington blogger called this response the "nutty and slutty" strategy – an attempt to smear a victim by portraying her as a person with a questionable past and shaky mental faculties. This framing of such events has become so predictable that it strains credulity. While the facts remain unclear, the restaurant association paid settlements to two of the women; all four are said to be thinking of holding a joint press conference. Why would they subject themselves to this degree of public scrutiny for no reason at all? It may not be a coincidence that Mr. Cain's unfavourable ratings among Republicans have gone up to 35 per cent from 18 per cent, in the past 10 days.
It is remarkable that in spite of "zero tolerance" policies, sexual harassment in the workplace remains a common problem. CEOs and leaders should not leave the issue to human-resources handbooks. They need to personally communicate the consequences of harassment, so those in positions of power and influence don't feel immune. "Role modelling from the top makes a difference," notes Shari Graydon, an author and advocate.
The script is getting stale. The public cannot be counted on to go along with the notion that every single person ever to allege sexual harassment by a co-worker or boss, sometimes a famous one, is mentally deranged or promiscuous. Besides, the victim doesn't have to be a saint to be credible.