Hello!
It's me, Michael Bach, your Diversity Dude,
and it's time for the first episode of Monday Morning Musings of 2018.
Yay!
Happy New Year!
Bonne année!
It's Monday, January the 8th.
It's our first day back.
So many things...
So excited. I had a great break.
I hope you did too.
And I don't even know where to begin with things I want to talk about, but today's episode,
I'm going to talk about the Golden Globes, last night at the Golden Globes.
Now, many people...
My hair is awful today.
Sorry. It's snowing so badly here in Toronto and I had to wear a hat and it just...
I just...
It's looking very...
Anyway.
If you didn't watch the Golden Globes -- I don't normally watch awards ceremonies.
I find them to just be Hollywood kind of self-gratifying themselves in front of the world,
and I don't really care.
So I don't usually watch.
But this one was very much a protest.
It was very much all about the Me Too movement.
Everyone wore black, or most people wore black,
and if you didn't wear black, you stood out like a sore thumb.
In most of the speeches, at least all of the women stood up
and really talked about the women in their lives and supporting women.
Natalie Portman, in introducing the Best Director, said: "And here are your all-male Best Director nominees."
So, this was a gloves-off, it's time to make change...
Oprah.
If you didn't watch Oprah's speech, Google it.
Watch it on the interweb.
She's incredible.
Yeah.
That's all I'll say about that.
But it got me thinking about Canada.
And, of course, if you didn't read about it, recently Albert Schultz,
one of the founders and artistic director of Soul Pepper Theatre in Toronto,
has been called out by four actors who have brought civil suits against him
related to sexually inappropriate behaviour, unwanted touching, etc.
And, you know, that's the artistic world, that's the sort of rich and famous theatre, film, TV...
But the reality is, this behaviour is happening all the time, every day,
in every community across the country, in every profession,
banks, hospitals, coffee shops, you name it.
Wherever there's a power dynamic, wherever there are people, there is inappropriate behaviour.
Whether it's between men and women, between men and men, and between women and women,
we see it all the time, and it has to stop.
So I guess, what I was thinking about was twofold.
First of all, my message is primarily to men,
and that is to say: Knock it off.
You're on notice. We're watching.
There is no world in which it is appropriate to make comments, to touch,
to have sex or expect sex with a colleague, be it a subordinate or a superior, it's just not appropriate.
And that's sex with a woman or a man.
It's not appropriate and it needs to stop.
Get your jollies elsewhere.
I don't care what you do.
First of all, you should just masturbate more.
But, go away.
Stop it.
It needs to end.
And you're on notice, because the world is watching.
And if you think it's going to stop with Albert Schultz, you're wrong.
We're not even close to done in terms of the impact of the Me Too movement.
And also the Time's Up initiative in the United States with the legal defense fund
for women who were victims of sexual violence.
And the other is to the HR departments of the world, and say: Come on.
This is enough.
Everyone claims to have a 'zero tolerance' policy,
but then you hear about HR people who are advising the victims who come forward and saying:
"Well, you know, boys will be boys."
Or "You shouldn't have worn such a short skirt."
Victim blaming is done.
It's 2018, it's done.
We did that last year, we don't do it anymore.
You have to have a policy.
You have to have a procedure that takes these things very seriously and responds accordingly.
I don't care how big a biller a person is or how much they bring into the organization
or how long they've been there.
If a person is proven to have committed sexual assault,
if they've done something that is frankly illegal,
then the punishment is not to continue their employment and put them through 'sensitivity training',
it's to fire them.
That's punishment.
Every employer needs to do that.
They need to really stick to the zero tolerance policy
because Albert Schultz is the first, and there will be more.
Mark my words that 2018 will see a lot of high-powered men fall because of their behaviour.
As they should.
So, it's time for all of us to work together to create a space where people can work and do their jobs
and not fear some sort of reprisal
or fear coming forward with allegations related to sexual assault or inappropriate touching, comments, bullying.
It needs to end.
So, how's that for a first Monday Morning Musings?
Have a fantastic week.
I hope you're all enjoying being back at work.
I know you're not, but whatever.
It's snowing outside. Don't worry, in a few months that'll be gone.
Remember to subscribe to my channel.
It'll be here somewhere, there's a link, something to click on. I don't know.
And I will see you next Monday for another episode of Monday Morning Musings.
Bye!