Powerful Men

What is it with men and power?

May 14 a maid at Sofitel in New York enters a luxe suite and finds Strauss-Kahn, French presidental candidate and head of International Monetary Fund, naked. The maid apologizes and turns around to leave, only to be chased down by Mr. Strauss-Kahn. The victim says she was then assaulted and forced to perform oral sex.

Strauss-Kahn, after resigning from IMF, has denied all charges. While innocent until proven guilty, it makes me wonder what is going on with powerful men. This is not the first time (and definitely not the last) when a man in power has been accused of sexual assaults or inappropriate behavior towards women.

In her article "What is it about power that makes men crazy?" in the Time magazine (May 30, 2011) Nancy Gibbs writes: "More often than not, the women involved [in a sexual assault case] weigh the stakes and decide to be silent, judging that the burden of proof is high and that they have little to gain and so much to lose."

What kind of society are we living in, when women assaulted by men (powerful or not) have to be afraid to accuse them?

Bill Clinton, John. F. Kennedy, Roman Polanski, Eliot Spitzer, Mike Tyson, Anthony Weiner. Just a few men guilty of misusing their position and power for their sexual desires. And I'm not even gonna mention Silvio Berlusconi (oops.. I think I just did).

According to research women working under men feel they are left with very few options when it comes to reacting to harassment. Refusing to play along would affect their lives negatively, so many go along with an affair, or just decide not to report assaults. 

It seems like the rules the ordinary people have to live by don't apply to men with money and power. When you gain certain position in society, you can go around the laws more easily. But power, especially in politics, is a responsibility and not a privilege.

Power is a tricky thing and I understand it makes people go crazy sometimes, to lose reality for a moment. But us not treating crimes committed by politicians the same way we treat crimes committed by others is something I can not and will not understand or accept. 

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
-Abraham Lincoln