One of the undeniable truths of life is that most problems are not simple and straightforward but are somewhat complicated. Causes are multifaceted and require multifaceted approaches to the solution. Of course the NFL protests have been in the news quite a bit and now the topic of sexual harassment has come back to the forefront of the societal conversation. I think both of these things have something in common. Both are very emotional issues with very strong opinions that are dividing the people who should be coming together to solve the problems.

We’ve talked quite a bit about the National Anthem protests and how the sitting or kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem is a sign of disrespect. Many players say they do not mean it in a disrespectful manner but it is without a doubt disrespectful. It is intended to be so and that is what draws attention to their cause but it also takes away from the discussion about their cause.

Many of us are also critical of the Hollywood celebrities that are now dumping on Harvey Weinstein for his abhorrent behavior over the last 40 years. And we are rightfully indignant because of their hypocritical stances towards the powerful in Hollywood and those with whom they disagree politically. I understand that many of these women claim to have been harassed by Weinstein himself and others in the power structure of Hollywood and I am not denigrating their experiences in any way shape or form. But these people in Hollywood, as celebrities, have a platform from which they can speak out to a wide audience in America. They have used that platform to achieve political goals yet they were very quiet regarding Weinstein and others, while criticizing their political opponents for having done much less that what Weinstein did.

In both cases, these are causes around which all of us can rally and fight to achieve a solution. It seems that most of the NFL players are concerned about racism and bigotry in our police departments. In the case of Weinstein, sexual harassment occurs in all areas of our society and is not limited to just women being harassed by men. Nor is abuse of police power and authority limited to those in the black community. But in both cases those of us observing the protests, both verbal and demonstrative, feel like we’re talking only about abuse of power against the black community and sexual harassment committed against women by men. I can tell you from personal experience, abusive police power and sexual harassment is not limited to victimization of Blacks or women, respectively. I spoke recently about a specific officer of the law of abusing his power in a situation with me and I have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace as well.

The simple fact is this, whether it is abusive authority in the form of sexual harassment/exploitation or abuse of authority in the public realm, the occurrence of both of these sins against society harms all of us. Whether we are direct victims or not, when these situations occur we all suffer the negative effects in some way. And the worst consequence of our silence when we see it or experience it is that it continues to go on and it often gets worse. Whether it be a potential employer or a public official with authority, once they get away with it they tend to engage in the abhorrent behavior more often. Others see them get away with it and begin to engage in that behavior as well. Thus we have put other people in danger of suffering the indignation of being a victim.

I guess one of the points I am making is that too often we stay silent when we experience abuse of power or harassment or we see it occurring. We have an obligation as members of a civilized society to speak out and stop the behavior, holding those who abuse their authority or position of perceived power accountable for their actions. Believe me, I understand many of the consequences associated with being a whistleblower and realize how difficult it is to make the decision to speak out. But often the right decision is the harder decision. It’s easier for us to ignore the problem and allow someone else to suffer the consequences of our decision than it is for us to step up and very likely suffer some negative consequences for doing so.

We need to move beyond the accusations, especially the broad accusations, such as blaming all white people for problems in the black community or blaming all police for the actions of a few. We need to quit accusing all white men of being sexual predators. We need to understand that the majority of people in positions of authority do not engage in these behaviors and when we find those that do, we must act and hold them accountable. When groups on both sides of these issues begin to understand that and work together, we will make much greater progress towards reducing the occurrence of these situations. We will never eliminate these types of behavior completely, but the sooner we speak out and act, the sooner there will be fewer victims.