Strategic Insights: Learning from the Military’s Weinstein Moment

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7-31-2018

Strategic Insights: Learning from the Military’s Weinstein Moment Strategic Insights: Learning from the Military’s Weinstein Moment

Leonard Wong

Strategic Studies Institute

, [email protected]

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Strategic Insights: Learning from the Military’s Weinstein Moment

July 31, 2018 | Dr. Leonard Wong

In early October 2017, The New York Times reported multiple allegations of sexual harassment

against powerful Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein.

A few days later, The New Yorker

revealed more allegations against the movie executive to include accusations of sexual assault and

rape.

After more than 80 women stepped forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual abuse, Weinstein

was fired from his production company, ostracized by the film industry, and arrested and charged

with rape and other offenses.

The allegations against Weinstein triggered an unexpected groundswell of women from across

the country who came forward to accuse famous or powerful men of sexual misconduct. The viral

reach of the subsequent #MeToo campaign resulted in the removal of scores of men in positions

of power in Hollywood, journalism, politics, the judiciary, sports, and business. The flurry of

activity led many commentators to conclude that it was a tipping point and a watershed moment

in the nation’s fight against sexual harassment.

It was a national day of reckoning—a time when,

at long last, “sexual misconduct became a fireable offense.”

It was the Weinstein Moment.

Over a quarter century ago, another incident occurred that was also called a tipping point and

watershed moment in the battle against sexual abuse.

The location was a convention center in Las

Vegas, and the event was the 35th Annual Tailhook Association Symposium. The 1991 Tailhook

scandal resulted in 83 women and 7 men being sexually assaulted or molested. Ultimately, the

scandal damaged the careers of 14 U.S. Navy admirals and almost 300 naval aviators. Secretary

of the Navy, H. Lawrence Garrett III, and Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Frank Kelso, were

both present at the convention and respectively resigned and retired early.

By many accounts, Tailhook was the military’s day of reckoning concerning sexual

misconduct.

It was the military’s Harvey Weinstein Moment as the voices of sexual abuse victims,

rather than their more powerful perpetrators, were finally heard. A Weinstein Moment seeks justice

in punishing those who, through rank or privilege, have avoided punishment in the past. A

Weinstein Moment brings attention to the lack of accountability for those in power who use their

position or office to condone sexual misconduct. However, viewing Tailhook as a Weinstein

Moment also highlights that it is just the beginning of a long and arduous process of turning the

tide on sexual assault.

The Tailhook scandal revealed that sexual misconduct is often an institutional issue resulting

from a toxic organizational culture rather than merely errant individual misbehavior. Tailhook

showed that institutions must move beyond Weinstein Moments and shift the focus from a few

bad apples to developing the necessary reforms to prevent sexual abuse from occurring in the

future. For the military, Tailhook—and a subsequent chastening by Congress—eventually

succeeded in forcing significant reforms such as opening positions to women, establishing

comprehensive sexual assault and harassment training, and creating a viable process to report

sexual assault.

While the media attention that a Weinstein Moment brings certainly raises awareness of the

abuse of power, it can also distract from preventing the more prevalent sexual harassment that

occurs in everyday workplaces that are void of celebrities or powerful people. It is in the mundane

routine of ordinary people where the risk of sexual harassment is often the greatest. A recent U.S.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report on harassment in the workplace delineated

the risk factors that increase the probability of harassment.

The risk factors include a mostly

homogenous workforce, environments with significant power disparities, decentralized work

locations, and a significant amount of young adult employees—a reasonably accurate description

of the military’s rank and file workplace. The persistent existence of sexual harassment and assault

in the military in the decades since Tailhook suggests that the main battle against sexual abuse

takes place not in the rarified air of executive suites, but in the trenches of the lower levels on the

organizational chart.

Finally, in the 27 years since Tailhook became the military’s Weinstein Moment, it has become

obvious that sexual harassment policies and directives are of limited value if they are perceived as

reluctant concessions to external political pressure. Weinstein Moments become true tipping points

when actual attitudes, not just observed behaviors, change. Moreover, attitudes are best changed,

not through commemorative months or the latest human resources initiative, but from the actions

and reactions of leaders.

Tailhook was a humiliating, organizational failure. Nevertheless, Tailhook galvanized the

military into viewing sexual misconduct as an institutional problem, rather than an isolated

occurrence, a human resources concern, a public relations crisis, or just a women’s issue. As a

result, the military learned that sexual assault had to be addressed in a straightforward manner

while relying on leadership—not bureaucracy—as the critical asset in combating sexual

misconduct. To be sure, the military will most likely never declare victory in the war against sexual

abuse. But Tailhook provided the military with its Weinstein Moment and the impetus to begin its

long—still unfinished—journey in changing a culture. Perhaps as the country works through its

Weinstein Moment, the military’s steps and missteps in the aftermath of Tailhook can bring insight

and discernment to the process.

ENDNOTES

1. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, “Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for

Decades,” The New York Times, October 5, 2017, available from

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html, accessed July 25, 2018.

2. Ronan Farrow, “From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell

Their Stories,” The New Yorker, October 23, 2017, available from https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-

desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories, accessed July 25,

2018.

3. Noel King, host, “Why ‘The Weinstein Effect’ Seems Like A Tipping Point,” All Things Considered,

National Public Radio (NPR), aired November 4, 2017, 5:43 p.m., ET, available from

https://www.npr.org/2017/11/04/562137110/why-the-weinstein-effect-seems-like-a-tipping-point, accessed July 25,

2018; “Interview with Oprah Winfrey,” CBS This Morning, CBS News, aired October 18, 2017, 10:39 a.m.,

available from https://www.cbsnews.com/video/oprah-winfrey-on-why-harvey-weinstein-scandal-is-a-watershed-

moment/, accessed July 25, 2018.

4. Nellie Bowles, “A Reckoning on Sexual Misconduct? Absolutely. But How Harsh, Women Ask.” The

New York Times, December 5, 2017, available from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/business/sexual-

harassment-debates.html/, accessed July 25, 2018; Jessica Guynn and Marco della Cava, “Harvey Weinstein

effect: Men are getting outed and some are getting fired as women speak up. And it’s spreading.” USA

Today, October 25, 2017, updated October 26, 2017, available from

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/10/25/harvey-weinstein-effect-men-losing-their-jobs-and-reputations-

over-sexual-misconduct-charges-bu/796007001/, accessed July 25, 2018.

5. Robert L. Beck, “Tailhook scandal set stage for gender equality fight,” The San Diego Union-Tribune,

September 1, 2016, available from http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sdut-utbg-

tailhook-navy-women-2016sep01-story.html, accessed July 25, 2018; Art Pine, “Tailhook Helped Steer Navy to

New Course on Sex Abuse,” Los Angeles Times, March 16, 1994, available from

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-16/news/mn-34837_1_navy-women, accessed July 25, 2018.

6. “Navy Has to Keep Working to Drop Tailhook Attitude Report Shows it Passing Part of the Test,”

The Buffalo News, April 24, 1993, available from http://buffalonews.com/1993/04/24/navy-has-to-keep-working-

to-drop-tailhook-attitude-report-shows-it-passing-part-of-the-test/, accessed July 25, 2018.

7. “Chart of Risk Factors for Harassment and Responsive Strategies,” U.S. Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission, n.d., available from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/task_force/harassment/risk-

factors.cfm, accessed July 25, 2018.

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