美国国家公共电台 NPR Is Redemption Possible In The Aftermath Of #MeToo?

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Today marks two years since the #MeToo movement burst into plain view with The New York Times reporting Harvey Weinstein. #MeToo has brought down hordes¹ of powerful men accused of sexual misconduct. Many of them are now attempting to make a comeback. So today, we begin a series of stories looking at this phase in #MeToo and asking questions about rehabilitation², redemption and reentry. As NPR's Tovia Smith reports, some say it's time for more focus on the road back for offenders³.

TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE⁴: Some guys who are ousted⁵ for alleged⁶ sexual misconduct have been talking about comebacks since the day they were accused. But the pace of those actually doing it seems to be picking up.

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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, Louis C.K.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AL FRANKEN: Hi, this is Al Franken. I have a new podcast, and it's great.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH PROGRAM")

MICHAEL SMERCONISH: Now, this is Mark Halperin. Hey, Mark. Thanks so much for coming back to the program.

MARK HALPERIN: You're nice to invite me. I really appreciate it.

SMITH: From comedian⁷ Louis C.K. to former U.S. Senator Al Franken and once-TV political pundit⁸ Mark Halperin, their alleged offenses¹⁰ run the gamut¹¹, as do their expressions of remorse¹². And it's all fueling questions about what it should take to be worthy¹³ of a return.

TARANA BURKE: We have to grapple with the question of who can come back and who can't. We can't move to a culture that eliminates sexual violence if we're not dealing¹⁴ with how harm-doers become harm-doers and how they undo¹⁵ that.

SMITH: Tarana Burke, the activist¹⁶ who coined the term #MeToo, says her focus remains¹⁷ on supporting survivors¹⁹. But she says society should also focus more on rehabilitating²⁰ the perpetrators, not so much for their sake as for the sake of real, lasting²¹ change.

BURKE: Leaving them in a heap on the side of the road is not the answer. Allowing them to sneak²² back in through the back door is not the answer and act like nothing happened. None of those are the answer, right? There should be an expectation that there's real rehabilitation and that they have seen the light and want to make dramatic shifts in their behavior.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH PROGRAM")

HALPERIN: I'd like to again apologize to the women that I mistreated and...

SMITH: Halperin tried to jump-start his comeback on "The Michael Smerconish Program" about a year and a half after he was fired amid allegations of aggressive sexual propositioning, forcible contact and lewd²³ behavior. It was also a few months before announcing he's got a new book coming out.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH PROGRAM")

HALPERIN: I know I need to continue to grow. I wasn't a perfect person when I made these mistakes. I'm not a perfect person now. I'm happy to be judged by perfect people, but I want to be someone who can work. I have...

SMITH: But contrition²⁴ is in the eye of the beholder²⁵. And some, including accuser Dianna May, don't see it.

DIANNA MAY: It feels like Mark is checking boxes and that all he really seems to care about right now is reestablishing his career.

SMITH: Halperin declined to comment for this report. In the past, he's admitted to outrageous²⁶, aggressive and crude behavior, but he's denied some of the worst allegations. To May, it proves he still doesn't get it.

MAY: I'm not just continuing to kick the guy in the teeth because I'm a mean, vengeful person. It's hard work to be forgiven, and Mark is not there.

SMITH: Others, however, like his publisher Judith Regan, insist Halperin's apology and the price he's paid should be enough.

JUDITH REGAN: You know, he has been humiliated²⁷. He lost all of his jobs. And I think that we cannot as a society just take all of these men and condemn²⁸ them to a life of unemployment and perpetual shame.

SMITH: When pressed about the risk to others, Regan sighs.

REGAN: You know, maybe you don't put them in positions of authority over women. I can understand that. But, you know, in the case of Mark Halperin writing a book in his apartment, I don't see what harm there is.

SMITH: So then how do we decide who gets to come back and when? When it's criminal, we have judges and sentencing guidelines. Is it possible here to come up with some way to weigh the egregiousness²⁹ of the offense⁹, the sincerity³⁰ of the apology, the risk and all the intangibles to determine who's worthy?

ARI WILKENFELD: It's going to be subjective³¹, but I really do feel like we're going to know it when we see it.

SMITH: Attorney Ari Wilkenfeld, who represents harassment³² victims, has been trying to conceive some kind of roadmap for the road back. Even the most sincere apology, he says, is just a start. There also needs to be a process of restitution³³, so those who were part of the problem can become part of the solution.

WILKENFELD: We're two years out now. And it's very disappointing because, you know, just as much as we need to get people out of the workplace who are dangerous, we should be looking to get people back into the workplace who have learned their lesson and are willing to teach it to others. That's more valuable than, you know, expelling somebody for life.

SMITH: To many others, the very suggestion of redemption is both premature³⁴ and misguided. Wellesley College women's studies professor Leigh Gilmore says we should be worrying about victims recovering what they lost.

LEIGH GILMORE: How do you come back from having your mentor³⁵ destroy your career? How do you come back from having your boss ask you for sexual favors? Those are the questions I think we should be taking up, not how the guys come back and get to have the next stage of their careers.

ZOE BROCK: I don't even really know where to begin with the trauma³⁶ that it brings up for me and, I'm sure, many other people.

SMITH: Model and actress Zoe Brock is one of the many who accused former film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct. She worries about sending the message that guys can just take a short timeout and then come back to the table. That, she says, could have a chilling effect on reporting and erode³⁷ the progress made by #MeToo.

BROCK: I think we're in, you know, a massive amount of danger of having all of this stuff continue. I beg of anyone listening out there, like, don't ever be complacent³⁸ about it.

SMITH: But even some of the staunchest survivor¹⁸ advocates insist a road back for offenders is not at odds³⁹ with what most victims want. They say survivors are usually less interested in punishing perpetrators than they are in preventing them from doing it again. For serial⁴⁰ predators⁴¹, maybe not, but many sexual harassers can be rehabilitated⁴², according to a burgeoning⁴³ industry of consultants⁴⁵, coaches, counselors⁴⁶ and therapists now being called in to work with them.

AMY OPPENHEIMER: The people that I work with are people who are crossing lines, who are not handling the power that they have appropriately. But they can be turned around.

SMITH: Attorney Amy Oppenheimer recalls one particularly haughty⁴⁷ executive she worked with who showed up angry that he even had to be there until she started letting him know how much his employees hated working for him.

OPPENHEIMER: And he started to cry. And obviously, some of these habits are really hard to change. But the fact is that there's something there I can work with.

SMITH: Ultimately, it's up to employers to monitor employees to ensure conduct is turned around and the workplace is safe. But HR consultant⁴⁴ Dan Guliano says that's where the roadblock tends to be. Companies are less concerned with philosophical⁴⁸ questions of redemption, he says, than they are about pragmatic ones of liability and reputation.

DAN GULIANO: The employer doesn't have an awful lot of leeway here. You can't say to the rest of the workforce⁴⁹, give the guy a chance. It just doesn't work. I'm going to let that person go. Is it the right thing? Is it the moral thing? Is it the ethical⁵⁰ thing? That's a whole other ball of wax there.

SMITH: And even as a practical thing, Guliano concedes, it's also problematic since those who are let go obviously don't just disappear. They're still among us, mostly not famous, and likely to land in a cubicle⁵¹ across town next to someone else who has no idea.

Tovia Smith, NPR News.

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1 hordes   

n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落

参考例句：

• There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
• Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

3 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

8 pundit   

n.博学之人；权威

参考例句：

• Even the outstanding excellent graduate will learn constantly if he likes to be a pundit.即使最优秀的结业生，要想成为一个博学的人也要不断地研究。
• He is a well known political pundit.他是一个著名的政治专家。

9 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

10 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

11 gamut   

n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识

参考例句：

• The exhibition runs the whole gamut of artistic styles.这次展览包括了所有艺术风格的作品。
• This poem runs the gamut of emotions from despair to joy.这首诗展现了从绝望到喜悦的感情历程。

12 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

13 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

16 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

19 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

20 rehabilitating   

改造（罪犯等）( rehabilitate的现在分词 )； 使恢复正常生活； 使恢复原状； 修复

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• She was more concerned about protecting the public than rehabilitating the criminal. 她比较关心保护百姓，而不大关心改造罪犯。

21 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

22 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

23 lewd   

adj.淫荡的

参考例句：

• Drew spends all day eyeing up the women and making lewd comments.德鲁整天就盯着女人看，说些下流话。
• I'm not that mean,despicable,cowardly,lewd creature that horrible little man sees. 我可不是那个令人恶心的小人所见到的下流、可耻、懦弱、淫秽的家伙。

24 contrition   

n.悔罪，痛悔

参考例句：

• The next day he'd be full of contrition,weeping and begging forgiveness.第二天，他就会懊悔不已，哭着乞求原谅。
• She forgave him because his contrition was real.她原谅了他是由于他的懊悔是真心的。

25 beholder   

n.观看者，旁观者

参考例句：

• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 看起来觉得美就是美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet. 有人说艺术是一种幽会，因为艺术家和欣赏者可在幽会的乐趣中相遇在一起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

27 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

28 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

29 egregiousness   

Egregiousness

参考例句：

30 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

31 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

32 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

33 restitution   

n.赔偿；恢复原状

参考例句：

• It's only fair that those who do the damage should make restitution.损坏东西的人应负责赔偿，这是再公平不过的了。
• The victims are demanding full restitution.受害人要求全额赔偿。

34 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

35 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

36 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

37 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

38 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

39 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

40 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

41 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

42 rehabilitated   

改造（罪犯等）( rehabilitate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使恢复正常生活； 使恢复原状； 修复

参考例句：

• He has been rehabilitated in public esteem. 公众已恢复对他的敬重。
• Young persons need to be, wherever possible, rehabilitated rather than punished. 未成年人需要受到尽可能的矫正而不是惩罚。

43 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

44 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

45 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

46 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

47 haughty   

adj.傲慢的，高傲的

参考例句：

• He gave me a haughty look and walked away.他向我摆出傲慢的表情后走开。
• They were displeased with her haughty airs.他们讨厌她高傲的派头。

48 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

49 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

50 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

51 cubicle   

n.大房间中隔出的小室

参考例句：

• She studies in a cubicle in the school library.她在学校图书馆的小自习室里学习。
• A technical sergeant hunches in a cubicle.一位技术军士在一间小屋里弯腰坐着。