Hill came forward during Clarence Thomas' undeserved nomination to the United States Supreme Court, in 1991, to expose the sexual harassment by him that she endured at the DOE. She was condemned by men across the country, Republican and Democrat alike.
Hill maintains that Thomas asked her out socially many times during her two years as his assistant, and when she refused he began conversations about sexual acts such as gang rape and bestiality while bragging about his own sexual prowess and penis size.
She put up with this harassment because she believed, as we are taught, that if she did her best work, her career would progress and she would be out of this situation. This thinking almost always results in more abuse and a dead-end, and Hill learned this the hard way.
During the Congressional hearings, witnesses waited to testify on her behalf and due to the actions of now-President Joe Biden, they were never heard. Hill readily agreed, and took a polygraph test, but the men in Congress suddenly took the position that polygraph results cannot be relied upon. Of course, Hill's polygraph results supported her accusations. Thomas did not take a polygraph test.
Thomas claimed racism was at the root a "campaign" against him, because he was a "conservative." His supporters claimed Hill was delusional or had been spurned, leading her to seek revenge. These are standard tactics men use against women to this day.
In 1993, male supremacist hack David Brock wrote a book levelling charges that he eventually recanted. Brock is the worst kind of human being: profiteering off the suffering of another, knowing he is lying, and knowing that he can recant at a later date with no consequences.
Thomas maintains to this day that Hill was acting as an operative for pro-choice liberals fearing that he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Another example of a powerful man covering-up his bad, even criminal, behavior by pretending he is a victim. This makes Thomas the most disgusting kind of perpetrator.
Men have been silencing women's accusations of sexual harassment for thousands of years, but since the latter half of the twentieth century, it is even more egregious because all men know it is wrong, no longer have the excuse of ignorance, and continue to abuse their power. Even on the left I heard men say that if Hill had remained silent, Thomas probably would not have been approved because he was totally unqualified for the position. All this proves is that men, like a pack of animals, always stick together to protect the privilege they believe is their right.
Anita Hill stood up against male supremacy and the most powerful men in the world and was reviled for it. Anita Hill is an American hero.
Photo credit:
Gage Skidmore
No comments:
Post a Comment