美国国家公共电台 NPR For Many #MeToo Accusers, Speaking Up Is Just The Beginning

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Two years ago, people began using the #MeToo hashtag and posting their sexual harassment¹ and assault experiences online. It's one of the biggest changes to sweep the workplace in decades. But what became of the women inspired by #MeToo? NPR's Yuki Noguchi has been taking a look.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE²: Dina Lee Almeida says three years ago, the CEO of a TV distribution firm she produced shows for grabbed and propositioned her for sex. As he became more aggressive, she complained to the company's lawyer. Nothing happened. Later, she says, the CEO pressured her to sign what amounted to a confidentiality³ agreement.

DINA LEE ALMEIDA: And I absolutely refused. I would never, ever sign that.

NOGUCHI: The Florida company, Olympusat, terminated her contract. Then came the #MeToo movement. A global groundswell of cases like Almeida's rippled⁴ through Hollywood, newsrooms, tech companies and politics. The number of sex harassment claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission spiked⁵ almost 14% last year.

Almeida says #MeToo gave her confidence and camaraderie⁶. She weighed the risks. She was a one-person contractor⁷ going up against a powerful executive. In June, she filed suit, detailing her claims of sexual harassment and retaliation⁸.

ALMEIDA: It changes everything. You become a different person.

NOGUCHI: She says it's also devastated⁹ her career and finances. Clients are reluctant to hire her for fear of getting involved.

ALMEIDA: I'd like to retire from the business - just don't feel happy. I lost the passion. Does that make sense?

NOGUCHI: Now Almeida and the company are tangled¹⁰ in lawsuits¹¹. The company and Tom Mohler, the CEO, declined comment on her ongoing¹² case. In a separate suit, Olympusat says Almeida was fired for taking kickbacks¹⁴. In court papers, Almeida counters that was not a kickback¹³ but an entirely¹⁵ unrelated contract with another firm.

Despite the high personal toll¹⁶, Almeida says it hasn't changed her mind about speaking out.

ALMEIDA: From a spiritual standpoint, I believe in miracles. I've already won.

NOGUCHI: There's a common refrain among people who've told me their #MeToo stories. On one hand, there's relief and solidarity¹⁷ in talking openly. On the other, speaking out often takes a great personal toll - emotional and financial.

There isn't much data about the outcome of #MeToo complaints for a number of reasons. Most cases never make it to court. Details of investigations¹⁸ often remain under wraps because of settlements and confidentiality agreements. Plus, many more people never come forward.

Half of employees fear retaliation if they report illegal or unethical behavior at work, according to a recent survey by HR Acuity¹⁹, a company that tracks internal investigations. CEO Deb Muller says another problem is that about half of complaints aren't even investigated by their employers.

DEB MULLER: So if someone is courageous²⁰ enough to come forward, you have to make sure that when they come forward, something happens.

NOGUCHI: Sharyn Tejani is director of the Time's Up Legal Defense²¹ Fund, created to support people bringing #MeToo cases. She says legal help is unaffordable for many paramedics, housekeepers²² and waitresses. The fund is now fighting 160 sex harassment cases in court. Tejani says retaliation is a factor in nearly all of them.

SHARYN TEJANI: For low-wage workers, that can look like shifts being cut, being told there's no work for you, being assigned to a shift that earns you less money or being outright²³ fired.

NOGUCHI: One thing that surprised Tejani is how many of the accused are fighting back - even filing their own lawsuits. That speaks to a strong and vocal²⁴ backlash against #MeToo. Take Jamie Marchi. Marchi is a successful video game and anime voice actor.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JAMIE MARCHI: (As Gou) OK, Dad. We're out. See you next time.

NOGUCHI: Marchi worked alongside Victor Mignogna, who has his own fan following.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARCHI: (As Gou) Wow. How long have you been holding on to this?

VICTOR MIGNOGNA: (As Rin) Long enough, I think. It's yours now. Keep it safe.

NOGUCHI: After numerous women came forward accusing Mignogna of sexual harassment, Marchi took to Twitter. In February, she posted her own account of Mignogna grabbing her by the hair and harassing²⁵ her eight years ago.

MARCHI: I found out that he had pulled the hair of at least half a dozen women that I knew, and we had never discussed it.

NOGUCHI: Funimation, an entertainment company, investigated, then fired Mignogna. His attorney did not respond to requests seeking comment. In the nine months since the reaction, mostly from Mignogna's fans, has been fierce. One even raised funds for a defamation²⁶ suit, going on YouTube to attack Marchi.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: ...To take away a man's livelihood²⁷, you deserve to be ground into dust.

NOGUCHI: Mignogna eventually did sue Marchi and others for posting their allegations on Twitter. A judge dismissed that case. Marchi nevertheless received death threats.

MARCHI: The front door to my house has been posted online. My fiance's children's names have been posted online.

NOGUCHI: Marchi says she's lost an untold²⁸ amount of work as a result.

MARCHI: I did not think that people would actively²⁹ try to sabotage³⁰ my career to keep other people from believing me.

NOGUCHI: And yet, perhaps remarkably³¹, Marchi says she has no regrets about speaking out. She views what happened to her long ago in a new light.

MARCHI: Eight years ago, I dismissed it. I would never dismiss it today.

NOGUCHI: Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF DECEPTIKON'S "INACCESSIBILITY")

1 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。

2 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。

3 confidentiality   

n.秘而不宣，保密

参考例句：

• They signed a confidentiality agreement. 他们签署了一份保守机密的协议。
• Cryptography is the foundation of supporting authentication, integrality and confidentiality. 而密码学是支持认证、完整性和机密性机制的基础。

4 rippled   

使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
• The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。

5 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

6 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

7 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

8 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

10 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

11 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

13 kickback   

n.酬金；佣金，回扣

参考例句：

• Mike got a kickback from a merchant.麦克从商人那里得到了回扣。
• The company had to kickback a lot to the corrupt officer.这家公司必须给腐败的政府官员很大一笔佣金。

14 kickbacks   

n.激烈反应( kickback的名词复数 )；佣金，回扣

参考例句：

• Everyone at City Hall is receiving kickbacks. It's the only way to get anything done there. 市政府里的每个人都收回扣，在那里只有送红包，事情才办得成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• G raft or kickbacks paid to officials or law enforcem ent authorities. 暗中付给官员或执法人员的回扣。 来自互联网

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

16 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

17 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

18 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

19 acuity   

n.敏锐，（疾病的）剧烈

参考例句：

• We work on improving visual acuity.我们致力于提高视觉的敏锐度。
• The nurse may also measure visual acuity.护士还可以检查视敏度。

20 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

21 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

22 housekeepers   

n.（女）管家( housekeeper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you send up one of your housekeepers to make bed? 请你派个女服务员来整理床铺好吗？ 来自互联网
• They work as gas station attendants, firemen, housekeepers,and security personnel. 本句翻译：机器人也能够作为煤气站的服务员，救火队员等保安作用。 来自互联网

23 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

24 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

25 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句

26 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

27 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

28 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

29 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

30 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

31 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。