Packwood Case a `Parable' For Society, Panelists Say

The case of Robert Packwood (R-Ore.), the senator accused of sexually harassing 20 women over the past 25 years, is a "parable" that demonstrates society's acceptance of sexual harassment, according to panelists at an Institute of Politics forum yesterday.

Two panelists at the sparsely attended discussion, political consultant Julie Williamson and Gina Hutton, said they were harassed by the senator. Other panelists included retired Oregon justice Betty Roberts and lawyers Elizabeth McKenna and Martha Langelan.

Florence Graves, an IOP research fellow and one of the Washington Post investigative reporters who broke the Packwood story, moderated the discussion, held at the Kennedy School.

The Packwood case was the focus of discussion because it is historically unique and yet highly typical of the problems in a harassment situation, according to the panelists.

Packwood is the only senator ever to face charges of sexual harassment, but represents the imbalance of power common to harassment situations, said Langelan, who specializes in sexual harassment. The harasser, Langelan said, uses his position of authority to prevent women from retaliating against him.

"Harassment is the Watergate mentality of arrogance and power," Graves said. "It is about saying, `You may have a good job, you may be smart, but I have the power in this situation."

One way a harasser creates an imbalance of power is by "improperly sexualizing" a situation, according to panelists.

"Improper sexualization," said Langelan, "is the assertion of the primacy of a woman's sexuality over her identity as an employer, a student, an employee, a colleague or just a human being."

Graves called the Packwood affair "a parable of our times" which demonstrates societal acceptance of the exploitation of the vulnerable by the powerful.

The panelists urged women to assert themselves with harassers by ending their "silent complicity," saying that silence will exacerbate the harassment.