The Reichelt affair is probably just a particularly grotesque blueprint of what is also quite possible elsewhere.
(Photo: dpa)
A man who has been using his position of power for years to live out his erotic fantasies with young women. A supervisor who not only covers up for this man after the incidents become known, but also suspects a sophisticated conspiracy behind the allegations – and wants to take action against the victims, not the perpetrators, of the sexualized abuse of power.
All of this – as one would like it to be – should no longer be imaginable in companies in 2022. The events in Germany’s largest publishing house, the case surrounding the former “Bild” editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt and the Axel Springer boss Mathias Döpfner are without a doubt scandalous.
New revelations by the “Financial Times” paint the picture of a publisher’s boss inclined towards conspiracy theories. Now it would be easy to say that it was an isolated case. One that somehow also fits the reputation of the tabloid press – that’s just how it is, the “Bild”.
But it is to be feared that the Springer affair is a particularly grotesque blueprint of what is entirely possible elsewhere.
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Bosses who put the reputation of their company and the careers of high-ranking colleagues before the well-being of their employees. Protect the perpetrators and let the victims run away. Their dearest wish is that none of these cases become public – and not that the women (and men) concerned are given a fair deal:
All of this is not a unique selling point of the Springer affair, but rather runs through many industries.
Often patriarchal chain reactions as a result
Sexualized abuse of power hits the innermost core of the victims – which is why silence often follows. For the victims, “ratting out” superiors and thereby exposing themselves to the ordeal of having to tell their stories over and over again is a horrifying prospect.
If they find the courage to do so, it must be ensured that the clarification of the cases has priority. Many companies have recognized this since the #MeToo debate at the latest, but too many have not yet.
The incidents at “Bild” are a wake-up call. It is precisely through their absurdity that they show what patriarchal chain reactions to sexualized abuse of power often still follow. Ending the suffering of the employees must be the top priority and not the reputation of the company – or even the perpetrators.
More: Deutsche Bank: High-ranking manager had to go because of allegations of sexual harassment