Why Now? | Hidden Brain What has changed in our minds and in our culture so that allegations of sexual harassment and assault are being taken so much more seriously than they were in prior decades?
In 1989, The Gloucester Daily Times reviewed The Widow's Blind Date, written by Israel Horovitz (center). It's a play that depicts a woman confronting her rapists. Jocelyn Meinhardt (right), who worked on the play at the time, says she was sexually assaulted by Horovitz.
Gloucester Daily Times via Massachusetts Document Retrieval
Laura Crook is pictured outside her home in Gloucester, Mass., last fall. She was in her 20s when she performed in Israel Horovitz's 1990 production of Strong-Man's Weak Child. Crook is one of six women who accused Horovitz of sexual misconduct in 1993.
Courtesy of Patrice Howard
In the 1990s, Laura Crook performed in the Israel Horovitz plays Strong-Man's Weak Child and North Shore Fish. Crook says Horovitz assaulted her on multiple occasions.
Courtesy of Laura Crook
Poster for Israel Horovitz's production of North Shore Fish, whose cast included actor Laura Crook. Crook was one of the women who anonymously accused Horovitz of sexual misconduct in 1993.
Courtesy of Laura Crook
Jana Mestecky was an assistant and later stage manager for Israel Horovitz in the 1990s. Mestecky says during that time, Horovitz kissed and groped her against her will.
Courtesy of Jana Mestecky
Jana Mestecky (left) poses for a cast photo during production of the play Des rats et des hommes, directed by Israel Horovitz (front, third from left). The photo appeared in the French magazine, L'Avant-Scène, in 1994.
Courtesy of Jana Mestecky
Maia Ermansons met Israel Horovitz (pictured) when she was 11, and thought of him as a mentor and grandfatherly figure. In 2016 — a decade after this picture was taken — she called him out in a Facebook post and accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 21. During the encounter, she says Horovitz told her, "Maia, no great woman ever became great by being a good girl."
Courtesy of Maia Ermansons
Maia Ermansons accused Israel Horovitz of sexually assaulting her in a Facebook post in 2016.
via Facebook
We reached out to Israel Horovitz via email, phone, and mailed letters. Over email, he declined an interview, but said he finds sexual violence against women to be "abhorrent and intolerable."
via Hidden Brain
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Nearly a quarter century ago, a group of women accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct. A Boston newspaper published allegations of sexual harassment, unwanted touching and forced kissing. For the most part, the complaints went nowhere.
In 2017, more women came forward with accusations. This time, everybody listened.
On this episode of Hidden Brain, we explore the story through the lens of social science and ask, "Why Now?"
What has changed in our minds and in our culture so that allegations of sexual harassment and assault are being taken so much more seriously than they were in prior decades?
A note for listeners: This story includes descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. It may not be suitable for all listeners.
Hidden Brain is hosted by Shankar Vedantam and produced by Maggie Penman, Jennifer Schmidt, Rhaina Cohen, Parth Shah, and Renee Klahr. Our supervising producer is Tara Boyle. You can also follow us on Twitter @hiddenbrain, and listen for Hidden Brain stories each week on your local public radio station.
