Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff

Episode: Economic Update: The #MeToo Movement

Date: April 18, 2019

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Richard D. Wolff explores the economic dimensions of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace, with a particular focus on the #MeToo movement. He is joined in the second half by Dr. Harriet Fraad, a mental health counselor whose work often intersects with political and economic issues. They dissect why issues of workplace sexual abuse have become more visible now, the underlying societal and psychological factors in gender roles, and why real change may finally be happening.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recent Labor Movements & Economic Updates (00:10–15:50)

• Chicago as a Center of Labor Change:

  • Highlight of recent labor victories, including the election of a groundbreaking new mayor and strikes by graduate students and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
  • Discussion of a unique strike at Headley Manufacturing, notable for being led not by a union but by Arise Chicago, a faith-based coalition.

• World Trade Decline:

  • Wolff connects the contraction in world trade to global political instability:
    • "It is hurting the world economy because it's more of a trading world economy than it's ever been." (02:12)
  • He critiques the policies of both the UK’s Conservative Party and the Trump administration for using economic distraction tactics such as Brexit and trade wars.

• Congestion Pricing in New York City:

  • Criticism of congestion pricing as regressive and unfair to working-class people:
    • "For rich people, this is pocket change and will mean nothing. But for middle and low income people... it will be a major burden." (05:55)
  • Points out the influence of corporate interests, especially Uber, in promoting policies that benefit them financially at the public's expense.

• IMF World Economic Outlook:

  • Notes the IMF's criticism of Trump's tariff war and warning about the monopolistic power of American tech giants:
    • "The conclusion of the IMF that Trump's tariff war with China is a colossal mistake." (08:15)
    • "Beware to the whole world of the power of a few tech giants...because they have monopolies." (09:30)

• Deregulation of School Lunches:

  • Discusses lawsuits over USDA's rollback of nutritional requirements, arguing this is motivated by anti-Obama sentiment and corporate interests at the expense of children’s health.

• Trump and Socialism:

  • Quotes Trump’s warning to Republicans about the "power of socialism" and flips it:
    • "The kind of capitalism you champion...is precisely the single most important fuel for the rise of socialism." (14:40)

2. The Economics of Sexual Harassment & the Rise of #MeToo (16:22–28:18)

Defining Workplace Sexual Harassment (16:24–19:15)

• Wolff reads the EEOC’s legal definition to clarify:
  • “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct...when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.” (17:10)
• Emphasizes sexual harassment as a legally recognized crime that shapes economic productivity.

Why #MeToo, Why Now? (19:15–24:19)

• Dr. Harriet Fraad’s Analysis:
  • Shifts in women's roles and attitudes:
    • "The majority of women in the United States are now single for the first time in our history...women are conscious women and who don't want to submit to sex on a man's terms without having a say and participating as equals. That's a big change." (19:20)
  • The diminishing role of religion, especially fundamentalist versions that historically reinforced women's subordination.
  • Rich discussion of biblical passages to demonstrate the roots of women’s subjugation in scripture.
    • "For example, the Southern Baptist Convention...states that women should be subordinate to men." (20:40)
    • "Women are property in the Bible...the woman is property. Don't covet your neighbor's property." (21:54)
  • Concludes that less religious influence and women’s increased independence drive today’s resistance.

Understanding Male Harassment Behavior (24:19–27:15)

• Wolff asks: Why do men engage in harassment? Is it increasing, or just more exposed?
• Dr. Fraad's Psychological Insights:
  • Boys grow up with fewer male role models at home, leading to negative identity formation:
    • "So they grow up with a negative model. I am the not with woman...” (24:42)
  • Discusses how gender roles teach stoicism to boys and subordinate behaviors to girls; media and advertising reinforce hyper-masculinity and objectification of women.
  • Points out how sexual need is the only "approved" male dependency, but also creates discomfort and violence.
    • "It's a terrible thing. And they're not allowed to be needy and dependent. And sex is a need that depends on women....That's probably why...the average prostitute...because after men need her for sexual release, they often kill her because they're killing their own dependency." (26:30)

Is Sexual Harassment Increasing, or Just More Visible? (27:15–28:18)

• Conclusion: The amount of harassment hasn’t changed; what’s changed is visibility and women’s willingness to confront it.
  • “I think there is the same amount as always. I don't think the amount has changed. I think the ability to call it out has changed...women want to put the shame of sexual aggression back on the men who are aggressive and not hold it themselves.” (27:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Wolff on economic distractions:
  "You have to distract your people from it by Brexit does that in England. And Mr. Trump's posturing as the protector of America against a cheating world trade partnership works that game here in the United States." (03:33)
• Fraudulent fairness in policy:
  “What a disaster. First of all, it is grotesquely unfair. For rich people, this is pocket change and will mean nothing. But for middle and low income people... it will be a major burden.” (05:55)
• On the #MeToo movement’s roots:
  "Women are not the property of men the way the Bible designates...letting go of religion...added to women's sense of being equal people who do not have to service men just because men want it." (23:03)
• Fraud on the psychological roots of male behavior:
  "In our sexist society, men are taught to be stoic, to repress their feelings, not be a sissy, not be a female." (25:08)
• On the visibility of harassment:
  “The same amount [of harassment] as always...the ability to call it out has changed.” (27:41)

Segment Timestamps

• Introduction and Labor Events: 00:10–04:00
• Global Economic Trends (Trade/IMF/Tech): 04:00–12:30
• US Policy Changes (School Lunches, Trump speech): 12:30–16:00
• Introduction of Dr. Harriet Fraad: 16:00–16:24
• Legal and Social Definition of Harassment: 16:24–19:15
• Rise and Causes of #MeToo: 19:15–24:19
• Root Causes of Male Behavior: 24:19–27:15
• Is Harassment Increasing?: 27:15–28:18

Tone and Style

The episode maintains Wolff’s signature critical, analytical style, blending economic context with social commentary and direct, often witty, exchanges between Wolff and Fraad. Dr. Fraad’s reflections are thoughtful, historical, and rooted in both theory and lived realities.

Summary

This episode of Economic Update situates the #MeToo movement firmly within larger economic, historical, and psychological frameworks. Wolff’s analysis foregrounds the systemic connections between capitalist structures, gender oppression, and political distraction tactics. Dr. Fraad provides a historical and psychoanalytic look at how religious decline, changing gender roles, and persistent patriarchal norms underpin persistent workplace abuses—and why, for the first time, those abuses are being widely challenged. The result is a thorough and thought-provoking discussion on how personal experiences of harassment are shaped and sustained by larger economic and cultural systems—now facing growing resistance.