The recent news about E. Jean Carroll and all of the swirls of conversation around it about why she (and others) waited so long to call out her abuser, reminded me of a famous Gospel passage, Matthew 25:14-30. It's the story normally referred to as the "Parable of the Talents." Hang in with me. It's not as boring as you think.
We have three people who are fund managers for a wealthy property investor. By all accounts, the man is a brute and dishonest (and when accused of that, he does not deny it). He has an illegal loan operation (described in Exodus 22.20-30) which more than likely made high-interest loans to vulnerable poor people, and then took their property from them when they inevitably got behind.
Two of the three managers keep quiet and go along with the program and are rewarded later with more power and money. But one of them denounces the system as a scam, accusing the boss of taking in more income from borrowers than he was owed and in some instances stealing from investments he didn't even make. So he refuses to go along. He holds onto the small amount of money he got from the investor and then gives it back to him unchanged, probably so that he will not be accused of being a participant in the crime.
The powerful boss responds to his being stood up to by the lowly manager with a punishment that is swift and deep. His remaining money is taken from him and given to those who kept silent, and he is sent into outer darkness. And no one comes to his defense. The other managers don't say a word. There's no HR to go to. There is no court that would believe him, or probably even hear his case.
So, here's a thought, does what happened to him say anything about why it is that so many women decide to suck it up and remain silent even when their boss is an asshole and sexual predator?
Just wondering...
Stan
