Dave Letterman jokes about sex with his employees

Since when did the boss having sex with his staff pass the smell test on sexual harassment

Everyone knows that Dave Letterman had sex with several female members of his staff. Letterman revealed it on prime time TV when a co-worker tried to extort money from him. The extortion story is an attempt to build sympathy for Letterman.

The Globe and Mail published a story entitled Top 10 Reasons why David Letterman will Survive his Sex Scandal . The top reason given by the Globe is the shocking statement

“1 Come to think of it, what exactly did he do wrong?

“Mr. Letterman’s admitted to having an affair with co-workers, and apparently before his marriage to long-time girlfriend Regina Lasko last March. “If it was a consensual relationship, he’s not in trouble for sexual harassment,” said lawyer Deborah Katz on CNN yesterday. “Poor judgment, undoubtedly, but not legal trouble.” Globe and Mail

Letterman is unabashed when he admitted the multiple affairs with his subordinates.

I have had sex with women who work for me on this show. And would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would… especially for the women. ” Dave Lettermen

Not only does Letterman think his conduct is appropriate, he denigrates the women afterward. He knows that any woman who had sex with him and complained would commit career suicide. He is the all powerful star and they are just female workers.

For the Globe and Mail the “Come to think of it” is Letterman used his position as star and employer to get sex with multiple members of his staff. That would generally be considered sexual harassment.

Ever since the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, we have become sensitized to the economic power that men and sometimes women exert over subordinates to get sexual favours.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is an abuse of power in working relationships. Like other forms of sexual violence, sexual harassment both reflects and reinforces the inequality between men and women in our society. No employee is safe if sexual harassment is ignored! Ontario Human Rights Commission

Lets face it, if you work for a powerful and egocentric star like Letterman and he starts an affair with you or even hints it, there are two choices – sleep with the guy or quit.

It is not as if Letterman had a shipboard romance at work, fell in love with a staff person. He admits he likes to have sex with his staff.

Last night at a friends house, a woman pointed to the Globe article and said “What is that? Do we now have to sleep with our bosses?”

Then she added “It goes on all the time. You can’t get to the top without it.”

If you watch the official CBS coverage of the story you will get lots of people feeling sorry for Letterman and minimizing the sexual harassment angle. This is the actual episode.