What do I and Matt Lauer and I have in common? I wouldn’t have been given a second chance either. Finally somebody is treating the elite like the mere mortals they are!

If you were expecting to read a post decrying Matt or Charlie, Kevin or Harvey as scums who don’t deserve to share Earth with the rest of us, that’s not quite what you’ll find here today. They are and they don’t. You don’t need me to add to that conversation. You will find here a grudgingly admiring opinion recognizing the particular powers who finally started treating the Matts and Charlies, the Kevins and Harveys like the Regular Joes that they are. At least the Matts.

Mostly I have to say how I hope this trend will continue. No, not the trend of hate and fear and intimidation. The trend (if one instance can be hoped to be the start of a trend) that even the star quarterback of the team isn’t going to get any different treatment than the water boy when one who was wronged speaks up.

I worked in management positions for 30 years. In addition to nice salaries and bonuses, choice hours, opportunities to write and speak, and a really bigger office than I deserved but wasn’t about to give back, management positions bring with them lots of complaints. Complaints between coworkers that I had to deal with and complaints about me that somebody else made sure I had to deal with, and sometimes complaints about other supervisors that I was asked by my superiors to participate in the deliberations begun to deal with. And among all the complaints, though very few, were complaints of inappropriate behavior.

There were probably very few complaints of inappropriate behavior because for the most part we were a system within an industry within a country of water boys. But when inappropriateness raised its head (and I’ll keep using the questionable term “inappropriate” because at our level, inappropriate behavior was just as bad as blatant assault) there were no look aways, no second chances, no golden parachutes. There was termination. And sometimes criminal charges. If a creep was uncovered he (and sometimes she) was told to move on. Preferably in some other field, like envelope stuffing. See, there aren’t many star quarterbacks in the word. Nor many movie moguls, A-list actors, famous comedians, politicians, TV news anchorpersons. So the investigation, the deliberations, and the punishment were conducted like it was just A Regular Joe, not the face of morning news.

There are creeps among the Regular Joes but for most, Regular Joes are an ok bunch. When a Regular Joe is determined to be irregular, Joe is called out for it. There aren’t many “suspended with pay pending investigation,” “determined to be an isolated incident,” or “it was consensual.” Regular Joes were sent home while we looked into it, which usually took just a day or two or three. Only if there was clear evidence that the allegation was fabricated was Joe asked back. Then a whole different investigation was begun. Sometimes Regular Joe had to sit at home for a length of time. When that happened, Regular Joe better have had a decent savings account because in the Water Boy World, if you aren’t working, you aren’t earning.

Finally, I have to ask for blessings to the women and men who have stepped up and made known the atrocities they were forced to endure. I also have to state my disappointment that there were probably others who didn’t step up not because they felt threatened but because they sought out the attention of these creeps only because they were famous creeps. Some creeps are born to creepdom but many are encouraged along the way. It’s no excuse and it’s not making things easy for the ones opened up.

There aren’t a lot of breaks for Regular Josephines and Joes that stepped forward. There shouldn’t be for a Matt or a Harvey.

The famous already got their break.