Porn star Jodie Fisher hired Gloria Allred to sue Mark Hurd and Hewlett Packard for sexual harassment, and has reportedly reached a settlement with Hurd, but not HP. Hurd had hired the woman as a contractor – apparently an events planner and “greeter” – and, according to HP, was lying about time he spent with her on the company’s dime and paying her even when she broke her contract.
Mark Hurd was hailed as something of a hero for turning HP around over the last five years and handling a number of successful acquisitions. His business acumen has never been called into question, but a weakness where women are involved may prove to be his undoing. However, because we really have no idea what happened, Hurd may not have desired any sexual relationship with the woman at all — for all we know he could have simply been pimping her to prospective clients.
Ironically, men are taught from a very young age that women are trustworthy, blameless creatures – almost as though they are some benevolent, superior race from outer space – even as one hears with astounding regularity about powerful men being undone by them. Here we have an example of a rich, powerful man going to great lengths to secure jobs and money for some lady, who then turns around and goes after him and his company with Gloria Allred, probably aiming to kill two birds with one sexual harassment suit.
In order to protect itself, HP probably had to fire Hurd, but the company has stated that it did not find any evidence of sexual harassment. Instead, the company appears to be suggesting that the woman took him and HP for a ride, and his weakness resulted in the misconduct and dishonesty he was fired for.
To me, these incidents are simply proof that we need to stop lying to boys about girls and women and teach them from a suitable age – probably puberty – about the trouble they can get in when they are not on their guard around women. Sexual education, although opposed by many parents, is taught on the basis of having social benefits, so why not “gender” education? Have boys take classes that show them in a graphic manner how men can get fired, arrested, thrown out of their homes, and have their families destroyed all on the word of one vindictive woman.
