A few days ago, I introduced the recent accusation-affair surrounding celebrated architect Richard Meier. I’ll be following this story as it develops and there are a number things I want to put on ‘paper’ and get conversations started around. Again, this is man whose name and presence has been strikingly impact on my journey through architecture school, specific to mine of which he is an ever-present alum and employer of many of my friends. This offers a rare opportunity to see how this “outrage culture” plays out with a figure that I can contextualize and follow more closely than some famous rando like Weinstein or even more public mainstreamers like Charlie Rose or Matt Lauer.
And again, I will not be defending Meier in any way. I’d personally even go so far as to wager that he is ‘guilty’ of these accusations and it doesn’t surprise me that the MeToo movement has hit the architecture field with full force. Design disciplines are filled with big-headed power-grubbing idiots that make deplorable decisions, both with men and women.
Rather, I’m interested in how this accusation plays out on home turf.
During this time in which I’m waiting for any updates since the initial accusation by the NYTimes, I was curious of how this public expose’ of 5 women’s collective ousting is already beginning to have affect. Obviously there are some twitter mobs and loose uses of the #metoo hashtag and Cornell has already responded with condemnation. Now we even have the Pritzker committee, responsible for handing out the single Nobel Prize-equivalent for architects each year of which Meier earned in 1984, having to defend against a protest of his standing.
Let’s be clear, Meier has been accused of “sexual misconduct” by 5 women. No official testimonies. No legal proceedings. No evidence other than the anecdotal. These accusations should not be simply dismissed but they should not hold social weight until anything is decided.
I decided to look a bit farther, seeing if someone had even gone so far as to update Meier’s Wikipedia entry. Yup, someone did.
In the age of internet, everything is forever. Misreported stories, slander and lies, and even unconfirmed accusations. But that doesn’t stop anyone from putting unverified content on arguably the most accessed database of information in today’s world.
SMH.
I bring up the Meier situation in most daily conversations now as most of my friends and colleagues are architects or designers. This is a real knotted situation that isn’t easily solved with absolutes like “there are shitty men in design leadership.” That type of holistic hyperbole hasn’t worked for Hollywood (i.e. Rose McGowan) and it isn’t going to work here. Again, what we need is real dialogue of what to do.
Otherwise, we’re going to see an everlasting trend of hearsay being treated as truth until proven false. And that’s a dangerous world for all of us.
