Two stories Wednesday morning caught my attention.
There was the national headline that Matt Lauer, former "Today" show anchor and arguably the most recognizable - and one of the best paid - TV personalities on the planet, had been fired by NBC.
Lauer was named in allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace, and that, coupled with growing stories of media investigations into his time at NBC, meant a quick end to his career.
There were reports that Lauer bought sexual gifts for colleagues, had a button on his desk to lock his office door when female co-workers entered and more.
Jay GreesonThe other was a smaller story, one that always catches my eye this time of year, as dictionary.com announced "complicit" as its word of 2017.
Let that sink in. Maybe Webster's word of the year will be ironic.
Or sad.
Complicit. In some ways too many of us have been either directly or indirectly complicit in the double-standard at workplaces for years.
Hollywood and big media were complicit as men with position - including Lauer, who reportedly made $28 million a year - and influence exerted their power over women almost daily.
Washington was complicit, and we can all surely expect that stories will emerge beyond Al Franken or Roy Moore as victims feeling empowered share their experiences with power brokers from Wall Street to Main Street.
Side note: When it comes to accusations against elected officials, whether it's Franken or Moore or anyone else, our views of right and left are too often clouding our judgment of what's right and wrong.
For example, if you are supporting Roy Moore for U.S. Senate because you do not believe his accusers, well, that's your right. If you support Roy Moore because your side needs an extra vote in Congress, then you are part of the problem.
But today, as the details of Lauer's alleged deviance come forward - Variety and the Huffington Post among other outlets have been working on stories on Lauer's workplace improprities - the vision of what was allowed has rightly been forever altered.
Ask yourself, in the wake of women everywhere stepping forward and reclaiming personal power, how our society is changing.
There's little chance a show like "Mad Men" would be made in today's climate.
But change has come. Rapidly, and that's a great thing.
And if we are going to be complicit in anything, we should all be complicit in supporting that collective change.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.