Patterico's Pontifications

11/3/2017

The Selective Condemnation of Sexual Misconduct

Filed under: General — Dana @ 11:50 am



[guest post by Dana]

The recent flood of sexual misconduct accusations against powerful public figures doesn’t seem like it will be coming to an end anytime soon. Even this week, another accusation of rape was made against Harvey Weinstein. Actress Paz de la Huerta alleges that Weinstein raped her two times within the span of a few months. His accusers now exceed 55 women.

Clearly, the floodgates have opened up, and almost weekly new accusations are being leveled against powerful men in show business and media. This would include actor Kevin Spacey, whose accusers have now reached double-digit numbers, some having been victimized by the actor when they were minors; filmmaker James Toback, whose accusers now number, shockingly, more than 300 women, a number in which a significant majority relate similar eerily revolting descriptions of Toback’s unwelcome behavior; Roy Price, who headed up Amazon Studios but has since stepped down in the midst of sexual harassment claims (and whose fiancee called off their nuptials in light of the revelations – a wedding at which Woody Allen was scheduled to perform); director and producer Brett Ratner, who counted James Toback and Roman Polanski among his “closest friends and whose number of accusers currently stands at six women. The most recent media notables facing accusations of sexual misconduct include David Corn (Mother Jones), Mark Halperin (MSNBC, ABC News), Michael Oreskes (NPR), Bill O’Reilly (Fox News) and Lockhart Steele (Vox Media).

In spite of this particular dam bursting open, there is still an active effort being made by movie making elites to whitewash even the most heinous and criminal sexual behavior by those within their own community. The latest example employed cropped up this week after the opening of a Roman Polanski retrospective in Paris. An event met with vigorous protest:

French feminist groups staged demonstrations Monday night at the opening of a retrospective in Paris for the film director Roman Polanski.

Photographs appeared on social media of protesters holding placards outside the Cinémathèque Française film institute, where Mr. Polanski, 84, was attending the event honoring his work. One video showed demonstrators chanting “Polanski, rapist” and hammering on the Cinémathèque’s window.

Before the demonstration on Monday, several women’s rights groups, including Osez le Féminisme, had called for the retrospective to be canceled.

An online petition signed by more than 28,000 people criticized the timing of the Polanski tribute, citing the widening allegations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and ensuing social media campaigns that highlighted the extent of sexual abuse.

As a reminder, Polanski was orignally charged with giving drugs to a minor, rape and sodomy (of a 13-year old girl). Two other women have also accused the director of having sexually assaulted them when they were minors.

In response to protests against Polanski at the event opening, a tortured effort to rationalize the honoring of the child rapist was made:

Costa-Gavras, a film director and head of the Cinémathèque, said in a statement that it was not the institute’s place to act as an arbiter of morality and dismissed objections to the programming as censorship.

“We don’t award prizes or certificates for good behavior,” he said. “Our ambition is different: to show the complete work of filmmakers and to place them in the permanent history of the Cinémathèque.”

That a vaunted member of this particular community easily brushes off the egregious behavior of a child rapist in the midst of a very ugly season where the filthy underbelly of the show business/movie making industry is being repeatedly exposed to the public is to unwittingly render a devastating blow of judgment against the whole community. While not denying Polanski’s behavior, Costa-Garvas nonetheless easily skirts the issue by dishonestly claiming that movie people don’t moralize because art and thus sends a confusingly inconsistent message: Yes, we abhor and condemn any who commit any varying gradation of sexual misconduct against our own – except when we don’t:

If the entirety of the film making industry cannot even, without hesitation, collectively condemn (and disassociate from) a child rapist in their midst – or at least refrain from celebrating him – why on earth do any of these latest victims of everything from sexual harassment to rape remotely believe that their personal horror stories will result in any sort of real and lasting change within their industry? Because clearly, the art takes precedence over even the most vile behavior.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

50 Responses to “The Selective Condemnation of Sexual Misconduct”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (023079)

  2. Now this is well said. And let us not forget Merryl Streep, that doyenne of morality, who applauded the child rapist. Maybe someone can post a video of THAT performance.

    Bored Lawyer (998177)

  3. I did post the video, Bored Lawyer.

    Dana (023079)

  4. Just saw a commercial today with Hollywood types positing solidarity with the idea of female ambition, each star taking their turn to utter something fascile to show how woke they is.

    Don’t remember who said it but when I heard “ambition is sexy!” I had a chuckle. I wonder if they considered how many people would think of the casting couch when they heard it.

    harkin (b32ce9)

  5. Anyone who uses force or corrosion to abuse or rape (male or female) should be exposed and prosrcuted. However, there must be room for coyness, flirtation, hesitation, and persuasion.

    We must leave open the door to mutual consent and to recognise that tradition expects men to make the first moves (that too is amoung the changes brought by the sexual revolution, now nearly 50 years in the making).

    So, let’s condemn the abusers, expose and prosecute them, without going so far overboard that a goodnight kiss gets defined as an unwanted sexual assault.

    ropelight (e67740)

  6. Meryl Streep should talk to an empty couch at the next DNC convention.

    Pinandpuller (cdd685)

  7. The entertainment industry gets the attention because it’s easy; high profile. It’s a ‘look at me’ business by design. But let’s not overlook others- Congress, where several female members have voiced incidents of sexism and harassment, nor the Executive, given Clinton’s history- or JFK’s for that matter- and revelations over GHWBush’s ‘dirty old man behavior’ as well. This is a human behavioral problem plaguing professions in societies around the world– and sometimes above it…

    “Space in no place for broads.” – Sergei Korolev, Chief Designer, Soviet Space Program.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  8. At a Ted Cruz rally last year Corn was prancing around like he owned the place. I would have guessed he was a little boy molester like Space!!!

    mg (31009b)

  9. Dana, I don’t know why you’re not satisfied that all these guys are finally, after decades of getting away with it, getting in trouble. Before now, it was all just swept under the rug, but not anymore.
    You talk as if they’re getting a pass, but they’re not.
    You also talk as if anyone looks to Hollywood for moral guidance. I don’t think that really happens.

    Tillman (a95660)

  10. bill clinton is a molester and a rapist and he does his dirty with a dirty dirty herpes penis

    and he does his rape on REAL PEOPLE not hollywood chicks

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  11. ropelight

    Unfortunately all my grandkids will be equipped with an body cams and first to home base will be level ups and unlocked achievements.

    Pinandpuller (cdd685)

  12. Correction @7: ‘Space is no place for broads.’ – Sergei Korolev, Chief Designer, Soviet Space Program

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  13. I blame Trump. After his “grab them by the pussy” jabber, every woman in the entertainment industry feels a need to tell the world that she’s a good girl that would never allow a gentleman to take liberties. No, sir, not ever, not unless it involved a speaking part, or a promotion and a raise.

    nk (dbc370)

  14. Yes, yes, I think this is less about outing sexual predators and more about women in the entertainment industry trying to clean up their image.

    nk (dbc370)

  15. interesting thinkings there Mr. nk

    speaking as a Lutheran i find all this sloshy public victim-porn to be borderline tacky at best

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  16. @ Tillman,

    Dana, I don’t know why you’re not satisfied that all these guys are finally, after decades of getting away with it, getting in trouble. Before now, it was all just swept under the rug, but not anymore.
    You talk as if they’re getting a pass, but they’re not.

    The point of my post, Tillman, isn’t that things are continuing to be swept under the rug, because clearly they aren’t. However, if a child rapist is still being honored and revered – even in the midst of an avalanche of various accusations from harassment to actual rape – then why does anyone think the very group that still reveres and honors Polanski will actually undertake any lasting steps to not protect the offenders? Isn’t the fact that Polanski is still celebrated proof that there is a lip service being paid, and not any actual change of heart and recognition that what he has done is morally repugnant and unacceptable? If they can’t see that and act accordingly, why do the current crop of victims trust that the very same people in this community will care more than momentarily about their own plights?

    Dana (023079)

  17. nk, pretty cynical take there. Real women were hurt in a very real way. Whether you accuse some of now trying to “clean up their image,” or if someone else accused them of “wearing a short skirt and asking for it,” it does not minimize the offense, nor does it negate the fact anyone guilty of the many accusations remains solely responsible for their own potentially criminal behavior, no matter what the victim’s motives for speaking out may be.

    Dana (023079)

  18. Dana, in the realm of the art of philosophy, I have an issue with Martin Heidegger. He never denounced being a Nazi (although he lived after WWII and had ample opportunity). Now, does that tarnish his philosophy? Although it kind of hurts me to say it, the answer is no, not really. It is possible to understand and respect his work as a philosopher and yet recognize his great personal failing. They are not one and the same.
    By the way, I’m not a huge Heidegger fan, maybe in part because I can’t very easily separate the two myself.

    Tillman (a95660)

  19. There is also Dan Schneider at Nickelodeon:

    https://www.redstate.com/kiradavis/2017/10/24/next-big-hollywood-sex-scandal-already-breaking…at-nickelodeon/

    Dan Schneider is a former actor and producer at Nickelodeon. He is responsible for nearly every one of their biggest successes in the last 20 years. Schneider has produced and written the shows that have given us breakout stars like Arianna Grande, Amanda Bynes and Victoria Justice.

    Schneider has also been the subject of some very disturbing and consistent rumors for years. One need only search his name on the internet to find pretty damning rumors about him going back years. There are stories of his foot fetishes and how he acts them out on young extras alone in his office. There are stories about his relationships with his underage teenage stars and how they led to spin-off shows for the girls or blacklisting for those who didn’t participate.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  20. Note to Polanski: Screaming “NO!!!” means “no.”

    Kevin M (752a26)

  21. Perhaps rape ought to be a death sentence.

    mg (31009b)

  22. 20 year old rape with no evidence is not the same as fresh rape with a rape kit

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  23. this is why the women bill clinton raped never got anywhere with it

    you don’t just pop out with these things 10 15 20 years later

    you’ve already made your choice at that point

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  24. Heidegger was the father of deconstruction, the denial of objective truth, also he was the teacher to herbert marcuse, the father of the new left

    narciso (55a2c4)

  25. If I had to deal with roles like this and the tables turn, I’m getting all I can until I’m caught.

    urbanleftbehind (7007fd)

  26. And hannah arendt, who found relativization to be a big thing.

    narciso (55a2c4)

  27. Perhaps rape ought to be a death sentence.

    Louisiana imposed a death sentence for the aggravated rape of an infant (who was terribly injured as a result). The Supremes overturned it.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  28. Perhaps the DoJ needs to send a Dear Colleague letter to the studio heads.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  29. narciso, I wish you would stop talking about philosophy as if you know philosophy. You don’t.

    Tillman (a95660)

  30. rude

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  31. primo hollywood trash-biscuit Jennifer Lawrence is enthusiastically boffing a dude (old enough to be her daddy) what signed a petition demanding child-rapist Roman Polanski’s freedom

    (Darren Aronofsky)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  32. narciso, I’ll try to explain what happened in philosophy with relativism without writing a book here.

    Philosophers noticed that there were circumstances where morals intersect such that there is no perfect answer. The Nazi’s at the door asking if you are hiding any Jews (and you are) is a prime example. What do you do? Lie and save their lives or tell the truth and have them killed as a result? Regardless of how you answer that question, it’s a moral dilemma that has no perfect, clear-cut answer since either you help murderers or lie. So, realizing that situation, and others like it, have no real answer has led to the much maligned phrase “moral relativism.” Now of course knowledge of this incontrovertible issue is not immoral in itself. It’s just a realization that the issue exists. Anyway, this is how it all started. There were religious types who may have vociferously objected to it, but I don’t know on what basis – because they were thinking about it? What?

    So it may be that popular culture has abused that term to signify the belief that morals don’t matter anymore, but that isn’t true at all, to anyone really. Just because there are issues that have a grey area, you don’t abandon all your morals because of it, obviously.

    Anyway, that’s the gist of the origin of it.

    Tillman (a95660)

  33. Sorry, Dana. I was triggered by the David Corn story you linked. Some of the complaints against him are that he “sexually harassed” women by making “insensitive” comments like mine.

    nk (dbc370)

  34. Nk,

    Clearly, given there varying degrees of accusations being alleged. Given that, there is an obvious danger of witch hunts and a lump ’em altogether hysteria taking over. I tried to qualify that in the post. It is unfortunate, took, because that means that viable and founded accusations will get lost in the noise.

    Dana (023079)

  35. I bought these for my wife and daughters-
    https://www.tigerlady.com

    mg (31009b)

  36. @33– and therein lies a problem: all the recent goings on have created a sort of equivalence between actual rape as described in law books and with tawdry comments and unwanted staring. This degrades the criminal act of rape; rape is a terrible act of violence, the resulting psychological damage to the victim is something that is carried for years if not a lifetime.

    What is amazing to me is that with the “casting couch” being part of Hollywood since I was in high school (Ike was President) some people, women, have such a “look at me” component that they will volunteer for this duty in the first place. There are lots of places to make a good living that don’t require giving it up to get the job. Then again, I am old and out of touch with modern times..

    Gramps (a079bc)

  37. when your judicial system’s a laughingstock

    social media steps up

    and becomes both judge and jury

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  38. Great post.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  39. How many of these,caeses are actionable, let’s take the Italian actress that was part of the nypd sting and pax huerta.

    narciso (48ecae)

  40. I wonder where this will lead…to overstatements and then back to the status quo? Real change would require a change in acceptable morals and behavior, which Hollywood will never ascribe to.

    Just read that a woman who was hired as a body double for an actress who did not want to have to be filmed in a sex scene. So. Was hired to work in sex scenes. She later went verklempt because on the call sheet the part was listed as “sexy time double.” I think that sounds pretty nice compared to any other choice of words.

    Patricia (5fc097)

  41. Real change would require a change in acceptable morals and behavior, which Hollywood will never ascribe to.

    the spoils are so great there ain’t nobody what genuinely wants a hollywood where you can’t sleep your way at least to the upper middle

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  42. Well said, happyfeet.

    (Did I just agree with you??)

    Patricia (5fc097)

  43. 🙂

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  44. Hmm. I don’t know. You are correct that the matriarchy is not going to decommission the most powerful weapon in their arsenal. But that assumes that there will be any heterosexual men left in the entertainment industry when this witch hunt (and I mean witches doing the hunting) is over.

    nk (dbc370)

  45. It’s similar to McCarthy Zeitgeist in psycho-sexual politics.

    Ben burn (b3d5ab)

  46. Hollywood Pervywood Swinging

    Hey hey hey
    What ya got to say
    Hey hey hey
    What ya got to say
    Pervywood
    Pervywood swinging
    Pervywood
    Pervywood swinging
    I remember
    Not to long ago
    I went to a theater
    And I saw the Miramax Show
    I’d always heard
    About the bird in hand
    But I never ever thought
    It was teh willie of teh fat man!
    So here they are
    In this Pervywood city
    The city of the stars, movies, women and cars
    Well I guess I
    I guess I
    Starve
    Hey hey hey
    What ya got to say
    Hey hey hey
    What ya got to say
    Pervywood
    Pervywood swinging
    Pervywood
    Pervywood swinging

    Colonel Haiku (951ecf)

  47. The proposition that we shouldn’t celebrate the work of an offender — yes, even a sexual offender, and yes, even a child rapist — is not as self-evident as you seem to think.

    This is not exactly a new debate. Exhibit 1, the music of Wagner.

    I, for one, want to feel free to enjoy, if I choose, a beautiful painting, song, or movie, even if a heinous offender had a hand in creating it. If you choose not to do so, fine. But if the offender is eligible for some kind of competition or award that is assertedly based on the quality of the art, then it the decision should be based on the quality of the art, and nothing else.

    Sparky (ffae6c)

  48. Speaking as a Catholic I have to back you up.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  49. Hollywood’s celebration of the criminal, Polanski, smears them all with his crimes. The vileness seems to be endemic to that culture and it should come as no surprise that Hollywood loves the Clintons and Obamas.

    jason stewart (852cd5)


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