The Polanski debate...
Roman Polanski.....he certainly created some amazing movies. Bitter Moon is one of my top 10 of all time. Now it comes out that Polanski raped a 13 year old girl. This is a fact. A 13 year old girl cannot consent to sex with a man 30 years older than her. Period. It was not Sttautory Rape, as the girl did not consent. In fact, she told Polanski repeatedly that she did not want to have sex with him. The rumour mills have been buzzing with falsities from bot sides - those who have no issue with what Polanski did, and those that do. The common misconception is that Polanski thought this girl was 16. Not true. Polanski knew without a doubt that she was 13. In fact Polanski said that he "likes fucking young girls". There is no grey area here. The anti-Polanski side says he drugged her, sodomized her and filmed it. He did give her half a Quaalude. He did sodomize her. Hi did not film it.
People on this vast space called the Internet have been creating "Free Polanski" shirts, in protest against his upcoming trial for the rape of this girl. Now let's fast forward to today. The girl is now in her 40's and does not want this whole thing dragged up anymore. Lest we forget, she is the victim here. Regardless of her wishes, people are calling for Polanski to serve a long jail time. There is no doubt that Polanski did get off scot free. Sure he was "exiled" from America, but only to live a full life in Europe. Nothing has changed for him. He still made films, he still enjoyed his life, he still benefited from a lot of friends. In fact, it is safe to say that this rape did absolutely nothing to harm him. In fact, while in France he again married another woman, far far his junior. She starred in Bitter Moon.
As a survivor myself of rape and abuse from much older men, I can say that I am not a vindictive person, and that when I was raped in 2004, I wanted to see my rapist get couseling, just as Polanski's victim did. Here is where I find things hard - should not my wishes be accepted? Respected? Should not the victim's wishes be respected? Polanski is no doubt a scum. But should people, in their zeal to punish this man, forget the victim? Apparently.
However, in the left blogshpere I have been told that my mere act of watching any Polanski film makes me complicit in the culture of rape. That somehow my watching Bitter Moon for the 50th time is allowing Polanski and other rapists to go free. Is this true? Hardly. But it matters naught for some people. I am to boycott his movies. Throw away the films of his that I own. Strike from my mind my love for Bitter Moon. If I don't I am supporting rape and "pleasuring my pleasure centres" (yeah it's a WTF moment for me too).
Has this what the left has become? Where puritanical book/film burning is being advocated? Where victims of rape are told they are supporting a culture of rape for watching a movie?
For the last two days I have been told, even though I strongly stated I think this man should be punished, that I am a rape supporter. This by two people who call themseloves feminists.
Also, where should we go from here? Shall I look through every book, comic, anime, movie, piece of art for the history and personal story of the creator? If I am to burn my Polanski films, what else are we going to burn? R. Kelly albums? All of Michael Jackson's catalogue? Where does it end and why is the left in this case looking more like the right? Calls for long jail terms, film burining....it's maddening and entirely stupid. Boycott? Sure. But burning books?
People on this vast space called the Internet have been creating "Free Polanski" shirts, in protest against his upcoming trial for the rape of this girl. Now let's fast forward to today. The girl is now in her 40's and does not want this whole thing dragged up anymore. Lest we forget, she is the victim here. Regardless of her wishes, people are calling for Polanski to serve a long jail time. There is no doubt that Polanski did get off scot free. Sure he was "exiled" from America, but only to live a full life in Europe. Nothing has changed for him. He still made films, he still enjoyed his life, he still benefited from a lot of friends. In fact, it is safe to say that this rape did absolutely nothing to harm him. In fact, while in France he again married another woman, far far his junior. She starred in Bitter Moon.
As a survivor myself of rape and abuse from much older men, I can say that I am not a vindictive person, and that when I was raped in 2004, I wanted to see my rapist get couseling, just as Polanski's victim did. Here is where I find things hard - should not my wishes be accepted? Respected? Should not the victim's wishes be respected? Polanski is no doubt a scum. But should people, in their zeal to punish this man, forget the victim? Apparently.
However, in the left blogshpere I have been told that my mere act of watching any Polanski film makes me complicit in the culture of rape. That somehow my watching Bitter Moon for the 50th time is allowing Polanski and other rapists to go free. Is this true? Hardly. But it matters naught for some people. I am to boycott his movies. Throw away the films of his that I own. Strike from my mind my love for Bitter Moon. If I don't I am supporting rape and "pleasuring my pleasure centres" (yeah it's a WTF moment for me too).
Has this what the left has become? Where puritanical book/film burning is being advocated? Where victims of rape are told they are supporting a culture of rape for watching a movie?
For the last two days I have been told, even though I strongly stated I think this man should be punished, that I am a rape supporter. This by two people who call themseloves feminists.
Also, where should we go from here? Shall I look through every book, comic, anime, movie, piece of art for the history and personal story of the creator? If I am to burn my Polanski films, what else are we going to burn? R. Kelly albums? All of Michael Jackson's catalogue? Where does it end and why is the left in this case looking more like the right? Calls for long jail terms, film burining....it's maddening and entirely stupid. Boycott? Sure. But burning books?