Roman Polanski (and Bill Cosby) Expelled from Academy Awards Membership

May 03, 2018 13:27


Academy expelled Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski pic.twitter.com/fbHvuGn9Td
- Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) May 3, 2018
  • The Board of Governors that oversees the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences, the Academy Awards Voting Delegation, met on Tuesday night and decided unanimously to expel both Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby from their membership ranks.
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roman polanski, bill cosby, award show - academy awards

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tlovesdolphin May 3 2018, 19:24:53 UTC
Because in this country we have due process and a justice system. "You" just can't punish someone because you believe they're guilty. Even if you feel there is enough proof in your mind to prove it. How many times has group think gotten something wrong? How easy is it to take back those actions after the fact?

Look, even before the verdict, I thought he was guilty as hell, but it's a slippery slope for people to be tried, convicted, and have punishment dealt out before the case even sees a courtroom. In this new age of technology and social media, more and more people are getting "street justice" dealt out to them. While that might make us "feel good" and may even be argued that it's more effective than jail, that's not how things are handled in the US and nor should they be. We don't want to be one of those countries where people are pulled from their home and beheaded because someone heard something about something they may have done. (Granted, this is an extreme example, but the sentiment is the same.)

We're coming to a crossroads where the power of social media is meeting its responsibility. It's making it easier for victims to get their stories heard, and that's wonderful. It's making it harder and harder for predators of any kind to sweep things under the rug, also wonderful. But that "power" has to be kept in check if we're going to hold our country to a higher standard of justice. Of course we need to advocate for victims of any crime. Of course we need to make sure they're heard and that they get their day in court. But "Lady Justice" is supposed to blind for a reason. Sometimes people are innocent. Sometimes victims DO lie. (and before that train starts, that's not what I'm saying happened with Cosby, only that this is a reason why some organizations might be waiting to do similar things.) That doesn't mean you throw out the whole system and either go with "All victims lie" or "punish the accused because victims never lie!!!" It just means to have a bit of caution and let the system do its thing before acting, especially if you think you may be in a position to be sued.

Or, they may just all be assholes and didn't want to do anything until they HAD to.

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corrykennedy May 3 2018, 19:28:24 UTC
'Or, they may just all be assholes and didn't want to do anything until they HAD to.'

it's this

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wackypinkbunny May 3 2018, 19:30:34 UTC
lol seriously. I read "in this country we have due process" and then skipped to that last line and was like, that's what it is tho.

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tlovesdolphin May 3 2018, 20:15:46 UTC
No they're not, but this an example of "public opinion" leading the rally for punishment. Do I think Cosby should fry? Absolutely. Do I think he deserves every single bad thing that happens to him? Yep. Wholeheartedly, but I also recognize that the kind of thinking that leads to is bad. Sure, this example we're all comfortable in him being punished, but what happens to the "next guy" who may not have such a cut and dry case? Or the person who is accused of something they really didn't do? Where does that line get drawn? Who gets to decide which crimes are so severe that there are more consequences than what a judge will lay out? By waiting, there is no question as to whether or not he did it. (Even if we all pretty much agree that he did, he's just the case de jour.) A court of law and his peers deemed him guilty, at that point, there is no longer a doubt about who to believe or what action is appropriate.

It's not about is a company LEGALLY bound to due process, it's about if they're morally right. Is it morally right to kick out someone convicted of a crime? Absolutely. They've been found guilty by their peers, they did it. Is it morally right to kick out someone who's been accused? That's where it gets murky. That's why a lot of people have a problem with many of the current movements. It's becoming "you're accused, you're guilty" and that's a problem. It doesn't matter what they accusation is, whether it's a #metoo accusation or "he stole my bike." The severity of the accusation can't be used as proof in and of itself to justify "vigilante" justice.

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tlovesdolphin May 3 2018, 22:11:08 UTC
Courts are hardly infallible.

True, but there are some checks and balances to try and make them as fair as possible. It's not a perfect system, but it's better than a bunch of armchair attorneys holding court online/in the news and deciding a person's fate without knowing everything.

And, once again, I am not saying I think Cosby is innocent or doesn't deserve any of this happening to him, hell, I'm practically giddy that the fucker was found guilty, only that I think that it sets a dangerous precedent to not recognize that the public support for "street justice" when "court justice" hasn't been issued might be a long term problem if not checked.

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ladycyndra May 3 2018, 21:24:41 UTC
Are you on something?

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angriest_girl May 3 2018, 22:36:07 UTC
Youre one of those people who uses words like “logic” and “reason” in their social media bios and likes to play devil’s advocate on Reddit, aren’t you?

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beysactingcoach May 3 2018, 19:48:35 UTC
Bruh, it was more rhetorical but AMPAS doesn't have to abide by due process considering Weinstein was expelled.

"We don't want to be one of those countries where people are pulled from their home and beheaded because someone heard something about something they may have done." - Yeah but this is literally the basis of why there's so much police brutality and deaths toward POC this is exactly that country.

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bodyline May 3 2018, 19:59:47 UTC
Polanski was given a guilty verdict 40 years ago and they only just now axed him, so no, this isn’t a matter of law.

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you_hermit_crab May 3 2018, 21:10:23 UTC
Just... lol.

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arielazul_22 May 4 2018, 00:44:52 UTC
ifkr? all you can do is laugh.

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ladycyndra May 3 2018, 21:23:14 UTC
they may just all be assholes and didn't want to do anything until they HAD to.

This is all you had to say. Just this.

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