So, Roman Polanksi raped someone.
Let’s not get into the fact that she was 13. Or that she had a rabid stage mother. Or that she looked older than she was. Or that now she wants him to be left alone. Let’s not bother discussing that he dealt with Nazis and murderous cults in the past. Or that the presiding judge was press hungry, or that Roman Polanksi is an old man now. All of those things are beside the fact, and none of them negate the bottom line that people keep trying to circumvent with minuscule details: Roman Polanksi raped someone.
She said no, repeatedly, while he raped her. While he orally, vaginally and anally raped her, after drugging her. It doesn’t matter that she was a child and he was in his 40’s – if she had been in her 40’s as well it still would have been rape.
So we can agree that he’s a rapist, yes? I mean if you don’t agree (WHOOPIE GOLDBERG) I don’t know what to tell you. Even Roman Polanksi himself agrees with me. He did plead guilty to it, you know. Anyway, I’ll continue on, assuming that you agree with me -
my question is this: Why are people petitioning for his release? Saying he paid his penance? Why are some of these people people that I greatly admire like Michael Mann and Terry Gilliam and Martin Scorsese? I don’t understand. He did something wrong – or for the sake of playing devil’s advocate he might have done something seriously wrong - and he needs to come stand trial and/or pay for his crimes.
Do you know who Victor Salva is?
Victor Salva directed one of my favorite childhood movies, Powder. Oh how I love Powder. It’s not necessarily a good movie, but I love it. It’s great to me. Powder is also a Disney film.
Before directing Powder, Salva directed Clownhouse which was heavily supported by Francis Ford Coppola. Salva raped the 12 year old boy that starred in Clownhouse, and videotaped himself doing so. He plead guilty and spent 15 months in prison for it. When he was released, Coppola financially supported him and Salva (with Coppola’s help) was able to find more work in Hollywood. Work like directing a DISNEY film.
Salva is still making movies, albeit crappy ones, today. The last one I can think of was Jeepers Creepers and that had Justin Long in it, you know the guy from the Mac commercials? Adorable little dark haired guy? He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. I’d like to know if anyone ever asked him how he felt about working with Salva, knowing Salva’s past transgressions much like I wonder if anyone asked Adrien Brody about working with Roman Polanski on The Pianist, knowing Polanksi’s past.
But there is a difference between Salva and Polanksi: Salva paid his debt to society.
Now, our justice system is fundamentally flawed, I know this. When people get more prison time for smoking pot than for raping little boys, something’s SERIOUSLY wrong. But, that was what he was given, and that’s what he served. I want to believe in the rehabilitation system, that when someone is given a sentence and it’s carried out that they should be able to carry on with their lives. If I don’t believe in it, if we don’t, what’s the point in having it? As fucked up as it is, we have to rely on it. If we’re going to continue punishing someone for what they have already been punished for, why release them at all? We’d might as well give everyone who’s been convicted of a crime a life sentence.
I could see Justin Long and Francis Ford Coppola saying that Salva paid his debt to society and should be able to continue on in the world. I would 100% agree with them, because that would be right. No matter if it turns my gut, no matter if I feel it should have been 15 years, not months served for it. No matter if I personally couldn’t see myself working with/for someone that could do something so disgusting and heinous. He served his time.
I cannot however see how Adrien Brody and Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen can support Polanksi. (I know many people try to compare Polanksi and Allen but I’m sorry, they are not the same: Allen’s now wife was 22 years old and he was not legally nor biologically her father and as drastic as the age difference may seem to us, he did nothing wrong as far as we know and being as they’ve been together for almost 20 years now – they’re obviously doing something RIGHT) I don’t see why Whoopie Goldberg is willing to go onto a popular talk show geared towards women and basically undermine all the progress we’ve made to ensure that rape victims feel safe and secure in reporting their attacks by attempting to differentiate between rape and ‘rape-rape‘. Especially when she herself is the face of strong rape survivors to many women because of her role in the film The Color Purple, where her character was an inspiration to me and countless others.
Roman Polanksi has not paid for his crimes. He’s lived the last 30+ years of his life in luxury and leisure. His age today doesn’t matter. If Charles Manson or the Auschwitz Nazis that made his life so awful had eluded capture up until now and then been caught, would Roman Polanksi and his celebrity friends be saying that they’d paid for their crimes simply by growing old on the run?
I don’t think so.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
afuckingmen.
Well put.
I haven’t even had time to read this yet–will do so when I get to work. but can I just say, I don’t get it. if this dude was not famous and was on a sex offender registry from something that happened thirty years ago, no one would give a shit. no matter what the circumstances or what the victim said today. Therefore I find it to be quite an affront that celebs are going to bat for him. have any of them spent nearly the time advocating for victims? somehow I doubt it. I’ll respond more later. you know, after I’ve actually read what I’m responding to ;)
okay, now that I’ve actually read it I can literally say that I couldn’t have said it better myself………especially at 7am this morning. lol. You said it infinitely better than my sentence fragments before work.
I must say that I have historically liked Whoopi despite the fact that I seldom agree with anything that comes out of her mouth. But when I heard that particular conversation (as the View is one of the few shows that I record regularly and the only one I watch daily) I was made ill by her comments and I lost immense respect for her. If drugging someone and penetrating every orifice of their being while they protest as much as they can muster in their inebriated state is not “rape”, “rape-rape”, and rape goddammit…….then I have apparently misunderstood the definition.
ps. I was further disturbed by the outrage that she then showed at the mere mention of the girl’s mother. yes, her mother FROM ALL REPORTS was a piece of shit. however even if all that has been said about her is true, I do not find her nearly as culpable due to the simple fact that she didn’t stick anything into her daughter’s anus or vagina. sorry, but in this instance even being a neglectful worthless mother is not worse than a rapist. but furthermore, any celebrity should be the first to acknowledge that whatever the papers print should not be taken as gospel. by contrast, Polanski described his acts of his own accord and even that sanitized version was despicable.
…..oh. did I mention I agree with you 100%?
It’s fucking ridiculous that people are defending him. Sickening and ridiculous. He’s a sick fucker who did a sick thing. Talented? Maybe. But still a sick fucker. Anyone who supports that douchebag can go suck a dick.
oh, yes and also what Sybil said. (is it apparent that I’m a little incensed by this? it is? good.)
actually, I don’t think they should suck a dick. I think they should be drugged and then anally raped.
ok. I’m done for real this time ;)
Yeah. What you said. There’s a simple solution to what Polanski and others like him do – castration. Unfortunately, someone has to suffer the crime of rape before the penalty can be imposed, but once rape is proven or confessed to, that’s what the penalty should be. Pure and simple. Real men don’t rape. If you do, you should be made a eunuch.
Amen.
I love the ‘rape-RAPE’ comment she made. Because if it was her child, niece, friend, etc would she classify rape? I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Is a lynch still a lynch? A gassing still a gassing? Gay crimes? Hate crimes? Or are all of those a part of a new classification system I am unaware of?
This is the best summary of the situation that I’ve read. I agree 100%. Famous people seem to live in a different reality than the rest of is, and if you have enough money, you can get out of nearly any crime it seems. I hope Polanski gets what he deserves.
Preach on! I love that you put forth the facts in a clear, concise, balanced way. There is no arguing with the points you made. Well said!
I am totally with you on this one. My first instinct when I heard about it was more of a “After all this time??” kind of thing, but then I read more about what he did and how it all shook down, and it isn’t right that he walked away. He needs to be accountable for his crime, and the idea that the victim said to let it go is not a legitimate reason. She’s a VICTIM.
Well fucking said!! I completely agree!
I love Powder, too. One of my top 10s.
What you said. Exactly.
Bravo.
It’s nice to see that others share my opinion.
Ha – I was totally going to comment that I like this IllegitimateAngel chick! :D
And I almost said they could suck a dick – forcibly, but I thought it was a bit much. No?!
no. lol.
This was so great I wanna read it again! And then email it to everyone that I know! You’ve said everything that I have been feeling about the situation and you have enlightened me to things that I was not even aware of.
Its really sickening that, not only did he skip out on his punishment, but that Hollywood elite are ok with this and ok with his crime. Leaves me shaking my head.
Nail on the head sista!
Yep.
You’re right. He should serve his time and then, and only then, I will consider him rehabilitated. Either that, or we can chop his balls off. I’m leaning toward the latter.
Brilliant summation. I haven’t touched this subject on my blog, but you have said pretty much what I would. If he were a “nobody” instead of a movie director, he would not have skirted the law this long and no one would be publicly protesting this.
Well said. I loved Powder, too, but I hadn’t heard the backstory on the director.
As I said in my StumbleUpon review, you say all the things my brain wishes it could think.
October 18, 2009 at 1:39 pm
This is one of the reason’s I’m so happy and wistful at the same time. So glad that my new guy is becoming a part of the lives of my girls… but wistful that their dad isn’t. Great post, Maria!
Good post. I know next to nothing about the story since I stopped reading about shit that pisses me off, which includes anything mentioned on ‘the view’, but I think I get what you’re saying. So much of criminal punishment for sexual crimes seems to be so very much up to personal opinion based on personal experiance. and of course it chouldnt be any other way, but the laws should not be personal. if we can nationally agree on a blood alchohal level for a criminal charge (which of course is fooy for many people) than why can there not be a national ‘throw the book at’ policy for hands down, no consent given, drugged, evil rape?