In very much other news...

[flick]

Is it just me that's feeling faintly worried about the whole Harvey Weinstein thing?

It does, very much, sound as though the man is thoroughly unpleasant, and will in the fullness of time be prosecuted and convicted for the things that he's being accused of.

But he's been thrown out of BAFTA and the Academy Whose Full Name I Forget, and they're talking about stripping him of his honours, when that hasn't yet happened.

What about that innocent until proven guilty thing? Look at the whole Bramall / Brittan thing: it seems unlikely, but what if the outcome of this is the same?

Comments

[autopope]

Given the volume and vintage of the allegations I'm thinking this sounds more like Jimmy Saville.

There are warning signs going back years — things like Courtney Love in a 2005 live TV interview all-but-saying "if he invites you to a private party, don't go, he'll rape you". Same as Saville.

The Bramall/Brittan thing came up during a police investigation into allegations by basically one guy, who made a bunch of claims about multiple famous people. Here, we've got a lot of public figures laying their reputations on the line to say "this guy is a predator who attacked me" — in other words, corroborative testimony about a pattern of abusive behaviour going back decades.

Now look how fast everyone disassociated themselves from Saville when the sewage pipe burst. I'm not sure BAFTA and the Academy had any alternative; to fail to act would risk being tarnished by association.

[flick]

Given the volume and vintage of the allegations I'm thinking this sounds more like Jimmy Saville.

I agree entirely, and I can see why organisations *want* to disassociate themselves.

It just makes me twitchy that he's effectively been tried and convicted in the media, and without (as far as I've noticed) anyone making the point that he hasn't actually been charged with anything, much less found guilty.

In the (deeply unlikely) event that it turns out he's innocent*, his life is ruined.

* I spent a few minutes trying to think of a way that could happen. I was reduced to 'evil twin'. It still makes me twitchy, though.

[dorispossum]

The important thing is that he doesn't get the chance to victimise anyone else. Their lives matter too.

[voidampersand]

Weinstein's wife decided to divorce him even though he has not yet been charged of any crime, much less convicted. She is completely justified, but more importantly, it's her decision. She does not have to file charges or go through a trial.

Similarly, BAFTA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can decide to disassociate themselves from him. The big question is not why Weinstein is out. It's why Polanski and Cosby are still members.

[birguslatro]

It's a so very American way of doing things. Even juries get interviewed after trials in the US.

But then there's what someone said after Trump was elected: "Now you know why sexual assault doesn't get reported."

Innocent until proven guilty's fine if trials happen, but what about if they don't?