WANKER WEINSTEIN: THE GROTESQUE FACE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
Last week we heard the news that this man, Harvey Weinstein, has been harassing, assaulting and raping multiple women he has worked with for decades. In case you’re not familiar with his work, Weinstein has produced iconic movies such as Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, The Crying - wait. Why does any of this matter?
You don’t need to know what great movies he’s produced or what projects he’s helped fund. This man has been accused by over 50 people of sexual misconduct. Over 50 people. It doesn’t matter if he cured cancer- he has still harassed, assaulted and/or raped over 50 different women. His accomplishments have no place when we’re discussing the disgusting things he’s done. It’s frustrating to see multiple men nowadays getting a green card for gross behaviour just because they’re hot, talented, or rich. It shouldn’t work like that. But what else can you expect from a world where Donald “grab’em by the pussy” Trump is President of the United States?
Multiple people have used the hashtag #MeToo as a platform to share what sort of harassment they’ve been suffering for years. Not only is it a brave move, but it also showcases that in literally every single industry you can think of, where there is power, there is abuse of it. And that abuse often takes form in attacks of a sexual nature. No one is safe from people in power. If you’re not rich or powerful, you’re a possible victim. And Harvey Weinstein is a man with power.
Just to list off some of the women he has abused, we’re talking Asia Argento –who starred the in the first xXx action movie, Gwyneth Paltrow – from Shakespeare in Love, and many many MANY others. He has tried to justify his acts saying he’s attempting to improve himself, become a better man for his family. Great that you realise what you did was wrong, but in this world you have to pay for the crimes you commit. It doesn’t matter if you murdered someone 10 years ago and now feel super guilty and want to improve yourself - you still committed a crime. I can’t help but wonder if these people saying he’s trying to be better know that what he did was not only illegal, but also created fear and trauma in dozens of women. He should atone for it.
Now if you think this only happens in Hollywood: Oh boy are you wrong. As I mentioned earlier, where there is power, there is the abuse of it. Another example to come out this week, McKayla Maroney, gold medallist in gymnastics for the USA team, brought to attention that the previous Doctor for the American gymnastics team Larry Nassar had been sexually abusing children and teenagers for about 29 years whilst he held the position. Claiming it was some sort of “treatment” or “procedure”, he’d insert his disgusting little paedophile fingers inside these helpless young women and put his gross hands on their breasts. He used the power he held to lie and “excuse” his behaviour. He managed to do it for 29 years.
This story isn’t about Weinstein. It’s not about Nassar. It’s about the horrible abuses of power going on in every industry this very moment. People in Hollywood are getting molested in fear of losing their careers because they angered the wrong director. Young gymnasts are getting sexually assaulted by doctors who use their innocence against them. And for now, all we can do is support everyone that comes out about their experiences. Be it young white women, or strong black men like Terry Crews, anyone can be a victim of sexual assault by a person in power. This disgusting behaviour needs to be stopped and these powerful, rich people need to go to jail for their heinous crimes.
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Illustration by Gonçalo Alves