The country - indeed, the world - has been going nuts about Roman Polanski this week. There's been some good, some bad, and some ugly.
Squarely in the GOOD category is Polanski, Polanski, Polanski: Kate Harding's blog listing all of the OTHER blogs she's written in the aftermath of Roman Polanski's arrest - the Hollyweird support system, the Whoopi "rape-rape" thing, and most importantly a very detailed recounting of the crime for which Roman Polanski was originally arrested back in 1977. She approaches the subject with not just disgust at his crimes, but also with intelligence and links to back up what she writes.
In the BAD category we have Polanski's Arrest: Shame on the Swiss written by Joan Z. Shore. It's not only bad because of it's content, but because Shore is apparently the co-founder for something called Women Overseas for Equality in Belgium. I'm still processing how someone who's for equality for women can find a way to justify saying "shame on the Swiss" for arresting a child-raping fugitive.
In the UGLY category is the shockingly horrific fact that Feminist Majority founder Peg Yorkin was quoted in a L.A. Times story as saying "It's bad a person was raped. But that was so many years ago. The guy has been through so much in his life. It's crazy to arrest him now. Let it go. The government could spend its money on other things." Fortunately it looks like the president of the Feminist Majority Foundation disagrees with the founder.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
"It wasn't rape-rape"? Say WHAT?!
It's been all over the news lately. Roman Polanski was arrested for raping a 13 year old back in 1977. Why so long to arrest him? Well, he kinda fled the country in 1978. Yeah.
So anyway, today I read online that there had been a discussion of it on ABC's "The View". And that discussion didn't put co-host Whoopi Goldberg in a very good light. Apparently, she defended Polanski by saying "it wasn't 'rape-rape'".
HUH?!
Not just wanting to take this tidbit on faith, I wound up on YouTube searching for the clip. I found it.
My head is still spinning. HOW could ANYONE with any sense of right and wrong try to downplay the severity of DRUGGING AND RAPING A 13 YEAR OLD CHILD?!?!
Am I overreacting here? I mean, would she struggle this hard to defend the rapist if he was some unknown, overweight dude finally found decades after his initial arrest for drugging and raping a child?
And it's not just Whoopi, folks. No, it seems that Hollywood embraces Roman Polanski, too.
I get that he had a horrible childhood, losing his mother at Auschwitz. I get that he had to deal with the horror of his wife Sharon Tate being butchered by the Charles Manson clan. I'm not intending to downplay those horrors AT ALL. He's a gifted director, and I'm not discounting that, either.
What I AM saying, though, is that plenty of people survived the Holocaust without becoming child rapists. Many, many people have lost a spouse to senseless, terrible murder without becoming child rapists. And I'd be willing to bet that there are lots of other gifted directors who didn't make the choice to drug and rape a child. NOTHING, not his bad times nor his gifts, makes it acceptable to do what he did way back in 1977. NOTHING makes it okay to evade the law for such a heinous crime for decades.
Shame on you, Whoopi Goldberg. Shame on you, Polanski supporters - in Hollywood and around the globe. Shame on you.
So anyway, today I read online that there had been a discussion of it on ABC's "The View". And that discussion didn't put co-host Whoopi Goldberg in a very good light. Apparently, she defended Polanski by saying "it wasn't 'rape-rape'".
HUH?!
Not just wanting to take this tidbit on faith, I wound up on YouTube searching for the clip. I found it.
My head is still spinning. HOW could ANYONE with any sense of right and wrong try to downplay the severity of DRUGGING AND RAPING A 13 YEAR OLD CHILD?!?!
Am I overreacting here? I mean, would she struggle this hard to defend the rapist if he was some unknown, overweight dude finally found decades after his initial arrest for drugging and raping a child?
And it's not just Whoopi, folks. No, it seems that Hollywood embraces Roman Polanski, too.
I get that he had a horrible childhood, losing his mother at Auschwitz. I get that he had to deal with the horror of his wife Sharon Tate being butchered by the Charles Manson clan. I'm not intending to downplay those horrors AT ALL. He's a gifted director, and I'm not discounting that, either.
What I AM saying, though, is that plenty of people survived the Holocaust without becoming child rapists. Many, many people have lost a spouse to senseless, terrible murder without becoming child rapists. And I'd be willing to bet that there are lots of other gifted directors who didn't make the choice to drug and rape a child. NOTHING, not his bad times nor his gifts, makes it acceptable to do what he did way back in 1977. NOTHING makes it okay to evade the law for such a heinous crime for decades.
Shame on you, Whoopi Goldberg. Shame on you, Polanski supporters - in Hollywood and around the globe. Shame on you.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
"A Murder of Crows"
If you've been terrified of our feathered friends since watching the Hitchcock classic "The Birds", I apologize for this blog in advance.
It's Tuesday evening and I'm surfing the web while my local news is on the television. I like to multitask. Don't judge me.
Anyway, I've been paying a little attention to the news here and there, looking up when the latest story about the Bikini Baristas around here getting in trouble for serving up more than coffee (because, really, baristas in bikinis?).
But then they teased a story about crows. Specifically, teased an upcoming segment about how crows are really smart. Like, smart enough to recognize faces and hold grudges kind of smart.
I couldn't help but stare at the television screen until the segment came on, a sort of terror building as my mind began cataloging all the creepy movies I've seen featuring bloodthirsty crows. *gulp*
Finally the segment came on, and after watching it I've got to say my uneasiness has ratcheted up a notch or two...or three. As it turns out, UW researchers say crows are as intelligent as apes.
Suddenly I find myself wondering if I've ever done anything to raise the ire of any crows. Have I walked too close to a nest and been tagged as a threat? Do they have their own way of telling the other crows "the kid in the third house on the left threw a rock at me, go get him"? Can I even use Twitter without freaking out whenever I see that little bird?
Anyway, there's apparently going to be a documentary airing on CBC about these dark, intelligent creatures. I'll probably watch it, if only to educate myself a little more. Who knows, maybe I'll wind up befriending a murder of crows. If I do, I promise to use my Bird Whisperer powers for good...probably.
It's Tuesday evening and I'm surfing the web while my local news is on the television. I like to multitask. Don't judge me.
Anyway, I've been paying a little attention to the news here and there, looking up when the latest story about the Bikini Baristas around here getting in trouble for serving up more than coffee (because, really, baristas in bikinis?).
But then they teased a story about crows. Specifically, teased an upcoming segment about how crows are really smart. Like, smart enough to recognize faces and hold grudges kind of smart.
I couldn't help but stare at the television screen until the segment came on, a sort of terror building as my mind began cataloging all the creepy movies I've seen featuring bloodthirsty crows. *gulp*
Finally the segment came on, and after watching it I've got to say my uneasiness has ratcheted up a notch or two...or three. As it turns out, UW researchers say crows are as intelligent as apes.
Suddenly I find myself wondering if I've ever done anything to raise the ire of any crows. Have I walked too close to a nest and been tagged as a threat? Do they have their own way of telling the other crows "the kid in the third house on the left threw a rock at me, go get him"? Can I even use Twitter without freaking out whenever I see that little bird?
Anyway, there's apparently going to be a documentary airing on CBC about these dark, intelligent creatures. I'll probably watch it, if only to educate myself a little more. Who knows, maybe I'll wind up befriending a murder of crows. If I do, I promise to use my Bird Whisperer powers for good...probably.
Evil HTML?
Just testing how this works if I try to add some HTML code. And what better to test than with the brilliant Dr. Horrible?
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