Yeah, I know. The news is full of Polanski, and the asshats who just can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that he isn't being persecuted for his art, he's being arrested for RAPING A CHILD and fleeing the jurisdiction before sentencing. The timing of Monday's article on the Lolita narrative was completely coincidental, but magnificent. I actually had no idea this was going on at the time I wrote that.
Kate Harding has an excellent article on Salon about this, probably one of the most linked and read to date. She's also talked about it on Jezebel.com. You should go read those articles. But let me reiterate Kate's point, and the point of the California legal system: Roman Polanski pled guilty to CHILD RAPE. That's what "sex" with a child is, rape.
Unfortunately, the majority of Hollywood stars are not scoring any points with right thinking beings, by leaping to his defense. "It was a long time ago, he's been punished enough."
As I said in my personal journal, I don't think being "exiled" to Europe, while continuing to work, travelling freely and continuing to fuck teenaged girls (Nastassia Kinski was 15 during their "affair") constitutes "punished enough" in any way, state, form or whatever. It's not like he was living in a tin shack in Siberia and surviving on lichen and moss or something. For the love of the Gods, people.
He fled California because he was afraid (and probably rightly so) that the judge was going to negate one of the most egregiously lenient plea bargains in the history of lenient plea bargains. They can do that. You know, if they think justice isn't being served by letting someone who drugs, rapes and sodomizes thirteen year old girls off with a slap on the wrist.
Cases like this are where the Lolita narrative meets the Gold-digger narrative, combined with a heaping helping of "He doesn't need to rape anyone." Let me state again for the record: NO ONE NEEDS TO RAPE ANYONE!! You will not die if you don't "get some." So can we please quit using that as a defense. Yes, I'm well aware the Roman Polanski probably got, and gets, more ass than a toilet seat. That is not a valid defense in any rape case. Combined with the fact that HE CONFESSED TO FUCKING A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD CHILD!!!!!!!!!!
I'm almost afraid to read the petition Hollywood has put forward for his release. I mean, I've already noted that quite a few actors (male and female) whose work I admire have signed it, and it turns my stomach that I ever gave anyone who could do that any of my money by renting, buying or seeing one of their films. So far only three actors/directors have spoken out against this demonstration of mass lunacy: Kevin Smith, Luc Besson and Greg Grunberg.
Only those three men have shown any sort of character or, really, grasp on reality in the face of this media circus.
Memo: Me Buy more Kevin Smith films, and get 5th Element on DVD.
I shudder for the daughters of any of the people who signed this petition, male or female, lest something like this happen to them. What are they going to say or do? Just tell the child that they deserved it? That they led their rapist on? People do that. Tell them they shouldn't have acted like such a little slut? People do that.
Ok, I think I need to go read some uplifting story about a kitten being rescued from a tree or something before I completely lose my faith in humanity. Because it's kind of at a nadir right now.
Mickey Schulz is a guest author for the California NOW blog; her opinions are not necessarily those of California NOW. Copyright Mickey Schulz, with permission granted to California NOW for use on this site.
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