Editorial: Harvey Weinstein’s scandal reveals Hollywood’s hypocrisy
October 11, 2017
One by one, members of Hollywood, from directors to actors to producers, are standing up to voice their disgust with Harvey Weinstein after a New York Times report revealed that he had been settling lawsuits with women who had accused him of sexual assault for decades.
The statements and tweets from stars like Meryl Streep, Ben Affleck, Kevin Smith, Lena Dunham, Judd Apatow and Mark Ruffalo have more or less voiced the same opinions. They are all shocked, disturbed and angered by Weinstein’s actions and all extend their support to the women who have bravely come forward with their stories. This public denouncing of Weinstein should be happening, but as we watch a handful of celebrities comment on the scandal it can be easy to forget that they make up only a small portion of the Hollywood community.
Whispered conversation has replaced silence on the topic of sexual assault in Hollywood. The New York Times attempted to follow up their original report by speaking to over 40 power players in the entertainment industry and almost none of them would speak on Weinstein. Even as headlines began to trickle in about celebrities voicing their support for Weinstein’s victims, Rose McGowan, one of the women who reached a settlement with Weinstein said in a tweet, “Ladies of Hollywood, your silence is deafening.”
Hollywood has a long history of keeping its problems with sexual misconduct hidden in the shadows. In more than one instance, stars have openly disregarded sexual assault allegations to instead show support for the accuser.
When Roman Polanski was arrested in 2010 for a 1977 underage sex case, more than 100 members of the film industry publicly supported him by signing a petition that called for his immediate release and exoneration. Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Wes Anderson and Tilda Swinton were just some of the names on that long list. None of these big names have publicly denounced Harvey Weinstein since the news of his alleged misconduct broke.
Woody Allen himself has had several women file sexual assault allegations against him and continues to have a very successful career. While there are countless think pieces written about the allegations of his sexual assault, there has been no condemnation from Hollywood.
Instead, he has won four Academy Awards, 10 British Academy of Film and Television Awards and two Golden Globes and has two highly anticipated upcoming films. Casey Affleck is another star who has been the focus of a lot of conversation without consequence. Just last year won his first Oscar in the midst of public discussion about the two cases of sexual assault he settled seven years ago.
For an industry that has a big problem with sexual assault and an even bigger problem with ignoring it, Hollywood seems to be very good at wagging its finger at others. During the 2016 presidential campaign, it seemed the list of celebrities speaking out against President Donald J. Trump was endless. Many celebrities campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton and were not quiet about their disgust when the infamous Access Hollywood tape was released. Every award show was an opportunity to publically denounce Trump as a bully, a misogynist, a predator, or any other name that could so easily fit their own executives, producers, actors and directors.
Whispered conversation and the occasional tweet are not enough to deal with these gross violations that members of Hollywood appear so publicly disappointed by. It’s time Hollywood takes stock and acknowledges where they have failed in the past. If nothing else, the exposure of Weinstein should trigger the same kind of response in Hollywood that Trump did. Until a speech about the abhorrent behavior of one of their own gets a standing ovation at an Academy Award, any pointed fingers will simply be the pot calling the kettle black.