Wednesday 30 September 2009

'All that is necessary...

...for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.' (Edmund Burke)

The Potty Diaries is not usually a contentious blog. I use it to practise my writing, record amusing or significant events in my family life, and occasionally to witter on about stuff that bothers me but is probably not of much interest to anyone else.

However, I've been watching what's been happening in the public arena with regard to comments and attitudes on the Roman Polanski case with interest and a certain amount of disbelief. I'm not going to go into details on the history of all this; they are a matter of public record, and irrefutable. Hell, the man pleaded guilty to raping a thirteen year old girl. That's guilty. As in 'I did it.'

Apparantly however, there are a large number of people who think that because, after admitting his guilt, Roman Polanski ran away and didn't go home for years, because he has had a number of tragedies in his personal life (none of which I want to diminish, they were diabolical, no doubt about it), and because - poor diddums - he didn't even get to go home to collect his Oscar in case he got banged up as a result, we should put the events that happened 1977 behind us and move on.

Now, I'm well aware that the quote I've used to title this post is dramatic, and can be used with reference to any number of news stories circulating today with even more relevance. But consider what Noble Savage writes on her post 'This is what rape apology looks like':

'If Polanski doesn’t end up serving his sentence I (and countless other girls and women) will have completely lost any last, teeny-tiny shred of hope that rape would ever be taken seriously in the eyes of the law, and our society.'

Take a look at her two posts to-date on this subject, and see whether you still feel comfortable with consigning this debate to la-la land and dismissing it as something that happened somewhere else and which isn't relevant to your life.

Then ask yourself whether you're happy for the great and the good of Hollywood, who have never experienced the pain and humiliation that the 13 year old girl in question did (and, please God, never will), to be the only ones who's voices who are being heard, speaking out - in Polanski's favour, no less - on this issue.

I'm not.

9 comments:

  1. It was lovely to meet you in person. I enjoyed yesterday. Thank you for offer of reading book. I've had it back from one friend, and realize there is masses more work to do. Would you ever be able to read in pdf format (ie on computer?) Anyway I am restructuring it etc at the moment.

    How do you get those blog award icons to give people? How do you download them or whatever?

    Love, Kate

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  2. Yes, I had read Noble Savage's posts and I am very indignant about it and how Hollywood is pampering Polanski as a poor old fellow who doesn't deserve to go to jail because it wasn't a real rape. Pardon me? You do all sorts of despicable sexual acts with a 13 year old while she is drugged and it isn't rape? Give me a break, please! I'm a fire breathing dragon!

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  3. Hello again. I'm giving a talk about my book, The Seven Year Itch tonight at Waterstones Nottinghill. Can I quote from your post about Stay At Home Mothers? The title of the talk is The modern heroine, Chick Lit meets feminism. Anyway what you have said is exactly what my heroine is feeling.

    Hope that's ok. Won't use your name but will mention your blog if you'd like me to. You can email me on kate@katemorris.co.uk

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  4. I'm ranting about this on PowderRoom Grafitti tomorrow I think, but -
    That he is guilty is not in question. He plead guilty in the 70's and was awaiting sentence. Apparently his sentence wasn't going to be very big (?!) but he got wigged out about whether his 42 days already served would be included. SO he simply left town - and never came back.
    Apparently this is OK with the Hollywood folk. To paraphrase Debra Winger (President of the illustrious Zurich Film Festival jury) it was decades ago and is over, except for a few "technicalities". Yes.
    The rape victim herself is out and about saying she wants the charges dropped because she has moved on. Well, that's great for her but it's not her decision, and he plead guilty anyway.
    Judge Esposito has inferred that he is willing to be lenient, but Polanski has to show up for the hearing. In the USA. And he can't just send "his people".
    We have to remember that Hollywood insiders may thing they run the country, but they don't. They forgive their own kind of incredible actions (Woody Allen) and think we all feel the same way. Well guess what?

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  5. Well said PottyM. There's nothing to add.

    (except that I agree.)

    (in case that wasn't obvious)

    Pigx

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  6. Yes he should serve his sentence for the rape plus another one for absconding. There is no excuse for his behaviour and no reason to cut him any slack. And if he dies in prison, tough!

    Climbing down from high horse now...

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  7. Irene - still breathing fire?

    EPM, I'm heading over to PRG RIGHT NOW to check out the longer version...

    Pig, thankyou. (It was. Obvious).

    Sharon, would you mind giving me a hand off my noble steed whilst you're at it?

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  8. I'm so behind on my blog reading, I'm just now seeing this. Thank you for the quote and link and thank you for standing up against those defending this rapist. I really, really hope that he gets some kind of sentence and if he doesn't I may have to stop watching films made in Hollywood all together. Absolutely ridiculous the amount of covering up and dismissal of his crime that is going on here.

    NS

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  9. Amity, what else could I do? Once I read your blog and actually thought about it properly, I couldn't not make a comment on it...

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Go on - you know you want to...