On Oct. 5, the New York Times revealed that famous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein engaged in decades of sexual harassments with a number of women.
To keep the lid on these incidents, Weinstein paid the women exorbitant amounts of money in settlements. Weinstein made it a habit to offer advances in the acting careers of those who accepted his sexual advances. Weinstein’s actions were reprehensible, and he should be thrown in prison. But Hollywood’s attempt to position itself as a hero by punishing him now instead of when the behavior began shows its double standing, seeing as they had protected the man until now.
We see famous Hollywood figures like Jane Fonda and Quentin Tarantino lamenting how they should have spoken up about Harvey Weinstein’s harassment before the NYT revealed it, yet they remained silent all of this time, up until everyone decided that Weinstein had to go. Before then, we heard nothing from them. So why are they so concerned now about what had been an open secret in Hollywood for decades? It’s because doing so now no longer affects their bottom line. Had the people who knew about this incident done the right thing and exposed Weinstein at the earliest opportunity, it would not have ruined the lives of so many women who were sexually harassed (and in some cases, even raped). Unfortunately, Hollywood executives and producers like to keep big time directors, producers, actors, and actresses under them, and big-time producers like Weinstein can end someone’s career the moment they step out of line.
Hollywood claims to be the bastion of progressive values and what liberal morality should be like, citing its fight to achieve equality between men and women. Yet when far more sinister cases like decades-long sexual harassment and rape are present, they shove the double standard into a tight basement with a thousand locks in hopes that no one has all the keys. The hypocrisy surrounding Hollywood knows no limits, especially if more sexual harassment within the industry is exposed. The next time Hollywood decides to push a political (let alone liberal) agenda, they should remind themselves of all the filth that surrounds where they work.
