“I Know It Wasn’t Rape-Rape”
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on September 30, 2009 at 9:01 AM in Abuse, Crime, Current Affairs, Women and Children
Proclaimed Whoopi Goldberg on “The View” in defense of Director, and convicted child rapist, Roman Polanski:
Um, yes, yes it WAS “rape-rape” - he admitted it, Whoopi. It wasn’t just “child abuse,” it was rape - pure and simple.
I cannot believe I used to have so much respect for this woman - hell, I read her book! I saw her on Broadway - TWICE, no small feat for a poor graduate student. I thought she was the cat’s meow. But now? I think those rose-colored glasses she often wears have colored her perspective. And now this woman, once a brilliant political commentator, is defending a man who drugged, got drunk, and raped repeatedly, a CHILD.
And now Sherri Shepherd is the voice of reason on “The View?” Wow.
Kate Harding has an excellent article on this very issue in Salon, Reminder: Roman Polanski Raped A Child:
Roman Polanski raped a child. Let’s just start right there, because that’s the detail that tends to get neglected when we start discussing whether it was fair for the bail-jumping director to be arrested at age 76, after 32 years in “exile” (which in this case means owning multiple homes in Europe, continuing to work as a director, marrying and fathering two children, even winning an Oscar, but never — poor baby — being able to return to the U.S.). Let’s keep in mind that Roman Polanski gave a 13-year-old girl a Quaalude and champagne, then raped her, before we start discussing whether the victim looked older than her 13 years, or that she now says she’d rather not see him prosecuted because she can’t stand the media attention. Before we discuss how awesome his movies are or what the now-deceased judge did wrong at his trial, let’s take a moment to recall that according to the victim’s grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, “No,” then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.Can we do that? Can we take a moment to think about all that, and about the fact that Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, before we start talking about what a victim he is? Because that would be great, and not nearly enough people seem to be doing it.
It cannot be any clearer than that. When women like Whoopi defend this man, it makes me ill. She is defending a convicted pedophile and rapist, claiming we don’t have all the facts. Hell, yes, we do, too.
How can these people defend him? How can other countries have such outrage that this man, who has been on the lam for YEARS, has finally been arrested? Beats me:
The French press, for instance (at least according to the British press) is describing Polanski “as the victim of a money-grabbing American mother and a publicity-hungry Californian judge.” Joan Z. Shore at the Huffington Post, who once met Polanski and “was utterly charmed by [his] sobriety and intelligence,” also seems to believe that a child with an unpleasant stage mother could not possibly have been raped: “The 13-year old model ’seduced’ by Polanski had been thrust onto him by her mother, who wanted her in the movies.” Oh, well, then! If her mom put her into that situation, that makes it much better! Shore continues: “The girl was just a few weeks short of her 14th birthday, which was the age of consent in California. (It’s probably 13 by now!) Polanski was demonized by the press, convicted, and managed to flee, fearing a heavy sentence.”Wow, OK, let’s break that down. First, as blogger Jeff Fecke says, “Fun fact: the age of consent in 1977 in California was 16. It’s now 18. But of course, the age of consent isn’t like horseshoes or global thermonuclear war; close doesn’t count. Even if the age of consent had been 14, the girl wasn’t 14.” Also, even if the girl had been old enough to consent, she testified that she did not consent. There’s that. Though of course everyone makes a bigger deal of her age than her testimony that she did not consent, because if she’d been 18 and kept saying no while he kissed her, licked her, screwed her and sodomized her, this would almost certainly be a whole different story — most likely one about her past sexual experiences and drug and alcohol use, about her desire to be famous, about what she was wearing, about how easy it would be for Roman Polanski to get consensual sex, so hey, why would he need to rape anyone? It would quite possibly be a story about a wealthy and famous director who pled not guilty to sexual assault, was acquitted on “she wanted it” grounds, and continued to live and work happily in the U.S. Which is to say that 30 years on, it would not be a story at all. So it’s much safer to focus on the victim’s age removing any legal question of consent than to get tied up in that thorny “he said, she said” stuff about her begging Polanski to stop and being terrified of him.
No matter what convoluted tacks one might take to try and blame this child for her repeated rape and being sodomized, the responsibility lies SOLELY with Roman Polanski:
Second, Polanski was “demonized by the press” because he raped a child, and was convicted because he pled guilty. He “feared heavy sentencing” because drugging and raping a child is generally frowned upon by the legal system. Shore really wants us to pity him because of these things? (And, I am not making this up, boycott the entire country of Switzerland for arresting him.)As ludicrous as Shore’s post is, I have to agree with Fecke that my favorite Polanski apologist is the Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum, who finds it “bizarre” that anyone is still pursuing this case. And who also, by the by, failed to disclose the tiny, inconsequential detail that her husband, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, is actively pressuring U.S. authorities to drop the case.
There is evidence of judicial misconduct in the original trial. There is evidence that Polanski did not know her real age. Polanski, who panicked and fled the U.S. during that trial, has been pursued by this case for 30 years, during which time he has never returned to America, has never returned to the United Kingdom., has avoided many other countries, and has never been convicted of anything else. He did commit a crime, but he has paid for the crime in many, many ways: In notoriety, in lawyers’ fees, in professional stigma. He could not return to Los Angeles to receive his recent Oscar. He cannot visit Hollywood to direct or cast a film.
There is also evidence that Polanski raped a child. There is evidence that the victim did not consent, regardless of her age. There is evidence — albeit purely anecdotal, in this case — that only the most debased crapweasel thinks “I didn’t know she was 13!” is a reasonable excuse for raping a child, much less continuing to rape her after she’s said no repeatedly. There is evidence that the California justice system does not hold that “notoriety, lawyers’ fees and professional stigma” are an appropriate sentence for child rape.
But hey, he wasn’t allowed to pick up his Oscar in person! For the love of all that’s holy, hasn’t the man suffered enough?
That’s snark there by Harding, just to be clear. Again, how in the world can these women DEFEND THIS MAN??? What is wrong with them? I think Harding wonders that, too:
Granted, Roman Polanski has indeed suffered a great deal in his life, which is where Applebaum takes her line of argument next:He can be blamed, it is true, for his original, panicky decision to flee. But for this decision I see mitigating circumstances, not least an understandable fear of irrational punishment. Polanski’s mother died in Auschwitz. His father survived Mauthausen. He himself survived the Krakow ghetto, and later emigrated from communist Poland.
Surviving the Holocaust certainly could lead to an “understandable fear of irrational punishment,” but being sentenced for pleading guilty to child rape is basically the definition of rational punishment. Applebaum then points out that Polanski was a suspect in the murder of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, a crime actually committed by the Manson family — but again, that was the unfortunate consequence of a perfectly rational justice system. Most murdered pregnant women were killed by husbands or boyfriends, so that suspicion was neither personal nor unwarranted. This isn’t Kafkaesque stuff.
But what of the now-45-year-old victim, who received a settlement from Polanski in a civil case, saying she’d like to see the charges dropped? Shouldn’t we be honoring her wishes above all else?
In a word, no. At least, not entirely. I happen to believe we should honor her desire not to be the subject of a media circus, which is why I haven’t named her here, even though she chose to make her identity public long ago. But as for dropping the charges, Fecke said it quite well: “I understand the victim’s feelings on this. And I sympathize, I do. But for good or ill, the justice system doesn’t work on behalf of victims; it works on behalf of justice.”
It works on behalf of the people, in fact — the people whose laws in every state make it clear that both child rape and fleeing prosecution are serious crimes. The point is not to keep 76-year-old Polanski off the streets or help his victim feel safe. The point is that drugging and raping a child, then leaving the country before you can be sentenced for it, is behavior our society should not — and at least in theory, does not — tolerate, no matter how famous, wealthy or well-connected you are, no matter how old you were when you finally got caught, no matter what your victim says about it now, no matter how mature she looked at 13, no matter how pushy her mother was, and no matter how many really swell movies you’ve made.
Roman Polanski raped a child. No one, not even him, disputes that. Regardless of whatever legal misconduct might have gone on during his trial, the man admitted to unlawful sex with a minor. But the Polanski apologism we’re seeing now has been heating up since “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” the 2008 documentary about Polanski’s fight to get the conviction dismissed. Writing in Salon, Bill Wyman criticized the documentary’s whitewashing of Polanksi’s crimes last February, after Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza ruled that if the director wanted to challenge the conviction, he’d need to turn himself in to U.S. authorities and let the justice system sort it out. “Fugitives don’t get to dictate the terms of their case … Polanski deserves to have any potential legal folderol investigated, of course. But the fact that Espinoza had to state the obvious is testimony to the ways in which the documentary, and much of the media coverage the director has received in recent months, are bizarrely skewed.”
The reporting on Polanski’s arrest has been every bit as “bizarrely skewed,” if not more so. Roman Polanski may be a great director, an old man, a husband, a father, a friend to many powerful people, and even the target of some questionable legal shenanigans. He may very well be no threat to society at this point. He may even be a good person on balance, whatever that means. But none of that changes the basic, undisputed fact: Roman Polanski raped a child. And rushing past that point to focus on the reasons why we should forgive him, pity him, respect him, admire him, support him, whatever, is absolutely twisted. (Emphasis mine.)
Indeed.
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This criminal deserves jail time–lots of it. Whoopi and her many tv/Hollywood cohorts who defend Polanski the criminal are disgusting. Shame on them.
With all the traveling this guy has done over the years the USG waited until now? 30 years? Its not like this guy was underground. Why do I think there is more to this story that a simple case of catching a fugitive.
Probably. Shame on Switzerland for not arresting him the first time he set foot in the country after fleeing America. It does seem unfair to let him visit and set up house there for years without ever arresting him. Even so, tough shit. Polanski did the crime, let him do the time. I have no sympathy for a child rapist. Whether her mother brought her to the party, pushed her towards Polanski and wink, wink said “have fun” does not matter a bit. By that reasoning if you discount the rape because the mother possibly helped facilitate it, you might as well excuse all men who have sex with underage prostitutes since an adult pimp facilitated those encounters too.
Try the mother as an accessory. Don’t let Polanski off the hook.
The USG did not “wait until now”. At least 9 prior attempts to arrest and extradite him were made.
See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090928/ap_on_en_mo/eu_switzerland_polanski
Polanski decided this time he was going to be “in your face” about his going to Switzerland, instead of keeping it low key like he has done the past. It must of pissed off the USG to see this and they worked out some kind of a deal with the Swiss. Having sex with a minor is repulsive to me, more so, when that person is in his forties who pumped the girl up with drugs. He showed his character and guilt by jumping. Can you imagine the nutcase who kidnapped Jaycee Duggard disappearing for 30+ years and then when he’s captured, people saying “it was so long ago, forgive him”? NO F***ing way!
Or how about if the creep, Gardino wasn’t procecuted because it was long ago and they became “friends”? That is such wrong headed thinking.
The mother in the Polanski should be prosecuted for pimping her daughter as well as Polanski. And I don’t care whether the woman is now grown and wants it put behind her. You can’t sanction the rich and famous being able to buy their way out of a rape charge. He hasn’t changed btw. He still pursues young girls in France…which apparently is just hunky dorey there.
Didn’t he have an affair with Natasia Kinski when he was making the film TESS? I understand she was only 14 or 15 at the time. It appears that he has a penchant for young girls. There may be more victims out there.
She was 15, and yes he did have an “affair” with her. He was 43. He is a repeat offender.
You can hardly compare the two, really. I am not defending Polanski’s crime, by all means, but I do ask myself why now and why Switzerland?
Polanski travelled freely all over Europe and other continents for 30 years. He wasn’t low key, particularly, except maybe in the beginning.
Switzerland has earned a lot of critic about this arrest. Personnally I think they wanted to polish the relationship with US Authorities, because of the scandal with Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS.
But why didn’t the US press sooner for arrest and extradition, also in all the other countries he traveled to extensivly and openly?
There is something more than meets the eye, IMO.
seriously, what difference does it make? i don’t care “why” he was arrested - other than the fact that he is a child rapist. that’s all the “why” i need to know.
[...] link: "I Know It Wasn’t Rape-Rape" Posted in Hollywood Movies | Tags: 13-year-old, direct-or-cast, had-been, her-mother, [...]
Not everyone would have the money and power to flee to a foreign country and skip punishment. Great movies? Yea, thats OK then. Guess all the money made from those flicks can buy anything a man wants. Poor guy. Suffering all those years. We should have exterminated the vermin years ago. There’s no excuse for the support he is receiving. Hollywierd has really sunk to new lows.
Agreed, Glenn. And having to “suffer” in his numerous European homes.
I wonder how the woman whom he raped has fared? Think she has a bunch of homes, and loads of money? Yeah, right.
How pathetic, and horrifying, that SHE is not getting the kind of support this child rapist is getting. What does that say abt us???
This story is beyond disgusting, and those who would defend this man are as base as he is!
It does explain why child molesters in this country may get as little as 3 months in the county jail!
Perhaps Whoopi needs a “girlie chat” with Oprah, who paid out bounties on these perverts!
No, I have no respect for her either!
So glad you did this piece RRRAmy.
There is no defense for what Polaski did. None. And as to the petition Hollywood has going now - I hope people show what they think of every one of the signatures with a lack of box office receipts.
Unbelievable!
Thanks, Linda, and all - it is so disturbing, I hate that this is even a STORY, you know? As in, I’d far prefer if the rapist was captured, returned for sentencing (and additional charges for fleeing the country), and NOT have people like the Hollywood Elite claiming we shouldn’t try to hold this child rapist accountable.
Just unbelievable…
Anyone know what happened to SusanUnPc? I miss her headlines! (Sorry for off-topic…)
What the hell is wrong with Whoopie? She used to speak with such clarity. This is awful.
Great piece, Amy. Glad you’re calling out this creepy pedophile.
I lived and worked in Hollywood for five years. I’ve seen such atrocious and disgusting behavior by “celebs” that it would curl your hair.
I’m not surprised that these vacuous, narcissists would support this rapist.
Celebrities believe that they are better than the rest of us, and that rules and laws do not apply to them.
I saw it with my own eyes, and it was sickening.
I hope this “director” gets sent back to the U.S. and finally pays for his crime. I pray that justice will prevail.
I am not at ALL surprised that Woody Allen is one of the people who signed the petition in support of Polanski, though you will be heartened to learn that Whoopi is facing a backlash for her obscene remarks: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/roman-polanski/6245219/Roman-Polanski-backlash-as-Whoopi-Goldberg-says-director-didnt-commit-rape-rape.html
They think they’re royalty and we should all bow down and kiss their “A”. Pfft Most of them open their mouths and make themselves look like complete morons.
This girl asked him to stop over and over. She even kept putting her clothes on. 3 times that I counted in the testimony I read. I don’t care if she had sex with 2 or 100 people, had taken drugs before. She was a 13 year old child. CHILD. She said NO; repeatedly. She asked him to take her home; repeatedly.
He sodomized her, even with her begging him not too. He refused to take her home. He refused to stop. He raped her 3 times in one night. He knew she was only 13 years old because he’d taken pictures of her before. He gave her drugs and alcohol. he took pictures of her nude. That is child pornography. I don’t care if this young girl was walking down the street strip stark naked. If she said NO, then NO it is. Whoopie that is rape-rape. I can’t believe she said that, I’ve always adored Whoopie…
Hysterically pathetic!
Still awaiting a statement from Obama.
Calling someone a jackass with the faux outrage that Kanye West took the mic from Taylor and said Beyonce had a better video.
And yet, deafening silence on the issue of a convicted pedophile finally being captured.
Still awaiting a statement from Obama.
“crickets” “crickets”
CAROL HAKA
Carol,
I think it’s inappropriate for the President to take a public position on a judicial matter, just as it was inappropriate for him to make comments about the Cambridge police, or for Richard Nixon to comment on the Manson trial. Whatever his personal opinions might be, any public comments by him would be inherently prejudicial. Polanski is obviously going to fight extradition and will probably try some sort of legal maneuver in order to get the original conviction overturned - do you really want him to be able to argue that he “can’t get a fair trial” because Obama shot off his mouth?
I’m beginning to think Hollywood types are suffering from some sort of brain derangement. How could anyone in their right mind excuse child rape? The description of what this man did to this girl is absolutely revolting. Is he suppose to get off because he suffered at the hands of Charles Manson, whose band of lunatics slaughtered his wife and unborn child? So, you’re done wrong and therefore, you get to perpetrate a wrong on a child? Or that he’s in his 70s? Or that he’s one of Hollywood’s designated gifted “artists?” Worked for Michael Jackson!
Blame the victim seems like the most popular excuse. She “looked” twenty-five. Not really. I’ve seen a picture of the victim; she looks like a sweet, innocent, very pretty child. She seduced him, a regular Lolita. And Polanski was what, 45 years old? Poor baby, he had “no” control over himself. Why wasn’t an adult with her? With that rationale every child on the playground or walking home from school is fair game. And the list goes on.
Roman Polanski is a self-confessed child rapist. And as Amy easily points out, that’s the only thing we need to know.
He deserves whatever he gets!
Perhaps some of the apologists have committed the same act.
Good points, Peggy Sue.
And even if she did look older, how in the hell was she “seducing” him when he was drugging her, and getting her drunk?? That’s where even that horrible “blame the victim” excuse falls completely flat.
Nice revisionist history by people like Goldberg who act like the man was not already CONVICTED. He wasn’t just charged with this, he was CONVICTED of it, and admitted his guilt. He got the hell out of Dodge before they could make him PAY for his crime.
And yes, it does make me wonder abt WHY thee people are so avid abt his release? How do you completely dismiss what he did? I don’t give a damn if it was 30 yrs ago - he was a FULL GROWN ADULT.
I, too, wonder how in the world this child was at this Hollywood party at Jack Nicholson’s house. And were any charges brought up against Nicholson??
Even if a child would try to seduce an adult, it is still and always the adults resonsibility to refrain from abuse.
Nicholson was not at his house when this happened, he was doing a movie in another part of the world. So I don’t think he could be blamed or charged for this.
I also wonder at the timing. Why, all of a sudden, is it so important to Switzerland, where Polanski has owned a home for many years, and where he spent most of July and August this year, to arrest him now and turn him over to the US? Could it have anything at all to do with the efforts to take the secrecy out of offshore banking, including in Switzerland? What does Swiss banking get out of this?
I don’t disagree with any of the things that have been written up-thread about Polanski, however you have all failed to mention that there was no trial because there was a plea bargain, one that was accepted by all parties, including the judge, and which was put into place in part to prevent the victim from having to testify in open court. These things happen today, every day, you just don’t hear about it. But in the days immediately prior to sentencing it became clear to all concerned that the judge was going to renege on the agreement. Even the prosecutor said he didn’t blame Polanski for running. This isn’t as cut and dried as some would like it to appear.
whatever Polanski did or did not do, there can be no doubt that this move is purely political.
Sandi, I think that’s part of the case that should be explored. Did the judge make a promise in the plea deal and then reneged on it?
But that doesn’t mitigate or excuse the crime itself. It’s still child-rape, which is the lowest of the low.
I read another thread [on another site] suggesting that the timing may have something to do with the current financial mess, the global mess in which the Swiss banks figure mightily. It’s not like this is Polanski’s first trip to Switzerland. But a little arm twisting and “you scratch our back and we’ll scratch yours” could be in play here [or so it's been suggested].
Anyway you look at it, the whole thing is disgusting.
Peggy Sue, Again, I am in no way trying to make light of child rape, but, and there is a “but”, it was the victim’s family that requested that the DA follow a course that would prevent the victim from having to testify in open court. The only account of what took place is the victim’s. People do agree to plead guilty to things they haven’t done in exchange for a lighter sentence, especially if proving their innocence is virtually impossible. And in this case, one might question how sure the prosecutor was that he could get a guilty verdict, which I would think is more important. Prosecutors don’t usually agree to plea bargains where the accused gets off with very little penalty unless they just don’t have the evidence to get a conviction. Not one aspect of this is simple.
I think, or I would like to believe anyway, that we do a better job now, but I’m not sure that we always do.
I like your analytical thinking, Sandi78.
Rape is ALWAYS very hard to prove, that’s why most women don’t bother reporting it (unfortunately). if it’s “he said-she said” the courts have to assume that the man is innocent until proven guilty, and unless the victim has a convenient video tape of the event, it is very hard to prove that whatever happened (if anything) wasn’t consensual. this was even more true in the ’70’s.
given this, i can’t see someone with all the money and star power of Polanski just deciding to plead guilty to a rape that he didn’t commit, when he had to have known that the odds greatly favored him being acquitted if it went to trial.
Like I said there is more to this story than what we are being told. Man I hate having anyone tried in the press or by keyboard cowboys. How would you like it? Lets see what happens here in court. Though I admit no matter what the judge was going to do or not do, he ran, but why arrest him now? What’s really behind this?
Smart Jazz: The man was convicted in a court of law! Perhaps you missed that part of the story.
He ran! Does it really matter why it took so long? They got the scum, and that’s what counts. Now he’s going to have to do the time because he has been convicted of doing the crime and no amount of apologizing by you friends of the felon is going to change that.
He also pleaded guilty and was awaiting sentencing and voluntary deportation. He ran, coward that he is.
Words fail me.
Nauseated since I heard the news.
Oh, and Whoopie -
No way I’m signing up for T-Mobile.
A pervert period! Hollywood does not have a clue.
Put this animal in prison and throw away the key.
Thank you, Amy. See today’s LA Times for the actual transcript. You will vomit.
word. unfortunately what many on both the extreme left and extreme right do is figure out what the other side is going to say about X, and then take the opposite position. they have no internal, objective sense of morality. they assume that most right of center people will want polanski locked up and the key thrown away, so therefore they are out in force defending the absolutely indefensible.
now imagine if this was a case of some christian wackos here in america (david koresh, warren jeffries, etc.) having sex with young girls (whether they claim to be “married” to them or not); right wingers would be offering the same type of mealy-mouthed dismissals of the seriousness of the crime, and claiming some ulterior motives on the part of prosecutors, etc., while the lefties would be demanding their heads on a platter.
what a pathetic state this country is in.
Nope. This is not a left-right issue. If you look at the comments on liberal Web sites the reaction to Polanski has been overwhelmingly negative. According to polls the Poles (sorry) and the French also don’t care for the man. This isn’t a left-right split. It’s Hollywood and a few ministers abroad versus average Joes and Josephines around the world.
These are the same idiots who defended Michael Jackson. What more can we expect? They have no moral compass.
“I know it wasn’t rape-rape!”
Dear Roman,
You’re once,
Twice,
Three times a rapist . . .
Because she was a child
Because you drugged her
Because she said “NO” and you did it anyway, front and back
Hooray for Hollywood!
Whoopi, you go, girl!
Whoopi just can’t keep from having an opinion on everything that crosses her consciousness, whether she knows anything about the subject or not.
She’s probably the most self-important, frankly ignorant celebrity on TV. She’s the first one to patronize the opposition, demean the opposition and spout facts that she doesn’t really have knowledge of.
Was she there? How does she know what type of rape it was or wasn’t?
Whoopie is a fool, and if this guy weren’t a celebrity, doubtless she’s be calling for him to be strung up by his thumbs.
Hypocrite know it all with zero credibility.
Just shut up, Whoops.
My jaw dropped when I saw this! WTF?!!! In what universe do we live in when having sex with a minor is not considered rape? It’s called statutory rape, Whoopi! Is that why these people find Letterman’s joke about Rodriguez having sex with Palin’s 16 year old daughter funny? I can’t believe these words actually came out of this woman’s mouth. It’s beyond ridiculous. She wouldn’t want her daughter to be not “rape rape” but since it’s someone’s daughter, well, it’s the mom’s fault. I already wrote to ABC and complained.
Since Hollywood all seem to love Chavez,I suggest they take their studios and themselves down to Venezuela. They don`t make movies of any caliber now anyway. Maybe a good dose of real Socialism will make them think clearly.
“they take their studios and themselves down to Venezuela”
Agree, except for Quinton Taratino.
I was shocked by the outpouring of sympathy from the hypocritical Hollywood crowd.
Whoopy Goldberg always was, always will be a total dipshit.
yep totaly
Amy — thank you for putting together this informative but disturbing piece. I had no idea that those in Hollywood have become our default grand jury, deeming themselves the final word in crimes and prosecutions. Can I call on Whoopi to whine on my behalf the next time I get pulled over for speeding?
Jeez, I guess I was a late bloomer. At 13 I barely knew how things worked and would’ve been terrified if an older man had even tried to touch me. Yuck!
But NO means NO at any age! It doesn’t get any plainer.
God Help us.
I have said for a long time and this proves my point. Hollywood is a different planet they think none of them commit crimes and when they do they get off just like this sick bastar_. If a regular citizen had commited this crime they would have been rotting in jail and why is he allowed to run away and not be punished. From now on everyone that commits a crime should just run away. There are 2 sets of laws in this country one for the rich and one for the poor and this proves it. Shame on Whoppi and ABC to think that it wasn’t rape-rape how about if it happened to her child would it be rape. I’m sick of all these stars writing books and say that they have been raped so lets just say who cares like they do.
Whoopi, did a huge Poopi with this one. I stopped watching the show during the primaries.
I saw a report on ABC Nightline, I think, that detailed the efforts made over the years to nab Roman Polanski. They became aware that the child rapist was expected to attend an event in Switzerland to pick up an award.
Remember “justice delayed is justice denied” William E. Gladstone (British Statesman and Prime Minister (1868-1894).
The sad reality is that Polanski probably risks little additional jail time by coming back to the US. He would probably receive only a slap on the wrist and pay a fine. The victim would appear on his behalf and plead for mercy. He would receive forgiveness and redemption. It is sickening to think of, but Polanski could use the publicity surrounding his arrest to make a lot of money for himself.
Why are so many women who traditionally lean Left suddenly abandoning basic feminism 101?
It’s rhetorical question, a wail actually. It began during the primaries and hasn’t stopped yet.
Feminism 101: 13 year old girls are people. It’s wrong to drug and forcibly rape and sodomize people.
That said, I don’t think this case has anything to do with protecting children or women. For some reason we’re spending an incredible amount of taxpayer money fighting wealthy man and three countries and the end at best he’ll get a few months in jail. Fleeing and failing to appear in court in Ca caries a maximum one year sentence. If found guilty he’ll likely serve much less.
Your point, I guess, is that he wins. It costs too much to bother with him. Is that it? So, he wins.
But your take on the status of the case is just wrong-headed and incorrect. The man has never been sentenced for the ORIGINAL CRIME. That has nothing to do with his fleeing the jurisdiction (a separate offense). There is some question as to whether the entire plea agreement could be thrown out, in which case the reduction in the charges would also be thrown out and the original charges, which included rape and sodomy, would be reinstated. Even were he to be sentenced only on the reduced charge of non-consensual sex with a minor, the potential penalty is significant.
And, finally, who’s suggested that we’re “fighting wealthy man and three countries” and that it’s costing too much? Other than you.
Others of us beg to differ.
People seem to believe that we will defy the structure of our legal system, haul him home, and lock him up and throw away the key and justice will finally be served. It doesn’t work that way. There are laws, sentencing guidelines, the original plea deal.
And ultimately, the whole thing will punish his former victim much more then it will punish him. She was already dragged thru the mud years ago, now the media will do it to her again while many people rally around this rapist.
Ahh, I was waiting for this one, thanks for posting on it RRRA. I wonder how Ms. Goldberg would feel if it were her child who was not “rape, raped”. Don’t forget Whoopi also originally came to the defense of Michael Vick. I beleive she re-thought that support. I wonder if she will re-think this one as well.
Whoopi’s great at defending people based on 3 things:
1. They are a celebrity or,
2. They are black or,
3. They are liberal.
Great thinker, isn’t she?
Has low standards, doesn’t she?
Waste of time, isn’t she?
Amazing how much fuss is made over a 30-year old case, which appears not as cut and dried as it seems, (We can’t figure out which set of lies to believe.) but we can’t seem to prosecute the thugs who lied us into a needless war and then proceeded to help rob the country blind.
what the hell does that mean donjo? not as cut and dry??? how is a 13 yr old being raped (whether she agreed to it or not) NOT SO CUT AND DRY?
aren’t you from Clarksville? I pray you haven’t crossed over to the dark side of the looney moon bat left barakoolaid drinkers? it would just be so sad.
I was a proud clarkie at one time. If this is how they feel now than I am glad I no longer hang there
BUSH is over
BAMBI is destroying this country at present
try to keep up man
Every objective post I’ve read on this subject says there’s more there than meets the eye. I don’t know what really happened and you, sure as hell, don’t know either. But it’s so convenient to read your own agenda into a post and then to blast somebody over the internet. And still you haven’t answered my question. WHY do you and the nut case right wingers get so upset over this, but give “the thugs who lied us into a needless war and then proceeded to help rob the country blind,” a free pass?
And no, I don’t condone rape of any form and I can’t stand the Ofraud. I just wonder why the outrage over one thing but not another “thing” that has killed thousands and placed the people of this country in financial peril?
Is that so hard to understand?
What on earth makes you think we’re okay with the war in Iraq? It’s a pretty big leap from opposing rape to supporting war, dontcha think?
Not really. In a way, they’re quite alike; in either case, it’s imposing your will on someone who doesn’t want it.
So… you’re saying rape is like having to stay after school or take a pop quiz?
RRRAmy - thank you for this post and, in general, for your insightful and consistent attention to issues related to sexism and sexual violence.
This situation is disturbing on so many levels. As many comments have noted, the implicit condoning of Polanski’s behavior represents a mindset that legitimizes sexual assault. The girl’s mother, who failed to provide supervision and protection and who may have been pimping her child is equally culpable.
I just don’t get how the “beautiful people” in this world can do so many ugly things without any consequences….
IMHO, it is unlikely that Polanski’s behavior was an isolated incident. I can’t help but wonder how many other girls weren’t really “rape-raped” by this predator.
Thank you, tarma, for your kind words. I appreciate it very much.
Good question - they do seem to think that their “beauty” gives them more privilege on a number of levels (like George Clooney meeting with the president - say, whaaaa?) just because they are famous.
And we KNOW Polanski is a repeat offender - Natasha Kinski was only 15 when he had a “relationship” with her. He was 43. I love how so many in the media refer to is as an “affair.” Wow…
Whoopi- you are disgusting,and ignorant. Rape-Rape? WTF is that? Sad
Pardon me but whoopfart can go straight to HAIL with the rest of the BIASEDVIEW
she’s turned into a huge idiot in her old age
never got over Ted I guess
was that too strong a word calling her whoopfart?
once again she can go straight to HaiL along with the rest of her biased view mates
I had always been a fan of Whoopie ,now not so much! this is unreal to say this wasn’t rape,in who’s world? Just because he has talent and has connections and that hollywood came out in a big way for Obama and we know how things work if you owe someone doesn’t make this right! If he was a poor man or unconnected man would Whoopie defend his raping her? Everything seems upside down ,at least Joy who i have been disgusted with spoke up with Sherrie.. It comes down to who you are and who owes you. I am disgusted and outraged beyond words. how about that creep that kept that young girl in the backyard is he exempt now because she stayed with him?
Whoopie stating that we must have the facts if we discuss something with passion.! OMG if she knows the horrid details of the facts then why are they not brought up during the disucssion ?
Surely she would not scream “NOT Rape Rape if this would happen to her 13 year old grand-daughter.
Her take on this is utterly disgusting.
I think Whoopi should read aloud on the VIEW the transcripts of the victim’s testimony and then state her conclusions on the case and on Polanski. If she still “stands by her man,” then she is a lost cause.
As a Sexual Trauma therapist all I can say is this is so wrong on so many levels. It’s absolutely unacceptable. Whoppi Goldberg really needs an education concerning sexual abuse, and what being forced to do something like that really means and it’s consequences. Her myopic utterances are insufferable. Maybe a few prods at some of her holes might fill the large one between her ears concerning sexual abuse.
As a pedophile this could not have been his first and only crime. Have there been any more criminal complaints against him since then?
I don’t know, but I think Polanski had an affair with Nastasia Kinski when she was around 14 or 15 during the filming of TESS.
Right - she was 15, he was 43.
A question and a comment.
Jack Nicholson let Polanski use his house for this “event” — assuming Polanski doesn’t have a key to Nicholson’s house. And, Angelica Houston came over at some point and saw the girl. Her only defense is that the girl “didn’t look 13.” Of course, in entering his plea in open court, Polanski admitted he knew her age so I’m not sure what Angelica’s point is. She didn’t rape the girl, RP did. But, where was Nicholson during all this, and where has he been since? That’s my question.
As for comments, I have two.
First, if anyone’s feeling sorry for RP, they should read the interview he gave some time later, wherein he shared his observation that everybody “wants to f*** little girls.” Sorry, but that’s just disgusting, even to open-minded me.
Second, there’s another jury that has never heard this case (in addition to the criminal jury that was never impaneled to hear it), but a jury that might speak shortly and I expect emphatically. That’s the jury of fellow inmates. RP should be frightened. Not of returning to the U.S. He can stay with Jack with an ankle monitor on until sentencing. But, should he ever enter the penal system, he will receive a verdict he will not enjoy from a group that has an otherwise high tolerance for criminal activity. Wait until he finds out what those folks think of sodomizing a 13-year old girl. Let’s just say this. He’ll never see the North side of 80.
Nicholson was not home at the time. His girlfriend, Angelica Houston was. Polanski asked if he could use the house “to take photos” and Huston left. As Polanski was anally raping the girl Huston came back home. Polanski answered the door when she knocked, said something and then went back to finish raping his victim. Afterward the girl went to get dressed in the bathroom and on her way out the front door found Houston in the house.
Houston later claimed that the girl looked like she could be 25. Anyone that has seen a photo of her at age 13 knows that is a complete lie.
I highly recommend that you read the court transcript which you may find here: Polanski The Predator
I did a commentary of this story featuring snippets of the transcript. I also have a photo of the girl taken the year she was repeatedly raped.
Obots say the darnedest things
If she had looked 25, he wouldn’t have been attracted.
I couldn’t remain silent any more. I am a victim of rape, I was 18 and it was in 1978 about the same era and this young girl. Once you are raped there is a wound that never heals. But the reason I bring this up is this Woman has forgiven this man and feels he doesn’t need to be punished any more. In my heart of heart I do not believe that is the reason, the reason is probably that she does not need those wounds ripped open again.
In the 70’s when you were a rape victim you were not treated like you are today, it was automatically assumed that you were at fault. As sad as that sounds that child was brave enough to tell her mother and then had to tell what he did and as well as admit that she had sex with her boyfriend. The trial lawyers knew they would not be able to convict this man and have those charges stick, with that kind of information. What they would have put that child through would have been deplorable to say the least. They took the easy way out, but they had no choice if the girl was not going to go on the stand. What is the worst thing is that this animal admitted everything he did, and still was going to really only get a slap on the wrist, for ruining a young girl’s life.
Running away and putting himself into exile is not my concern nor should anyone try to defend this as punishment for the crime, he lived a normal life, he remarried he has two children, what was so abhorrent about this? The woman who would like to put this entire thing behind her probably always looks over her shoulder, wonders if another man could hurt her again like that, and since her mother was the reason that she was pushed onto this man has got some trust issues. I wish we could just say she feels justice has been served, but fortunately that is not the law, this man needs to be punished for his crime and accept this as part of his fate.
Jennifer, thank you for sharing your personal, painful, experience. That could not have been easy, and I thank you for your courage.
And as you reported for yourself, I have never known ANYONE who has been raped who has ever forgotten it or “gotten over it.” Not one.
And this woman hasn’t either. Early on in the post from Ms. Harding, she said she did NOT want to go through the whole media thing (again), hence why she just wants to put it behind her.
But as Ms. Harding also points out, this man has been CONVICTED - this is not rumor or hearsay - he has been CONVICTED in a court of LAW for this. Others up-thread have added some of the other despicable things he has said, so his being able to make an exceptionally good living, get married, have kids, and make movies does not excuse that the MAN IS A PEDOPHILE and RAPIST.
He has admitted it, he has been convicted for it, and he needs to pay his debt for what he did to that girl all those years ago.
Jennifer — thank you for stepping forward and revealing what is surely a very personal and painful memory. Those of us who haven’t experienced it are not in a position to know the feelings as intimately as you. I applaud your courage.
A grown 44-year old man who gives a 13-year old drugs and rapes her as she’s saying “no”(just try and imagine a middle-aged man doing this) is capable of anything and should be put away for the rest of his life.
The man should be “Drawn and quartered” for what he did to that child!
Get that Whoopi? A CHILD! HE RAPED A CHILD you idiot!
What’s wrong with these people? When did it become okay for a grown man to force himself on a woman, much less a child?
SICK!
But you don’t get it! The man is sooooooo talented . . .
Don’t know what WG means by saying other countries see things differently. Which countries in which continents, certainly NOT Europe. The average European, and that includes the French from what I have read, overwhelmingly agree RP’s arrest. A drugged/drunk 13 year old does not consent to sex with a middle age man, not here and not in Europe. Like another poster stated, Whoopi is not really stupid-stupid, she is plain stupid.
Whoopi is crazy…
Anybody accepting sound advice from this comedian in terms of raising kids and morals, laws of society is crazy
Pure & absolute MOONBATTERY. Whoopi has jumped the shark.
I have only watched bits and pieces of “The View” and quite frankly I was bored. However, that is my opinion. Whoopi uttered an opinion about Polanski’s behavior that probably has as much thought and insight as I have about “The View”. My question is why do we elevate the opinion of someone like Whoopi, Scorcese, or anyone else who is a celebrity to speak on matters of law and morality or even just ordinary human decency? Yes Whoopi has made some entertaining movies which I have enjoyed watching but this hardly gives her credentials to speak with any authority on anything else outside of her very limited world in the entertainment industry.
You may not watch “The View,” but plenty of others DO. And they DO give weight to people’s opinions, like Whoopi. What Whoopi said can have long term results for people who might think twice now abt what constitutes rape. This has been a hard enough issue for women to try and make clear, so when someone who has this big of a stage says something like that, it IS news. It’s not like she’s on some cable access channel, or anything. She is on a major network.
That’s why it matters.
Not to mention that Whoopi is an *advocate* for children!!!!!!
I think it is TOTALLY relevant to address comments she made - excusing a child rape incident - when she is a spokesperson for child advocacy.
Thanks for the article!! Very important to let people know that sex with a child is RAPE.
Sex with a child that says NO is RAPE RAPE.
And all these celebs that are siding with Polanski and excising him, and making up bullcrap excuses are jumping on the WRONG wagon. I couldn’t believe Melissa Gilbert either!
Here! Here!
To Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy. I agree with you that Whoopi does have a large stage on “The View” and of course when she says something like this, it is going to make news. I also agree as a woman and a mother of a daughter that I’m personally outraged by what Whoopi said, even though to be fair to her, I think she spoke without really thinking. (In my very limited experience working around comedians, I’ve noticed that they have to think quickly on their feet. However because “quick wit” seems to be more important than thoughtful insight, they can and do say some very outrageous things at times.)
However I still think we invest too much importance in what celebrities do and say. Whoopi has a special talent in a certain area but if I had a pain in my gut, I wouldn’t seek her out for a medical diagnosis. Let’s face it, in part, it’s Roman Polanski’s celebrity status which has enabled him to avoid prosecution for his despicable crime, more than likely crimes in his case. Why is that? A climate of hero-worship or heroine worship because people have certain talents, are considered celebrities, and are wealthy, makes lots of excuses for “inexcusable behavior”.
I find these self-important, smug, hypocritical Hollywood types such Whoopi and gang deplorable.
Defending a child rapist because he makes good movies shows exactly how little integrity these phonies have. These same people scream about the selfishness of SUV drivers but dismiss the crime of rape with some bizarre rationalization that the child’s mother wanted her to be a star, so why blame Polanski for raping her? It’s the mother’s fault or the girl’s fault…haven’t we heard this all before?Blame the woman. It makes me sick.
I hardly ever post anymore because the spam filter eats everything. Guess I’ll have to quit completely, I see it’s still eating everything. Only one of the last three times I posted I’ve had to ask for the comment to be rescued. Oh well, my comment wasn’t important, you can leave it where it is.
why would anyone waste a precious second of their lives watching those aholes on the view?
Whoopi had a Ms. Cecile moment from The Color Purple and she thought it was okay for Mister to hump her and her father to have sex with her when she was 9 and 10 years old.
She is in character. That is the only explanation that fits her line of logic which is off.
Statutory Rape is Rape. When a child is not of age to consent to sex, it is rape pure and simple. Also, Polanski had anal sex with her which is abhorrent as well.
Take his hollywood ass to the gas chamber!
I have even met Whoopi, and always liked her, even when she said some things I disagreed with - but this was just WAY over the line. She tried to explain it away the next day, but she failed. Her and Melissa’s comments were downright inexcusable.
Good for Kirstie Alley http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b146725_kirstie_alley_on_roman_polanski_dont.html
In most states (saying most because I am not checking all of them!) one can go to jail for a year just for supplying alcohol to a minor. I think he needs to do more time.
Amen!
Also — where is the NOW or the ACLU on this?! They should be first in line to help prosecute Polanski. The National Organization for Women should be condemning Whoopi Goldberg for trampling on the rights of not just this one girl, but every rape victim/survivor.
[...] Polanski has had to revisit an incident from 1977 in California involving a minor. Was it rape or wasn’t it? Polanski’s auteur status and Second World War experiences during his childhood initially [...]
42.
Holding your hand is not MY FUCKING JOB!!!!!!!!!! I’ll tear YOU A NEW ONE!!!!!!! START ADMITTING YOUR FEMALE PRIVILEGE, AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!!!! MEN INVENTED AND BUILT EVERYTHING, YOU FREELOADING INGRATE!!!!!!!!! STOP COMPLAINING, and GET A CLUE!!!!!!!! MASCULINISM is NOT UP FOR DEBATE, WHORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WERE MISOGYNISTS!!! WERE PROUD OF IT!!! WE WANT YOUR BODY!!! YOUR HAIRY PUSSY VAGINA!!! ORGASM TIME!!!!!!!!! AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
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