On Roman Polanski

[sabotabby]

[Poll #1464216]

Comments

[seriesfinale.livejournal.com]

I know I'm casting aspersions here, but it also seems to me that this is the kinda thing one doesn't do just once, you know? I worked with kids that age for a number of years (as I believe you do), and they are, frankly, gross. And awkward. And children.

Wanting to have your way with a 13 year old seems to indicate a predilection to me. Who knows what else has happened.

Anyway, he's not guilty of imaginary crimes in my head...he has plead guilty to this one. It doesn't strike me as a particularly gray area. And so that open letter from artists that painted it as "a case of morals" bugged me more than I'd have wanted it to.

[sabotabby]

I work with slightly older kids and, well, they're sweet and all, but not, you know, attractive. Quite the opposite. But then again, I'm not a rapist.

What I don't get is that he admitted to drugging and raping her. How is that a question of morals? That's flat-out wrong.

[mcpreacher.livejournal.com]

here's to hoping this is the final word on the matter

[sabotabby]

It's all I've got to say.

That, and Wim Wenders signed the petition. I'm so sad.

[marrythebed.livejournal.com]

Have I told you lately that I love you?

[sabotabby]

*blushes*

[lovableatheist.livejournal.com]

Wow! I feel like I just voted in a general election.

But seriously, no.

[sabotabby]

In Soviet Livejournal, poll votes for you.

[simienwolf.livejournal.com]

Amen.

[sabotabby]

I get my own church?!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Yes to this post!

I'm wondering whether to write my own post about Polanski, 'cause everybody else I know has and there really isn't much to add, not to mention that writing about rapists and rape culture makes me nauseous and depressed.

[sabotabby]

Well, do it if you can stomach it. I was tempted to write a longer thing, having to do with men in certain circles and how they're always against rape until it's one of their buddies, and oh no he would never do such a thing, but I figured the poll thing really said it all.

[kynn.livejournal.com]

i love you sabotabby

[sabotabby]

YAYS!

*sends you more MSPaint hearts*

[roter-terror.livejournal.com]

This is the best post in all of history.

Also, I don't care for the argument that since the victim wants to put all of this behind her, we should let him off the hook. We shouldn't, and the "justice" system shouldn't work that way. You can't have forgiving dopes or vengeful pricks determining sentences, even if they're the victims. I don't know what provisions exist to protect the identity of underage victims, but that's where the court really dropped the ball in my opinion -- if testifying once, anonymously, at 13 was all that was required of the victim, then we wouldn't have her going about today providing arguments to go lenient on this monster.

[sabotabby]

This is the best post in all of history.

Coming from you, this is the best compliment in the history of ever.

Even if the victim wants to put this behind her (and who can blame her), the idea of the justice system is that such crimes are crimes against the collective. That's why it's the State/the People/Her Majesty vs. Whomever.

As much as I believe that the justice system is fundamentally flawed, that aspect of it is actually an idea I can get behind.

[trias-cube.livejournal.com]

It makes me really angry to see or hear people on the news actually defending him or expressing shock that he was arrested! For me, it's a shock that he was NOT arrested for so long!

[(Anonymous)]

reply a. I never liked him much anyway. Now if it were Kieslowski I'd be upset.

reply b. I hate it how everyone jumped to defend him while thousands of people are doing time for much lesser crimes.

reply c. LOLIS!!

Kieslowski

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

Regarding a., considering how seemingly everyone in the industry is supporting Polanski, you'd probably see Kieslowski's name on the supporters' list if he wasn't dead. So BE UPSET ANYWAY!!

The President of Poland did say that people should be prosecuted for crimes they committed though. I thought that such a person would be more chauvisinistic than that. Goes to show how the film industry is completely out of the fucking LOOP, when it isn't THEIRS.

[krinndnz.livejournal.com]

This is my favorite push poll ever!

[ironed_orchid]

I'm so sick of people defending him. There is no excuse, ever.

And also, The Pianist sucked.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

And also, The Pianist sucked.

It so did!

[lokilokust.livejournal.com]

regardless of anything else, i do have a problem with the united states' bullying attitude when it comes to extradition of foreign citizens.
and i'm gladly willing to discuss those aspects of the case, and not so willing to discuss much of anything else about it.

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

I'm disappointed in the lack of options for this poll. I think to make things more democratic you should add the following option:

"Does being an over-rated director mean that you should get off the hook for raping a 13-year-old girl?"

[lienne.livejournal.com]

What the fuck?

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

This is how out of the loop I am. I somehow forgot that he was (ironically) the same guy who made Chinatown (which I actually own). This makes the film that much creepier. Did I misunderstand the plot? Was John Huston's evil character merely misunderstood?

[gethenian.livejournal.com]

Dood. Being the goddamn BATMAN wouldn't mean you should get off the hook for raping anyone.

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

Your honour, I was wearing the BATSUIT!!

[marsianer.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post! That petition is sickening.

[frippy.livejournal.com]

A few years ago when Polanski won that Oscar, a friend read the transcript of the girl's testimony and told me, "I know this makes me sound like a horrible person, but I don't feel sorry for her!"

I agreed and stopped talking to her.

There are many excellent directors who have managed to make contributions to cinema without drugging and raping kids. It's not THAT hard to be creative and ethical.

OOOPS

[frippy.livejournal.com]

I agreed that my friend was a horrible person, not that the 13 year old girl had it coming!

[terry-terrible.livejournal.com]

One of the best posts ever, could this qualify for metaquotes?

[sabotabby]

If you want. Though the punchline is the poll; not sure how you'd replicate that.

[florence-craye.livejournal.com]

yes yes yes

wait, I mean no no no

this poll is rockin'

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

From a friend's Face Book status:

Woody Allen has come out against the arrest of a convicted sex offender. In other news, OJ has come out against emergency protective orders.

[dubaiwalla.livejournal.com]

It's astonishing we're even having a discussion about this. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE? SERIOUSLY?

[lonecow.livejournal.com]

I noticed on my news program of choice (which is generally respectable) that they referred to it as "sex with a 13 year old". That was pretty upsetting. But I agree with this poll whole-heartedly.

[writer-grrrrl.livejournal.com]

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/09/28/polanski_arrest/

[sabotabby]

This.