Is the era of excusing abusive, powerful and talented men over? The case for re-evaluating our relat
- Big Eyes
- Nov 5, 2017
- 6 min read
It seems that the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal, and the accompanying #MeToo viral movement of women sharing their horrific stories with the world has led many to the conclusion that sexism, whether in Hollywood or other industries, is over. After the decision was made to expel Weinstein, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences explained the action taken with bluntness, “The era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over”. But to what extent is such a proclamation — the claim that sexual harassment and violence will no longer be casually forgiven and forgotten by the entertainment industry (or even society as a whole) really true given a long history of famous men being excused for their talent?
On one side are those, like the Academy, arguing that we’ve crossed a no-turning back point in immunity for sexual violence. On the other hand, an undertone of scepticism remains, especially as Weinstein is neither the first nor the last famous man in a world where his talent and power is a shield of immunity against allegations of abuse. With the discussion surrounding sexism, violence against women, and masculinity gripping the global attention of public platforms and media networks, it is time to seriously reassess the past, present, and future ways celebrities — and men in general — have avoided the consequences for sexual misconduct or abusive behaviour.
Hollywood, as a vehicle riddled with the discursive ability to share our values and sensitivities, shares a long and close relationship to the oppression of women and violence against them. Men like Weinstein, and the flurry of allegations recently surfaced about him, are nothing new for an industry which has repeatedly restricted women to the roles of accessories or objects of sexual desire. As many have noted, misogyny in the entertainment industry is nothing new. Neither is the fact that famous men seem to be regularly forgiven for harassment and assault under the guise of their talent and power. After almost four decades, Sean Connery’s ex-wife, Diane Cilento, revealed the traumatic and abusive reality of her marriage to the Bond star. The revelations came as no surprise considering Connery had explicitly defended hitting women in a 1965 interview with Playboy; “I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman - although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man…If a woman is a bitch, or hysterical, or bloody-minded continually, then I’d do it.” Connery went on to defend this position again in a 2004 interview.
Connery is neither the first nor the last man whose talent has given him immunity for his actions. Unfortunately, there is a plethora of available examples to pick and choose from. One of the most famous, and consequently contentious, case of this is that of singer Chris Brown, whose assault on Rihanna after the 2009 VMAs left the image of a bloody Pop Princess etched in recent pop culture memory. In a recent documentary special on Netflix, Brown recounts the night of the assault that reflects a contemporary version of Connery’s old-school sentiments; “I remember she was trying to kick me. It was just her being upset. But then I really hit her. With a closed fist, like I punched her and it busted her lip. And when I saw it I was in shock. Why the hell did I hit her? From there, she just spit in my face, spit blood in my face, so it enraged me even more. It was a real fight in a car.”
While Brown’s public discourse regarding the violent and unjustified assault on his girlfriend at the time attempt to present the perspective of a repented and ‘changed’ man, the reality of his actions and its consequences tell us a different story. Brown never served any prison time for the assault on Rihanna after taking a plea deal for five years of probation and a two-week domestic abuse course. One could even argue that Brown had in some justified manner paid the consequences for his actions if it were not for the fact that only a few months ago, in February 2017, a restraining order was granted to his ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran after the singer threatened to kill her. Despite a history of assault, evidenced by Rihanna’s photographed face or Tran’s restraining order, Brown continues to rank charts with lyrics like “these hoes ain’t loyal”, profiting from the misogyny he propagates instead of really facing its consequences. Whether you believe Chris Brown deserves to serve harsher prison sentences or not, the societal immunity that has propelled Brown’s post-assault career into continued stardom demonstrates our common tendency to forgive and forget famous men’s abuse in awe of their talent.
Unfortunately, too many other examples quickly come to mind when thinking about men who’s fame obscures their violence or misconduct. Legendary actor Johnny Depp was accused by his now ex-wife Amber Heard, with the photographic and video evidence to prove it, of assaulting her during heated arguments (although the legal dispute was settled between the two ). R Kelly, a singer with a history of legal troubles over allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, was recently accused of controlling and abuse young women (with articles going so far as to call it a ‘sex cult’). Michael Fassbender had numerous charges filed aginst him for the violent domestic abuse of his girlfriend at the time, Sunawin ‘Leasi’ Andrew, including accusations that he dragged her alongside their car. To this day, Fassbender has still to face any serious consequences for the charges of assault. Boxer Floyd Mayweather has a history of domestic violence spanning over a decade, with battery charges put forward in 2011 by the mother of three of his children after he beat her and threatened to kill her. Not only is this phenomenon rampant, the issue isn’t limited to the West either. Brazilian footballer Bruno Fernandes found himself the subject of controversy after football club Boa Esporte unveiled a two-year contract with the goalkeeper accused of masterminding his girlfriend’s assassination. The list of men given immunity for their professional achievements goes on and on. It is limited by no disciplinary or geographical bounds.
It does, though, seem that the Weinstein allegations have set light to a flame which had been yearning to burn in the public sphere for decades (if not longer). Since the movie mogul has been socially and professionally blacklisted for his behaviour, it appears that more and more allegations of powerful men’s abuse are surfacing to the public eye and a wide range of entertainment industries are increasingly displaying that such behaviour is intolerable. After years of accusations of sexual exploitation and abuse, influential magazines like Vogue, GQ and Glamour (all parts of the Condé Nast publishing powerhouse) are finally blacklisting sleazy fashion photographer Terry Richardson. The allegations of exploitation against actor Kevin Spacey led Netflix to cancel the production of its hit show ‘House of Cards’. The culture of immunity for abuse given to famous men appears to be changing but if that change will be enough to truly and positively impact a system of male dominance and women’s subordination remains to be seen.
We live in a global society which separates men’s public and private personas for the sake of professionalism and fame and yet hypocritically judges women’s abilities through the most intimate and superficial aspects of their lives. We need to stop forgiving men for being abusive and shaming women for being abused. We shouldn’t need millions of women to post their horrifying stories through a #MeToo social media post for their pleas to be believed and for our perception of acceptable male behaviour to change. If we cannot make the men we choose as our public figures and representatives accountable for their actions, how can we expect the men (and women) they influence to behave any differently? It is time to start constructing the society we desire through actions and not just words. It is time for immunity for abuse, regardless of the status given to the man responsible, to end.
Sources
BACARDI, F. & TACOPINO, J. (2017) ‘Terry Richardson reportedly blacklisted amid sex harassment allegations’, The New York Post, October 24th [Online[ Available at: http://nypost.com/2017/10/24/terry-richardson-reportedly-blacklisted-amid-sex-harassment-allegations/ [Accessed on October 30th, 2017]
CLARK, J. (2006) ‘Yes, Connery did beat me unconscious’ The Daily Mail, August 14th [Online] available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-400436/Yes-Connery-em-did-em-beat-unconscious.html
CONVERY, S. (2017) ‘Netflix cancels House of Cards amid Kevin Spacey allegations’ The Guardian, October 31st [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/oct/31/netflix-ends-house-of-cards-amid-kevin-spacey-allegations [Accessed on October 31st, 2017]
DEROGATIS (2017) ‘R. Kelly is Holding Women Against Their Will in a ‘Cult’, Parents Told Police’ Buzzfeed News, July 17th [Online] Available at: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimderogatis/parents-told-police-r-kelly-is-keeping-women-in-a-cult?utm_term=.goMgP0oW1#.jsM5ORD7e [Accessed on October 30th, 2017]
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MANFRED, T. (2015) ‘Floyd Mayweather has a disturbing history of domestic abuse’ Business Insider, April 24th [online] Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/floyd-mayweather-domestic-violence-history-2015-4
O’CONNER, R. (2017) ‘Chris Brown talks about the night he assaulted Rihanna in new documentary’ The Independent, August 16th [Online] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/chris-brown-rihanna-assault-documentary-welcome-to-my-life-watch-police-picture-a7896596.html [Accessed on October 29th, 2017]
SCHULMAN, M. (2017) ‘The Implications of the Academy Kicking out Harvey Weinstein’ The New Yorker, October 17th [Online] Available at: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-implications-of-the-academy-kicking-out-harvey-weinstein [Accessed on October 27th, 2017]
ROSE, B. (2016) ‘Why Are We Ignoring That Michael Fassbender Was Accused of Abuse?’, The Establishment, October 3rd [Online] Available at: https://theestablishment.co/why-are-we-ignoring-that-michael-fassbender-was-accused-of-abuse-c645433a4539
WATTS, J. (2017) ‘Outrage after Brazilian football team signs goalkeeper convicted of killing girlfriend’ , The Guardian, March 13th [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/13/brazil-football-bruno-fernandes-de-souza-murder-girlfriend
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