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Harvey Weinstein scandal
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Jimmy Higgins
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The scandal appears to be less about his actions and more about how commonplace it was in accepting them in a hush hush way by the industry. Actors are being slapped down for their alleged verbal disgust and faked surprise.
But heck, even an Affleck is powerless in a town controlled by the likes of Harvey Weinstein... and not Harvey Fierstein.
Seems access to a lot of control and money can make people think women will have sex with them. And they are right, whether willingly or not. There is a boatload of money, and an incredible amount of sacrifice that has come up to this moment, when Mr. Frisky Hands (tongue?) has you alone in a room. This guy can make or break you. Some go with it and consider it part of the job, others might allow it and consider it a hazard, and others might spurn it and risk an extremely rich career.
But heck, even an Affleck is powerless in a town controlled by the likes of Harvey Weinstein... and not Harvey Fierstein.
Seems access to a lot of control and money can make people think women will have sex with them. And they are right, whether willingly or not. There is a boatload of money, and an incredible amount of sacrifice that has come up to this moment, when Mr. Frisky Hands (tongue?) has you alone in a room. This guy can make or break you. Some go with it and consider it part of the job, others might allow it and consider it a hazard, and others might spurn it and risk an extremely rich career.
couch_sloth
Member
Though it's probably less common now... Hollywood has always been a place of this sort of thing, e.g. Men in power taking advantage of pretty young women desperate to be successful actors. Hollywood is famous for the casting couch. Maybe with the Weinstein and Cosby scandals, these types of men will now be strongly discouraged from doing this sort of disgusting shit.
TV and credit cards
Contributor
Good to know his powerful friends stood by him through the common knowledge and public humor of it all.
What a bunch of warm wonderful human beings.
What a bunch of warm wonderful human beings.
One of the less appealing aspect of getting older, for a man, is the realization that the hot chicks no longer find one as interesting as they once did. This also coincides with a gradual cooling of the hormonal fires which once made the hot chicks so interesting. Circle of life and all that stuff. That's the way it works for most men.
Who is to say what the source of the problem is, but some men never learn to accept or deal with their diminishing hotness. In ordinary circumstances, the worst of it is a man who embarrasses his friends and family chasing women who have no interest.
When the aging process is paired with increasing wealth and power, it's like Fitzgerald's rich people, "careless people, ... they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money." The wealth gives a man access to hot chicks beyond his natural hotness.
Unfortunately, unless the deal is negotiated in advance, having a lot of money does not guarantee any particular woman wants to have sex with him. Misunderstandings ensue, and when he breaks something, his wealth gets him out of trouble.
This is how we end up with Cosbys and Weinsteins. They aren't going to stop this kind of behavior until it runs up a bill they can't pay. No amount of money can buy back one's public reputation, but even then, as long he's spending only his own money, it's just a gossip item and little more.
If the money comes out of someone else's pockets, and they happen to be shareholders, it's a big deal. Jim Bakker(of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker) learned that one the hard way. The Worldwide Church of God paid the hush money for his indiscretions with church secretary Jessica Hahn. To be fair to Bakker, he had no money of his own. He and Tammy actually worked for pauper's wages, while the Church absorbed the greatest part of their lavish living expenses. The Bakkers owned almost nothing, and when the Church fired them, they were broke and homeless, and soon indicted.
J842P
Veteran Member
I doubt Harvey Weinstein was every able to pique the interest of hot chicks. For most old rich men, I think they probably solve this by simply paying for the attention of hot chicks, which Weinstein was perfectly capable of.
Underseer
Contributor
Before any brain-damaged goofballs try to pull the old "both sides are just as bad" tu quoque fallacy, let's not forget that Weinstein was not elected president after we found this out about him.
This challenge was issued on another forum, accusing liberal of hypocrisy for not condemning Weinstein. This was my response"
Why the fuckfuckflying fuck would there be two sides to this scandal? The guy is scum who doesn't understand the purpose of a pot plant, how is this an issue with many sides?
WAB
Veteran Member
Apparently, there are a lot of very sick people in our midst.
I for one would not even be able to get an erection if I was in any way shape or form coercing a woman into doing anything with me. Mr Happy would simply not respond.
Apparently, there are a lot of men who are not much more than animals, who can enjoy sexual interaction with someone they have intimidated into consent, or threatened, or coerced in some other way - some godawful blackmail, threats to family members, or worse.
These "men" are animals, no more, no less. In fact, a dog or cat is of far greater value than such a "person".
Take a look at legal porn: It is rife with male brutes who apparently have ZERO conscience when it comes to getting their rocks off. They can stick it anywhere, anyhow, in the most awful ways, and actually get off. These men are no better than animals. In fact, they are worse than animals. Because they are getting fucking PAID to do this shit.
I have over 1500 friends on Facebook. Quite a few of them are women who've been in the recent porn industry. The way things are going, more and more women will be abused, mentally fucked up, their lives in shambles, because of how EASY it is to produce porn, how HUGE the market is, and how enormous the glut of eighteen year old girls from all over the world who see porn as an easy way to make a bunch of money, so they can be able to move on to real work, real lives. But in many cases, these porn producers are SO fucking money-hungry, and the male performers SO lacking in anything like normal empathy and/or ethics, that these girls are exploited, ruined (anal sex is the norm rather than the exception - if you won't do anal, you won't get anywhere in today's porn), and totally fucked up psychologically, physically, and mentally.
I'm a man, but I also know that a lot of men are animals. They are less than animals.
Keep it in your fucking pants, or learn how to rub one out, you stupid, knuckle-dragging bastards.
/rant
I for one would not even be able to get an erection if I was in any way shape or form coercing a woman into doing anything with me. Mr Happy would simply not respond.
Apparently, there are a lot of men who are not much more than animals, who can enjoy sexual interaction with someone they have intimidated into consent, or threatened, or coerced in some other way - some godawful blackmail, threats to family members, or worse.
These "men" are animals, no more, no less. In fact, a dog or cat is of far greater value than such a "person".
Take a look at legal porn: It is rife with male brutes who apparently have ZERO conscience when it comes to getting their rocks off. They can stick it anywhere, anyhow, in the most awful ways, and actually get off. These men are no better than animals. In fact, they are worse than animals. Because they are getting fucking PAID to do this shit.
I have over 1500 friends on Facebook. Quite a few of them are women who've been in the recent porn industry. The way things are going, more and more women will be abused, mentally fucked up, their lives in shambles, because of how EASY it is to produce porn, how HUGE the market is, and how enormous the glut of eighteen year old girls from all over the world who see porn as an easy way to make a bunch of money, so they can be able to move on to real work, real lives. But in many cases, these porn producers are SO fucking money-hungry, and the male performers SO lacking in anything like normal empathy and/or ethics, that these girls are exploited, ruined (anal sex is the norm rather than the exception - if you won't do anal, you won't get anywhere in today's porn), and totally fucked up psychologically, physically, and mentally.
I'm a man, but I also know that a lot of men are animals. They are less than animals.
Keep it in your fucking pants, or learn how to rub one out, you stupid, knuckle-dragging bastards.
/rant
According to common belief, the casting couch is a standard part of the road to Hollywood stardom, and I suppose this notion must have come from somewhere more specific than one's general picture of capitalism as a brothel for ambitious prostitutes.
Underseer
Contributor
Conservatives will point to him and say "See? A liberal did it, therefore you are wrong to criticize Trump."
Conservatives are trained to reflexively offer tu quoque fallacies (the "both sides" excuse) anytime they know a conservative is wrong about something.
ronburgundy
Contributor
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cepoO8SoPS8[/YOUTUBE]
Seth McFarlane skewered Weinstein for this back in 2013 during the Oscar nominations ceremony. Some are trying to attack Seth for "joking" about it, but that is absurd. He was doing more than anyone else in Hollywood to expose it, risking his own career in the process. His actress friend was harassed by Weinstein and she didn't want to go public with it, so this was his way of dealing with it without exposing her.
Seth McFarlane skewered Weinstein for this back in 2013 during the Oscar nominations ceremony. Some are trying to attack Seth for "joking" about it, but that is absurd. He was doing more than anyone else in Hollywood to expose it, risking his own career in the process. His actress friend was harassed by Weinstein and she didn't want to go public with it, so this was his way of dealing with it without exposing her.
Jimmy Higgins
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That was a rather serious delivery, and not a joke. It was cloaked as humor, but he wasn't smiling or laughing.
Granted, it is hard to tell when he is trying to be funny sometimes, as he isn't that funny. But in hindsight, that was a shot across the bow. I wouldn't say he was risking anything, though. At this point, he is established and very wealthy and would be able to move on even if Weinstein tried something.
Granted, it is hard to tell when he is trying to be funny sometimes, as he isn't that funny. But in hindsight, that was a shot across the bow. I wouldn't say he was risking anything, though. At this point, he is established and very wealthy and would be able to move on even if Weinstein tried something.
ronburgundy
Contributor
Too late. The whole point of the OP was likely to imply a false equivalence between this and Trump being a self-admitted serial rapist. Note the only comment by the OP was "Million women march ? Hell no."
Comment sections on stories about this are filled with similar references to the the march during the Trump inauguration. The moronic implication is that anyone who doesn't engage in as much political activism about this that they did about Trump being vile misogynist and an admitted serial rapist is a hypocrite. As though a Hollywood producer and the POTUS have equal power and influence.
It is a not so veiled attempt to equate not only Weinstein with Trump, but to equate any Dem who ever took donations from him with Trump, and to make it seem commonplace and normal to have voted for a known serial rapist.
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Toni
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Similar situations--let's be frank and use the correct term: assaults--occur outside of the entertainment industry and even outside of any paid workforce. It's not only old men who engage in such behavior. After all, allegations against Weinstein date back decades. Women are it the only victims of such behavior and I doubt that men are the only perpetrators.
TSwizzle
Let's Go Brandon!
Unlikely.
I believe she was saying that men are actually victims of sexual assault as well.
TSwizzle
Let's Go Brandon!
So it should read "women are NOT the only victims of such behavior". Fair enough.
ronburgundy
Contributor
But there is good reason to think that such behavior is notably more prevalent in Hollywood, due to an intersection of several factors. First, there is the immense power held by producers. The cliche' of "you'll never work in this town again" refers specifically to Hollywood for good reason, because it is a realistic threat, given the influence of some people over the entire industry. In most other industries, the worst you'd suffer is loss your job with that company, not it's competitors. Plus, most people in other jobs are not remotely as committed to that specific industry as actresses and actors are to acting.
Oh, and then there is also the "loose" sexual morals that Hollywood has long been at the epicenter of, including that marriages are widely treated as meaningless very temporary states moreso than anywhere else. Finally, there is just the massive influx of a never-ending line of young, beautiful, and powerless women that these people in power encounter on a daily basis. This is part because beauty and sexuality is a huge part of what that industry sells and what the public wants to buy. Some other industries may have one of these qualities, but possibly none have all of them in the extreme that is true of the film and TV industry.
Note, this is not some conservative screed against "liberal" Hollywood. I lived there from age 17 to 25 for a reason. I'm just pointing out these are realities that combine to make studio's about the most fertile ground (pun intended) for workplace sexual harassment.