| Refractive Reflections |
01-09-2018 12:26 AM |
As some have said beforehand, I would like to know her political position on policies. In doing so by debating political pundits on all sides of the political spectrum, and her reasoning for them.
...It was a nice speech Oprah made, but ultimately vacuous as that day of no longer having a "MeToo" movement will never happen. As long as there is money and power, there will always be abusive power that slips under the public radar, especially when others keep quiet about it. I mean how many people are truly willing to risk retaliation to their career or social status in helping another, for these principles that they virtue signal about? Asking for that elusive day, is like requesting all of society to fall on the sword of virtue (in leading toward their own career/social demise), for the benefit of others/society, and in this growing era of narcissism, how likely does one think that's gonna happen?
Even after the Weinstein ordeal broke out, still very few in the industry will say anything on the record:
Quote:
At each banquette, as starlets of yesteryear gazed from their photographs on the walnut walls, he found himself in the same discussion. “All night long,” Mr. Klein said, “it seemed like there was only one topic: Harvey Weinstein. It’s all anyone wanted to talk about.”
On Thursday, The New York Times published an investigation that found at least eight settlements paid over several decades to women who said Mr. Weinstein, high-powered film producer, had sexually harassed them. It was the equivalent of a neutron bomb going off in Hollywood, which came to a virtual standstill as stars, agents, producers, studio executives and publicists discussed almost nothing else. Some people were disgusted by the accusations. Others, perhaps recalling being on the receiving end of Mr. Weinstein’s notorious temper, gleefully passed around a link to a pop-up website selling R.I.P. Harvey clothes. And that was before Mr. Weinstein was fired by his film company on Sunday.
But few in this spotlight-seeking town spoke publicly.
Welcome to Hollywood, where people love to wag self-righteous fingers — over the past year, awards shows have become a platform for industry bigwigs to rail against the Trump administration — but run for cover whenever the topic casts show business in an unflattering light.
From Thursday to Saturday, I called more than 40 entertainment industry players, and almost all refused to speak for the record. Some said it was because their companies (or publicists) needed to approve anything they would say, while others gave reasons that painted a picture of a community hobbled by fear, self-interest and hypocrisy. “Ladies of Hollywood,” Rose McGowan, one of the actresses who settled with Mr. Weinstein, wrote on Twitter on Friday, “your silence is deafening.”
A publicist for an A-list actress said there was no “upside” for her client to comment, especially since she did not have a movie to promote. One producer wanted to know who else was on the record so he would be “quoted in good company.” An agent said he was repulsed by the silence and quoted a Latin phrase meaning, “He who sits quietly gives consent.” Then he refused to talk.
Along with Ms. McGowan, some other famous voices took to Twitter, including Lena Dunham and Brie Larson. But they were the exceptions.
“It’s been extremely quiet — almost radio silence,” said Claudia Eller, editor of Variety. “Part of the reason is that Hollywood always protects its own. Going back through history. And there is still a lot of fear. Is Harvey really done?” In Hollywood, after all, there is no shortage of sequels.
Of course, almost no one gets ahead in Hollywood by being a boy scout. In this image-conscious land, where publicists sometimes seem to outnumber people to publicize, the rule is to avoid being linked with controversy by any means necessary, lest you risk having your brand being tarnished or any of your own untoward behavior exposed.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/b...hollywood.html |
