Two headlines at Salon at the moment:
The Psychology of Hate: How We Deny Human Beings Their Humanity
and
Jared Leto Planning to Take Alleged Sexual Predator Terry Richardson to the Oscars
As you might imagine, the author of the second article is not pleased with that possibility:
The Richardson date is just the latest example. Leto’s loyalty to the photographer is proof, perhaps, he’s a great friend, but this will give pause both to those who doubt Leto’s own seriousness as a person who took on a role as an oppressed sexual minority and those who’ve been watching the Oscar-season war over Woody Allen queasily. Even in Allen’s absence, questions of guilt and the degree to which society ought to punish a person against whom allegations have been lodged will haunt the red-carpet — and worst of all, as Richardson’s not a nominee, it’s utterly unnecessary!
I have no desire to litigate the allegations against Terry Richardson, but the ease with which Richardson moves in Hollywood circles, with zero interrogation of what it means to work with him or support him, has always been dispiriting. That he is to float down the red carpet of Hollywood’s biggest night on the arm of a nominee who played a woman victimized for her sexuality is further proof, if we needed it, that Leto is deeply unserious about the role for which he’s likely about to win an Oscar. There’s always next year, at least.Nothing against Salon; I just found it kinda funny. It's always a problem of human beings and their humanity.
oh, no, no desire to *litigate* these accusations, just pronounce "guilt" and "guilt by association"
ReplyDeletethere is something narcissistic about the insistence that as soon as accusations are made the person in question is to be disavowed and shunned. It looks to me as if the people who *expect* that kind of thing have not given much thought to what it might be like to have a friend, co worker or relative accused of something terrible- or possibly they aren't much good at friendship themselves