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"Everybody Knew"

Arkady

President
One of the criticisms of Hollywood, regarding the Weinstein scandal, was that everyone knew about his conduct and yet still associated with him, doing nothing to stop his predatory behavior. Others have come out and insisted they didn't know anything about it (e.g., Meryl Streep). I have no connection to Hollywood, so I have no clue which is true. I'd never heard of this behavior until the story just broke, but I don't tend to follow the gossip, so that's not saying much.

However, that controversy was playing in my mind as I read some other stories about the "casting couch" recently. Various stars have been pointing out that it's not just Weinstein -- that other powerful figures in Hollywood have behaved the same way. Yet they aren't naming names. That includes two male stars, James Van Der Beek and Terry Crews, who have recounted stories of being groped by male movie magnates. They keep the details vague though. So, is this going to be another case where in a few years someone finally speaks up and names names, and then many more come out of the woodwork to confirm, and we're told "everybody knew"... even though, for years, those victims spoke in non-specific terms so that not everybody knew?

I realize it's tough to jeopardize a career by identifying one of these predators by name. If you're Terry Crews or James Van Der Beek, repeatedly in a position where you need to audition for new work, being one of the first to level specific accusations against someone has got to be scary -- many won't believe you, and if they think you wrongly accused a friend or colleague, they may hold it against you when it comes to whether or not you get a role. But the big-name victims need to think about the fact these predators are still out there doing the same thing, often to people who have no financial security or standing within the industry.... waiters and waitresses still hoping for their big break who REALLY can't expect their career ambitions to survive being a sole accuser. People like Crews and Van Der Beek (or, better yet, an even bigger name) should get specific with their accusations, because that's the only way to stop this predatory behavior.
 
D

Deleted member 21794

Guest
I read Van Der Beek's comment last night and was going to make a similar OP.

First off, "everybody" is a pretty overused and misused word. Obviously everybody didn't know. It does it appear the knowledge of it was pretty widespread. Apparently, a 30 Rock episode made a joke about it, with one of the characters joking:

"I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions... out of five."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4960838/30-Rock-joke-alluded-Harvey-Weinstein-allegations.html#ixzz4vJdIil2Q
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I'm going to make a semi-educated guess and say the joke indicates knowledge of this was pretty widespread. Or did they just pick on Harvey Weinstein for some other reason? I don't think so.

I think we're at an interesting point in this "scandal". The flood gates could open. But I'm guessing the powers that be do whatever it takes for this to not happen.

If I were Harvey Weinstein, I'd give Hillary Clinton a call. She has extensive experience in making victims of sexual abuse go away. She could make a fortune on Weinstein alone.
 

PhilFish

Administrator
Staff member
One of the criticisms of Hollywood, regarding the Weinstein scandal, was that everyone knew about his conduct and yet still associated with him, doing nothing to stop his predatory behavior. Others have come out and insisted they didn't know anything about it (e.g., Meryl Streep). I have no connection to Hollywood, so I have no clue which is true. I'd never heard of this behavior until the story just broke, but I don't tend to follow the gossip, so that's not saying much.

However, that controversy was playing in my mind as I read some other stories about the "casting couch" recently. Various stars have been pointing out that it's not just Weinstein -- that other powerful figures in Hollywood have behaved the same way. Yet they aren't naming names. That includes two male stars, James Van Der Beek and Terry Crews, who have recounted stories of being groped by male movie magnates. They keep the details vague though. So, is this going to be another case where in a few years someone finally speaks up and names names, and then many more come out of the woodwork to confirm, and we're told "everybody knew"... even though, for years, those victims spoke in non-specific terms so that not everybody knew?

I realize it's tough to jeopardize a career by identifying one of these predators by name. If you're Terry Crews or James Van Der Beek, repeatedly in a position where you need to audition for new work, being one of the first to level specific accusations against someone has got to be scary -- many won't believe you, and if they think you wrongly accused a friend or colleague, they may hold it against you when it comes to whether or not you get a role. But the big-name victims need to think about the fact these predators are still out there doing the same thing, often to people who have no financial security or standing within the industry.... waiters and waitresses still hoping for their big break who REALLY can't expect their career ambitions to survive being a sole accuser. People like Crews and Van Der Beek (or, better yet, an even bigger name) should get specific with their accusations, because that's the only way to stop this predatory behavior.

seems no small thing. googling reveals plenty of encounters...below a link to just a few

imagine if all these unnamed were suddenly named

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/entertainment/12-celebrities-reveal-their-casting-couch-stories/
 
seems no small thing. googling reveals plenty of encounters...below a link to just a few

imagine if all these unnamed were suddenly named

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/entertainment/12-celebrities-reveal-their-casting-couch-stories/
The worlds of entertainment and politics are rife with a certain type of man who gets into the business almost solely for the p*ssy. Besides Weinstein, people like John Edwards, Anthony Weiner, Bill Clinton, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney come to mind. That they're all liberal Democrats is probably just a coincidence...:rolleyes:
 

Arkady

President
I read Van Der Beek's comment last night and was going to make a similar OP.

First off, "everybody" is a pretty overused and misused word. Obviously everybody didn't know. It does it appear the knowledge of it was pretty widespread. Apparently, a 30 Rock episode made a joke about it, with one of the characters joking:

"I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions... out of five."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4960838/30-Rock-joke-alluded-Harvey-Weinstein-allegations.html#ixzz4vJdIil2Q
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I'm going to make a semi-educated guess and say the joke indicates knowledge of this was pretty widespread. Or did they just pick on Harvey Weinstein for some other reason? I don't think so.

I think we're at an interesting point in this "scandal". The flood gates could open. But I'm guessing the powers that be do whatever it takes for this to not happen.

If I were Harvey Weinstein, I'd give Hillary Clinton a call. She has extensive experience in making victims of sexual abuse go away. She could make a fortune on Weinstein alone.
Seth McFarlane also made a joke when he hosted the Oscars (Golden Globes?), where he congratulated the nominees for best actress by telling them they now no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Weinstein. But, those jokes don't really distinguish between sexual harassment/rape/groping, etc., and being a lothario. Such jokes could have emerged from a widespread understanding that he's the kind of guy who shamelessly makes passes at pretty young women at industry events, without it being clear that he actually gropes them, isolates them in his hotel room and threatens them if they don't play ball, etc.

As for your idea about calling Hillary Clinton, I'd say that was bad advice. Whatever her skills, quieting allegations of sexual misconduct clearly isn't one. She's never once been accused of sexual misbehavior, that I'm aware of, yet somehow twice had allegations of sexual misconduct dog her presidential campaign. Not only were those allegations not even against her, they weren't even terribly credible -- for example, Juanita Broaddrick, who was trotted out repeatedly to accuse Clinton's husband of rape, swore under oath that it never happened, yet still the issue dogged her.

Instead, I'd recommend Weinstein talk to Trump about how to bury this stuff. Trump is a guy who has been accused of rape, under oath, by three different women. Two of them accused him of child rape. The third was his own wife. And we're talking about a guy with decades of accusations of groping who had an actual tape emerge of him bragging about groping women. Yet, somehow, it didn't kill his presidential campaign. If Weinstein wants to know how to make this stuff go away, Trump's the man to speak with.
 

Arkady

President
The worlds of entertainment and politics are rife with a certain type of man who gets into the business almost solely for the p*ssy. Besides Weinstein, people like John Edwards, Anthony Weiner, Bill Clinton, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney come to mind. That they're all liberal Democrats is probably just a coincidence...:rolleyes:
Trump would be a good example. Even as a schlocky reality TV "star," he apparently felt that fame entitled him to just grab women by the pussy.
 

Dawg

President
Supporting Member
Trump would be a good example. Even as a schlocky reality TV "star," he apparently felt that fame entitled him to just grab women by the pussy.
High jacking your own thread, how quaint
 
Trump would be a good example. Even as a schlocky reality TV "star," he apparently felt that fame entitled him to just grab women by the pussy.
Yes, he did say that. I was referring to the men who actually did it. I realize you don't understand the difference, but the smart people here know what I meant.
 

Arkady

President
Yes, he did say that. I was referring to the men who actually did it.
Yes, like Trump. As you'll recall a great many women have accused him of actually doing what he bragged about doing. And, as you presumably also know, he was accused of still worse by others.... including multiple sworn rape allegations. Ivana Trump, for example, swore in a 1989 deposition that Donald Trump had raped her.
 

Arkady

President
how many did he grab
Nobody knows. Certainly there have been many who claimed he grabbed them, but although he was dumb enough to brag about his sexual assaults on tape, he doesn't appear to have been dumb enough to have actually committed any on tape, so we'll never know for sure who is telling the truth and who is lying.

In many of these he-said/she-said situations, it's tough to know what happened. For example, when Ronald Reagan was accused of rape, it was hard to say whether he'd really done it or if it was just an attention-seeking former acquaintance inventing a story. But with Trump the "he said/she said" situation is tilted, since we also have instances of him bragging about inappropriate sexual behavior. It's not just the groping. This is a guy who bragged to sleaze magnate Howard Stern about being able to go backstage and ogle the naked women at beauty pageants, in the guise of his role organizing the events. That was consistent with multiple accounts from actual pageant contestants (including some who alleged he did it at a teen pageant that included underage girls as young as 14). That's in addition to the various times he's been sued for sexual assault.

Basically, Trump says he can't resist kissing coworkers, and that he grabs women by the pussies, and that he uses his position of power to ogle naked women at events he organizes. And various women confirm he's telling the truth about that. So, should we believe them both, about him being a sexual predator? Or, because it's uncomfortable to believe the GOP gave their nomination and the Electoral College gave the presidency to a known sexual predator, should we pretend it can't be true?
 
Yes, like Trump. As you'll recall a great many women have accused him of actually doing what he bragged about doing. And, as you presumably also know, he was accused of still worse by others.... including multiple sworn rape allegations. Ivana Trump, for example, swore in a 1989 deposition that Donald Trump had raped her.
Editing other peoples' posts is dishonest and cowardly. Man up and quit doing it.
 
D

Deleted member 21794

Guest
Seth McFarlane also made a joke when he hosted the Oscars (Golden Globes?), where he congratulated the nominees for best actress by telling them they now no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Weinstein. But, those jokes don't really distinguish between sexual harassment/rape/groping, etc., and being a lothario. Such jokes could have emerged from a widespread understanding that he's the kind of guy who shamelessly makes passes at pretty young women at industry events, without it being clear that he actually gropes them, isolates them in his hotel room and threatens them if they don't play ball, etc.

As for your idea about calling Hillary Clinton, I'd say that was bad advice. Whatever her skills, quieting allegations of sexual misconduct clearly isn't one. She's never once been accused of sexual misbehavior, that I'm aware of, yet somehow twice had allegations of sexual misconduct dog her presidential campaign. Not only were those allegations not even against her, they weren't even terribly credible -- for example, Juanita Broaddrick, who was trotted out repeatedly to accuse Clinton's husband of rape, swore under oath that it never happened, yet still the issue dogged her.

Instead, I'd recommend Weinstein talk to Trump about how to bury this stuff. Trump is a guy who has been accused of rape, under oath, by three different women. Two of them accused him of child rape. The third was his own wife. And we're talking about a guy with decades of accusations of groping who had an actual tape emerge of him bragging about groping women. Yet, somehow, it didn't kill his presidential campaign. If Weinstein wants to know how to make this stuff go away, Trump's the man to speak with.
Actually, the Seth McFarlane thing was what I was Googling when I found the 30 Rock example. Thanks for posting that.

As for who to call, clearly Trump isn't the one. Trump is president and very busy. Hillary LOST, has plenty of time on her hands, her money laundering scam donations have virtually dried up and surely she's wanting to make some cash. Surely being the practical person you say you are, you'll agree. ;)
 
One of the criticisms of Hollywood, regarding the Weinstein scandal, was that everyone knew about his conduct and yet still associated with him, doing nothing to stop his predatory behavior. Others have come out and insisted they didn't know anything about it (e.g., Meryl Streep). I have no connection to Hollywood, so I have no clue which is true. I'd never heard of this behavior until the story just broke, but I don't tend to follow the gossip, so that's not saying much.
It's an old story, but at least the Big Predators no longer have a get-out-of-jail free card from the LAPD like they once had

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/10/10/monster-mgm-louis-b-mayer-terrorised-hollywoods-women-long-harvey/

"The monster of MGM: How Louis B Mayer terrorised Hollywood's women long before Harvey Weinstein"
 

Arkady

President
Trump is president and very busy.
I’m sure he could take a moment from his busy golfing and tweeting duties to advise a fellow sexual predator. Trump lives for this celebrity gossip stuff. Now that his time is no longer dominated by concerns about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s love life, he surely needs a new occupation.
 
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