10 ways we are to blame for Hollywood rape culture

10 ways we’re to blame for Hollywood’s rape culture

By M. Martin

Oregon writer

I have listed the ten cultural milestones that define America’s tolerance and celebration of sexual exploitation that created the conditions for widespread sexual harassment in Hollywood and every facet of American life.

1. We love rape as entertainment

How can we condemn Kevin Spacey for sexually abusing a minor when we applauded his film American Beauty? The film romanticizes a father (Spacey) who sexually takes advantage of his teen daughter’s best friend. We said nothing as Spacey won Best Actor and the film Best Picture which made rape look edgy and enticing. In 2015, Americans spent $166 million on the 50 shades of Gray film which glorifies a man who beats, abuses, humiliates and demeans a woman as a form of sexuality. America votes for sexual exploitation as entertainment with its millions.

2. Roman Polanski.

The acclaimed director admitted to drugging and raping a 13 year old girl and then fled as a fugitive to escape punishment. Yet, we continued to fund his films and applaud his work as Hollywood lavished him with awards.

3. Woody Allen.

While living with Mia Farrow he was accused of sexual abusing their underage adoptive daughter, Dylan. Allen then engaged in a sexual relationship with his other adoptive daughter Soon-Yi. At age 62 he married Soon Yi (age 23) and described his relationship to his young wife as “paternal” (in case you had any hope it was normal). Yet, we continued to fund his films and applaud as Hollywood lavish him with awards.

4. Political justification.

Bill Clinton was accused of rape by one woman, sexual harassment by another woman and had an affair with two other women including his 22 year old intern. Clinton perjured himself in court and worked to save himself by sabotaging the reputation of the women he had affairs with. For all the ethical, workplace, marital, legal and human decency violations, Clinton was given a national pass because of his popular celebrity standing and his political base. It sent a message that sexual indecency is acceptable in the name of politics and celebrity power.

5. Political Correct justification

Rihanna’s video “B*tch, better have my money” broke records by being the first age restricted video to break 100 million views — while also seemingly to break new records for coming up with reasons to justify torturing someone. The video features singer Rihanna kidnapping, drugging and torturing a helpless half-naked woman for weeks. Not only was there a lack of outrage, there was outright defense of the violence. A woman torturing another woman was seen as feminist empowerment. Others hinted that it was justified because the victim was white and rich and the kidnapper was black, poor and justly seeking revenge for money owed.

6. Bill Cosby

A total of 48 women have accused Bill Cosby of rape or sexual harassment. Despite Cosby’s shocking admission of illegally use high powered drugs on women the public continued to pay money to attend his comedy shows.

7. Sexual harassment as comedy

Hollywood has figured out that you can get away with saying and doing obscene things to women if you hide it under the guise of comedy — a staple for much of the Saturday Night Live TV skits. Judd Apatow who happily confessed “I love filth” launched the bromance movie revolution where everyday sympathetic male characters engage in extreme forms of obscene and sexually offensive dialogue and behavior. The public has rewarded Apatow’s films by breaking box office records and now it feels like the sexual obsceneness of his films has seeped into our conversations at work and at the dinner table. SNL and Apatow only make Harvey Weinstein’s behavior seem normal, entertaining and lovable.

8. Michael Jackson

Jackson seemed to avoid public backlash by stating that he regularly brought children to sleep in his bed as a sleepover but never to engage in sex. Five children have come forward with molestation accounts and police discovered child pornography (sometimes violent) in his home. Five child victims should be enough to warrant avoiding his music but yet he remains more popular today than ever before.

9. Sexualizing children role models

Child super heroes like Batman and Green Lantern can be seen in their movies in bed with faceless women, drinking heavily and sloppily making crude passes at other women. These are heroes advertised to children in elementary school. This is what young men think being a man is.

10. Vilifying the virtuous.

No rape culture would be complete without silencing the voice of those who stand up against it. Hollywood has waged a decades long campaign to defame and ridicule parents, religion, law enforcement and basically any form of authority. Recent remakes of vintage classics like Tarzan and Planet of the Apes now include Christian themed villains that didn’t exist before. Harvey Weinstein helped fund nine excoriating and blasphemous films smearing people of faith. It seems that Hollywood seldom creates a film based on kids without treating parents as stupid, over-bearing or exaggerated symbols of everything wrong. I can’t think of a single movie that depicted the Boy Scouts as the organization that positively molded the lives of tens of millions of boys. By diminishing parents, religion, law enforcement and others symbols of authority Hollywood has successfully removed the conscience of America from the culture.

 


Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.