Inexcusable
Once more, the news has inspired my blog. But this time it’s not about republicans, so you can all exhale comfortably.
It’s about rape instead.
More specifically, Roman Polanski raping a 13 year old girl.
As always, I don’t pretend to understand all the facts, not by a long shot. But what I do know is that Polanski pled guilty to having sex with a 13 year old girl and then ran away. He fled the country and sought refuge in Switzerland. The man ADMITTED to having sex with her, and then he ran away.
I don’t much care if he had a plea bargain that would’ve spared him jail time. I don’t care if he is a brilliant director who has had a hard life. I don’t care if it was 30 years ago. This man raped a child and then ran away. He committed a crime, admitted to it, and then fled instead of taking the punishment.
His reasoning is that there was a chance that his plea bargain would’ve fallen through, which is scary. But that sort of seems like the kind of thing you should consider before you drug and have sex with an 8th grader.
This sickens me on so many levels. I taught 8th graders for 3 years. I know 13 year old girls. Something like this isn’t something that should EVER be excused. It’s not something that celebrities should be encouraging others to overlook and it’s not something that we should degrade with finger quotes.
I have yet to hear a single compelling reason from any of Polanski’s friends as to why he should be excused. 30 years does not erase his crime. Living in seclusion does not equal paying for his violence. This man is a coward and he is a rapist. He deserves to be judged and face the law like every other citizen in the world.
If Polanski wasn’t a celebrity, would we feel the same way? If he hadn’t produced wonderful movies and earned awards, would we all stand aside and say that because the age of consent is different in Europe that this is excusable?
It’s not excusable. Rape is not excusable. A grown man drugging and having sex with a 13 year old is not excusable. No amount of time in jail will ever pay for that crime, but getting off without punishment sure as hell doesn’t either.
Someone needs to stand up for what is right because many are standing up for what isn’t. I just hope that you’ll join me.
14 Responses to “Inexcusable”
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Welcome! I'm Katie, a 27 year old, full-time graduate student who just happened to have brain surgery in November of 2007 to give my ginormous brain a little more space. This blog chronicles my daily life, from relentless headaches to falling over in public to being a doctor's wife. Sit down, get comfortable and stay for a while.
YOU. Are awesome. Well said.
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He needs to go to JAIL. Where RAPISTS belong.
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The fact that anyone thinks what he did is excusable, or explainable, is what baffles me. The law is the law. I don’t care what happened to someone in the past, or how artistically gifted that person is, the LAW IS THE LAW! GAH!
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Omg Katie, I just today decided that this is the subjuct of my next blog for this weekend! I have to say that all of these celebrities coming out requesting, even demanding he be set free absolutely disgusts me! I was raped as a child, am 34 and still emotionally scarred from it. Rape is rape and it IS a crime! Those saying it was consensual? Umm, first she did say no, don’t touch me, and tried to get away… This is rape! Even if she HAD agreed… She was a CHILD and that is rape!!! I wondered today if the sicko who held that girl captive for 18 years, if he was a filmmaker, would his crime also be “acceptable” to the celebrity world? Sick! Thanks for this post!
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Okay… can you just do all my thinking for me? Because you are bang-on with exactly how I feel about this situation… only I could never say it as clearly and eloquently as you just have!
This situation sickens me. That somehow who he is or how much time has passed should change things, it shouldn’t. In fact, I say it should make it worse because, hello, now that poor girl has had to relive this over and over and over. And over! And he’s had a 30 break from paying his dues. A very illustrious, rewarding break. How is it fair that he can continually ruin someone else’s life while people loose sight of what’s wrong and what’s right?!? I am thoroughly disheartened that we live in a world where people can just shrug this off as ‘old news’ that doesn’t matter anymore. It matters to me and it sure as hell matters to the victim. And the victim, contrary to many Hollywood views, sure isn’t Mr. Polanski. I don’t know why everyone keeps trying to pass blame to someone else? That girls are viewed differently in Europe? Seriously?!? I stopped watching The View years ago because of the narrow-minded, ass-backwards views that are so often expressed. I lost what little (and I do mean little!) respect I ever had for Whoopi years ago. And not just because of Sister Act 2, either
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I am appalled by the fact that so many people are sticking up for him. WTF, Hollywood? Would these bigwigs that are defending him let their daughters go around him? Yeah, didn’t think so.
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Amen, seriously. Here via a twitter link…
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The dude got a little girl drunk in his hot tub, gave her a quaalude, took naked pictures of her and then had anal sex with her. But it wasn’t “rape-rape”?
Sorry, Whoopi. No.
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He is a pig. And like any other animal that needs control, he ought to be neutered.
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He should rot.In.Jail.FOREVER.
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Yeah this case has really been bothering me too. I was listening to a radio talk show and they had caller after caller saying that he needed to be excused because it was so long ago. One caller even said that it “wasn’t that bad.” I was infuriated. The radio talk show host was infuriated. I don’t understand why letting him off the hook is even an option. I just don’t understand.
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And while they’re at it throwing him in jail for the rest of his sorry life, they ought to throw her mother in also. She HAD to have known what could have happened!
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Right on, Katie! As always, I just love you! *Applause*
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Amen. Amen. Amen.
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