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Thread: Harvey Weinstein and Hollywood's Hypocrisy - Michael Brown

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    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    Harvey Weinstein and Hollywood's Hypocrisy - Michael Brown

    My purpose here is not to throw more stones on the now-disgraced Harvey Weinstein. He's already suffering the consequences of his alleged actions. My purpose is to confront the larger hypocrisy of Hollywood. It's an industry that has made billions of dollars selling sex. An industry that encourages all kinds of sexploitation.

    Let's put aside the question of whether media giants like NBC initially rejected the Weinstein exposé. Or whether actors like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were insincere in their statements against him.

    Instead, let's remember that for years, we've heard about the "casting couch." It's slang for sexual favors aspiring actresses are expected to show Hollywood execs if they wanted to advance in the industry.

    Just look at these headlines, with their dates:

    May 31, 2011: Casting Couch Nightmares: What Does It Take to Make It in Hollywood?

    April 23, 2014: The Dark Side Of Hollywood — 10 Casting Couch Horror Stories; RadarOnline looks back at the stars who complained of harassment within industry

    June 20, 2014: 12 Celebrities Reveal Their 'Casting Couch' Stories

    And then this one, from October 11, 2017, following the revelations about Weinstein: Women of Hollywood Tell Their Casting Couch Horror Stories.

    The Casting Couch's Long History
    One recent article claims these sexual abuses in the movie industry date back to the early 1920s. Yes, an AP article published in the Japan Times claims that "Hollywood's 'casting couch' scandals go back at least to 1921."

    The article begins with this: "For anyone thinking the days of the so-called casting couch were long gone, this past week has been eye-opening. The growing list of women directing allegations at Harvey Weinstein suggests they never left Hollywood."

    The point is that the major players in Hollywood have known about these kinds of things for years. Yet most looked the other way. Why? It's part of the business. You don't dare challenge or expose the giants. It will destroy your own career if you do!

    Not only so, but many have played the game. To point a finger at others is to point four fingers back at themselves. This is self-evident to me as a complete outsider following this from a great distance. What do the insiders know?

    Pedophilia in Hollywood
    But it gets worse.

    Corey Feldman, who became famous as a child actor, has been shouting out for years now that "Pedophilia Is Hollywood's Biggest Problem."

    A 2016 article in the Daily Mail starts with these bulleted points:

    • "Former child star Corey Feldman said that he was molested repeatedly by men who would pass him and other minors around
    • "He said that when he was 15 he was being abused by a man who was actually employed by his own father at the management company he ran
    • "Reveals that Corey Haim was raped when he was just 11-years-old
    • "Feldman says the abuse he and Haim suffered was widely known
    • "Haim would struggle with drugs up until his death in 2010 at the age of 38"


    When asked why he wouldn't name names, he said:

    [U]nfortunately California conveniently enough has a statute of limitations that prevents that from happening. Because if I were to go and mention anybody's name I would be the one that would be in legal problems and I'm the one that would be sued. We should be talking to the district attorneys and the lawmakers in California, especially because this is where the entertainment industry is and this is a place where adults have more direct and inappropriate connection with children than probably anywhere else in the world."

    I won't list the names of major Hollywood execs who have been accused of abusing underage boys in recent years. These remain allegations at this point. But if Feldman (and others) are to be believed, these abusive practices are still rampant in Hollywood. Yes, the same Hollywood that is now condemning Harvey Weinstein with such righteous indignation. Shame on them for their hypocrisy.

    Sex Sells
    But there's more. Hollywood knows quite well that sex sells. These representative quotes make it clear.

    Guinevere Turner (co-screenwriter and actress — American Psycho): "People want to see R-rated movies, adults and children alike, and an easy way to get an R-rating is to have sex scenes or nudity. We'd be fooling ourselves if we didn't think teenagers wanted to see sex. And in creating the taboo, we create frenzy around it."

    John Papsidera (casting director): "Look at what just happened with Jessica Biel. She was in Ulee's Gold, and she was fabulous, but, you know, very few people saw that film, and Seventh Heaven, her TV show, is so sweet and syrupy, she really passed under the radar for a lot of years. So she did the cover of Gear magazine semi-naked. It was an attention-getting moment, and it catapulted her career."

    Glenn Rigberg (manager — Rigberg, Roberts & Rugolo): "What's so interesting is when you wander around the agencies and sets in Hollywood right now, there's this special magazine insert called the Maxim 100, which is pictures of scantily clad models and actresses. And I swear to God, it's being used in Hollywood to help cast movies."

    Is anyone surprised to read this?

    But, once again, it's easy to point fingers at others. Perhaps the bigger question to ask is this: How many of us who shake our heads in disgust at Harvey Weinstein actually enjoy the sexploitation of the movie industry?

    Hollywood, to its lasting shame, is definitely selling sex (and abusing people in the process). The question is: Are we buying it?

    https://stream.org/harvey-weinstein-...ods-hypocrisy/

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    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    The fact that many people easily turn pedophile when they think they can get away with it doesn't surprise me. Zoophilia was more prevalent earlier when farm animals were all around but we don't really know what people do with their pets in secret, do we ? These are sins, it doesn't take a specific orientation for people to slide into them. It mostly takes opportunity and a general love for sin in the heart.

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    Ezekiel 33 (10-16-2017)

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    Hollywood exploitation is just an example of what happens under free market corporate capitalism,
    when maximization of profits is the only consideration, and moral values are thrown under the bus.

    Because exploitation films increase profits, any Hollywood producer who refuses to make such films
    will be ousted by shareholders who want to maximize their returns. And with separation of
    management from ownership, many shareholders don't even know what the firms whose stocks they
    hold are doing. All the shareholders see is their monthly statements showing a numerical rate of return,
    and all they care about is how high that return is.

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    So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by njtom View Post
    Hollywood exploitation is just an example of what happens under free market corporate capitalism,
    when maximization of profits is the only consideration, and moral values are thrown under the bus.

    Because exploitation films increase profits, any Hollywood producer who refuses to make such films
    will be ousted by shareholders who want to maximize their returns. And with separation of
    management from ownership, many shareholders don't even know what the firms whose stocks they
    hold are doing. All the shareholders see is their monthly statements showing a numerical rate of return,
    and all they care about is how high that return is.
    Kind of a stretch there Colonel, blaming capitalism.

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    Valiant Woman (10-17-2017)

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    Quote Originally Posted by John View Post
    Kind of a stretch there Colonel, blaming capitalism.
    Glad to be mistaken for the good Colonel.

    The capitalist ethos of "greed is good" places maximization of profits over all other
    considerations, and this is the ethos that has brought us everything from mortgage
    backed security fraud to industrial pollution to Hollywood exploitation films.

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    njtom

    I share your concerns of powerful capitalist greed abusing their authority but Hollywood abuses women regardless of capitalist greed.
    Sexual degeneracy entered Hollywood from its beginnings. There have been many willing to sell their bodies and soul for fame, fortune and wealth that went to Hollywood for those reasons.

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    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by njtom View Post
    Hollywood exploitation is just an example of what happens under free market corporate capitalism,
    when maximization of profits is the only consideration, and moral values are thrown under the bus.

    Because exploitation films increase profits, any Hollywood producer who refuses to make such films
    will be ousted by shareholders who want to maximize their returns. And with separation of
    management from ownership, many shareholders don't even know what the firms whose stocks they
    hold are doing. All the shareholders see is their monthly statements showing a numerical rate of return,
    and all they care about is how high that return is.
    I'm waiting for BAP to approve of your post.

    "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil"

    That's not from the Koran you know.

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    Senior Member Valiant Woman's Avatar
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    I’m so grateful my parents kept me from going to Hollywood, because I probably would’ve been lost had they allowed me to follow my young girl’s dream of becoming an actress. Thank God!
    When your praise match your prayers, the answer will come.
    https://www.facebook.com/Valiant-Wom...1103844642026/

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Valiant Woman View Post
    I’m so grateful my parents kept me from going to Hollywood, because I probably would’ve been lost had they allowed me to follow my young girl’s dream of becoming an actress. Thank God!
    Thats interesting...care to share some more

    How did you parents persuade you not to go and what made them concerned about Hollywood

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    So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by njtom View Post
    Glad to be mistaken for the good Colonel.

    The capitalist ethos of "greed is good" places maximization of profits over all other
    considerations, and this is the ethos that has brought us everything from mortgage
    backed security fraud to industrial pollution to Hollywood exploitation films.
    You are conflating two systems. Crony capitalism (which engenders abuses) and capitalism. You may want to take some time to study the two systems.

    Harvey Weinstein is a product of Crony Capitalism.

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