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Well, that is surely a cynical thing to say, but I do not think that he will ever see the bars of a jail cell from the inside, like a lot of people want him to.
Whether the slew of recent sexual harassment allegations against one of Hollywood's most powerful men will, in the end, have any weight , is anybody's guess. History has a strange way of operating. "Money talks, bullshit walks," as they say in Texas (and many other parts of the globe).
But actor Angelina Jolie rightly echoed the sentiments of millions of people around the world: "This behavior toward women … is unacceptable." What type of behavior is she referring to? Rape and sexual harassment, as recounted in innumerable stories, such as saying "I need a massage" or masturbating in front of someone, as in the case of Weinstein. In short, the behavior of an obnoxious, unpleasant and dangerous man.
But what of the women who put themselves on the front lines, taking on one of the most powerful men in Hollywood? People like actor and model Carla Delevingne, who was not quite sure who the guilty person was in the case of her encounter with Weinstein . Talk about confusion, concerning what should be a clear-cut case.
Tomi Ann Roberts, a professor of psychology at Colorado College, explored this issue and others in more detail . Once, the Weinstein brothers walked in to a New York City restaurant in which she was waiting tables . She decided to try out for a role in one of the brothers' films, but dealing with Harvey was such a traumatic experience that she gave up acting for good and embraced academia instead.
Fast forward 30 odd years to an incident involving Filipina-Italian actress Ambra Battilana Guttierez, who also gets an A for courage in my book. After being groped by Weinstein, she went directly to the police, who later fitted her with a "wire" and told her to go back to Weinstein and record any further conversations. Unfortunately, District Attorney Cyrus Vance did not think that there was enough evidence for a case against one of the most powerful film producers in history, and thus, it was back to square one.
Will Weinstein go down in flames like a lot of people are hoping? Or will he become even more successful? It is hard to say. With almost unlimited money and a huge stable of lawyers, he could manage to keep the authorities at bay for quite some time, like others before him (Bill Cosby comes immediately to mind). But needless to say, the days of the "casting couch" are dwindling fast.
Whether one of the world's most powerful men in the Hollywood industry will ever see the inside of a jail is your guess, as well as mine. But one thing is clear. Women in the industry are moving up the ladder of power.
Richard Ruffin (ruffin@gmail.com) writes from Brazil.
