Letters: Hollywood hypocrisy evident in Polanski case
The Hollywood spin machine is in full-throated outrage over the arrest of Roman Polanski by Swiss authorities for a sex crime committed 30-plus years ago against a 13-year-old girl. The spinners are bemoaning the waste of police resources in pursuing a 76-year-old man for a crime that even the victim says we should just put behind us. They cite his troubled and tragic upbringing and his creative genius.
The Hollywood spin machine is in full-throated outrage over the arrest of Roman Polanski by Swiss authorities for a sex crime committed 30-plus years ago against a 13-year-old girl. The spinners are bemoaning the waste of police resources in pursuing a 76-year-old man for a crime that even the victim says we should just put behind us. They cite his troubled and tragic upbringing and his creative genius.
To his apologists I ask: What if Polanski had been on the other side of the Nazi-perpetrated crimes against humanity he was a victim of? Would they be in unison calling for forgiveness for an elderly Hitler sympathizer? What if Polanski were "Father Polanski," standing accused of decades-old sex crimes against minors? Would they be so forgiving of his early transgressions? Would they honor him with awards and accolades for his accomplishments, well aware of his troubling past? The answers are self-evident. While Hollywood, once again, pats itself on the back for its progressiveness and courage in fighting for what it believes is right, it is shining the spotlight brightly on its hypocrisy.
Christopher Knob
Media