There's something about the arrest of Roman Polanski that -- even though it's about the 2,749th most important thing going on in the world right now -- makes it the most blog-and-talk-radio-worthy story in years, because it touches how we feel about crime and punishment, art and redemption, and of course how we feel about Hollywood...and France.
The initial word was that "the French" were up in arms over Polanski's arrest, and so of course people started thinking there they go again -- those weak-kneed, Godless, hedonistic (insert nasty adjective), um, French people. Except there's one problem: The stereotypes aren't true. The French are just like Americans. They have braindead public officials and celebrities, but the average person has a similar sense of justice to the majority of U.S. people -- and this has cut across the usual ideological divide -- who think that raping a 13-year-old girl is a just horrible crime, period:
Marie-Louise Fort, a French lawmaker in the Assembly who has sponsored anti-incest legislation, said in an interview that she was shocked that Mr. Polanski was attracting support from the political and artistic elite. “I don’t believe that public opinion is spontaneously supporting Mr. Polanski at all,” she said. “I believe that there is a distinction between the mediagenic class of artists and ordinary citizens that have a vision that is more simple.”
The mood was even more hostile in blogs and e-mails to newspapers and news magazines. Of the 30,000 participants in an online poll by the French daily Le Figaro, more than 70 percent said Mr. Polanski, 76, should face justice. And in the magazine Le Point, more than 400 letter writers were almost universal in their disdain for Mr. Polanski.
That contempt was not only directed at Mr. Polanski, but at the French class of celebrities — nicknamed Les People — who are part of Mr. Polanski’s rarefied Parisian world. Letter writers to Le Point scorned Les People as the “crypto-intelligentsia of our country” who deliver “eloquent phrases that defy common sense.”
Do we have a "crypto-intelligentsia" in this country? Apparently so. The list of pro-rapist celebrities is expanding to include Woody Allen (there's a surprise), Martin Scorcese (that's sad), the husband of your next ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, and Whoopi Goldberg, whose comment about "rape-rape" is the most idiotic thing to come out of this whole affair, which is saying a lot.
Nice red meat post, Will. Attytood's Merry Band o' "Conservatives" like nothing more than another chance to act all law and order. Funny, though, that you think this issue is so unimportant yet you've posted on it twice now. I guess red meat is red meat, eh?— Talking point sleuth
Comment removed.- So I guess braync is fabricating opinions for me again? Why am I not surprised?— Talking point sleuth
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- "I believe that there is a distinction between the mediagenic class of artists and ordinary citizens that have a vision that is more simple.” " Kinda like what we see in this country, where members of both parties think nothing of trillions in more spending, whereas average persons who have to live on a budget wonder where the heck all that money is supposed to come from.— db_cooper
- Was just in Paris. No one I spoke with supports Mumia or Polanski. You have to wonder where the actual 'support' is. I think the small bands of supporters do the same thing activist groups do here; hire activists to show up at events.
- Let's try this again, braync. You support the insurance industry's rights to decide to let a patient die so that they can continue to make profit. According to jewish law, profiting from someone's death is a sin. I just thought you'd like to know that since you started preaching to me about my religion. Sorry if that upset you. That wasn't my intent. But that hardly seems like an excuse to attribute opinions to me that I never stated, and in fact don't have - which you just did. Unless you have no sense of accountability. Oh. Wait.— Talking point sleuth
- I would recommend Steve Lopez's piece in the LA Times about this.
Hypocrisy is the price to be paid whenever loyalty commands you to rally around one of your own kind. Is it any different here?- Comment removed.
- Loyalty is important, but it should be trumped by truth.— legatus
- Comment removed.
Not as bad as you think ? yes they bloody are !— PAEnglish- z— James TL
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
PLEASE COMMENT WITH PASSION...
...but not with racial slurs, potentially libelous allegations, obscenities or other juvenile noise. Such comments will, at our discretion, be deleted in their entirety, and repeat offenders will be blocked from commenting. ALSO: Any commenter advocating killing any government official will be immediately banned.
Thanks.
- Atrios
- Kiko's House
- Suburban Guerilla
- Booman Tribune
- All-Spin Zone
- Philly (Dragonballyee)
- Afro-Netizen
- Rowhouse Logic
- MyDD
- Bad Attitudes
- Billmon
- iFlipFlop
- CorrenteWire
- upyernoz
- Tattered Coat
- Fables of the Reconstruction
- Slacktivist
- Citizen Mom
- The Next Mayor
- Philly Future
- Philadelphia Will Do
- Philebrity
- Young Philly Politics
- Phillyblog
- Welcome to Phillyville
- Phawker
- A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
- Keystone Blog
- Philadelphia - America's Hometown
- BlankBaby
- Above Average Jane
- Phillyist
- Metroblogging Philadelphia
- The Clog
- Josh Marshall
- Daily Kos
- Juan Cole
- Oliver Willis
- Andy Borowitz
- War and Piece
- Wonkette
- BuzzFlash
- Raw Story
- Cursor
- Crooks and Liars
- Swing State Project
- Kevin Drum
- Talk Left
- AmericaBlog
- Hullabaloo
- Mad Kane
- Think Progress
- Jesus' General
- The Carpetbagger Report
- Majikthise
- Echidne of the Snakes
- David Sirota
- Glenn Greenwald
- TBogg
- Fire Dog Lake
- Taylor Marsh
- Matthew Yglesias
- Jon Swift
- Drudge Report
- Beer Leaguer
- The 700 Level
- Dick Polman
- Balls, Sticks and Stuff
- Shallow Center
- Philling Station
- Phillies Nation
- A Citizen's Blog
- The Good Phight
- Romenesko
- Editor and Publisher
- Pressthink
- Buzzmachine
- The Inksniffer
- Media Bloodhound
- Eat the Press
- Mickey Kaus
- Media (Huffington Post)
- Blinq
- The Corner
- Instapundit
- Andrew Sullivan
- Free Republic
- James Taranto
- Blonde Sagacity
- ScrappleFace
- Blogorrhea
- February
- January
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- January 2008
- News | Sports | Business | What's Happening | Restaurants & Food | Entertainment | Living | Marketplace | Jobs
