Weinstein's Woes 

In relation to my class' Supreme Court talk and the varying branches of government, an event that immediately pooped into my mind, was that of Harvey Weinstein's current Supreme Court trials. This case involving his alleged and accused sexual harassment and rape charges has been in circulation since as early as 2017. This especially interests me being that I plan to be involved in the film production business myself. The women accusing Weinstein of multiple acts of sexual harassment and assault stated that Weinstein, before suggesting sexual acts, then proceeding to follow through on said acts (without consent) stated that he said "…this is how the industry works." 

The proceedings in the Supreme Court have been going on for some time now, and issues of statute of limitations, credibility in accusations, recollection of events, and what actually defines "sexual assault", has all been debated or is currently being discussed in these trials. Weinstein has plead not guilty to many of the rape charges. Despite what actually happened or not, if he is guilty or not, if these women obtain justice or not, this raises a bigger question within the industry itself. This male dominated profession, operating primarily on the perpetuation of the male gaze through not only technical production, but also seeping into actual content, continues to maintain hegemonic ideology all throughout media and film. Women are finding it difficult to find proper and accurate representation within film, and equal opportunity of jobs within film as well. People like Weinstein, who hold these oppressive ideologies about 'women's place' in regard to that of a man's, is what continues to ruin this industry in varying ways that I cannot sadly get into due to time and space on this blog. This ideology pressures women to submit their bodies for professional and career advancement, completely negating any form of talent, character, or merit. 

Weinstein listed three other prominent Hollywood names who had allegedly "got to where they are" because of this dynamic as Ms. Dunning, the latest to testify against Weinstein, recalls. This is an atrocious and unfortunate crime that has gone on too long within this industry specifically. Just imagine the many more industries that unfortunately follow in these footsteps but go unaddressed. Men like Weinstein have conditioned women to think that all they have to them is their bodies in which are directly for men to use for the sole purpose of creating a career; justifying this monstrosity of a concept as simply just “how the industry works." Equal representation and proper justice for these victims have a long way to go before we as a society can claim any progress in rectifying this industry’s virtue. Hopefully our judicial system will prove its worthiness in delivering retribution in one of the first of many steps in reinventing cultural ideologies in our society.       

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/nyregion/harvey-weinstein-trial-tarale-wulff.html