Hollywood rape: Why Polanski is getting a free ride
By Robert Jensen
Samantha Geimer, 13
Roman Polanski did not "have sex" with a thirteen year old. He raped a thirteen year old anally and vaginally after drugging her. This doesn't seem to bother much of the media who keep saying "had sex with," nor does it bother Hollywood who continued to have close ties with Polanski after the rape, even giving his film "The Pianist" an Academy Award for best picture. Now, to cap it off, some stars, including Woody Allen, have signed a letter calling for his release. What does it take to hold a celebrity male accountable for his actions?
Obviously, raping a child is not enough of a transgression, nor is physical assault on a woman. Jack Nicholson in 1996 was accused of severely beating a prostitute he had just had sex with. This was front page in the British newspapers but hardly got a mention in the American press. A year later Nicholson won the Academy Award for best actor.
There are most likely multiple reasons why Polanski is being given such soft treatment by the press and his Hollywood buddies, but I would bet that some of this has to do with how our society sexualizes girls. (...)