Casey Affleck's Film I M Still Here
In Casey Affleck’s acceptance speech for Best Actor at the 89th Academy Awards, Casey Affleck thanked his children for ignoring all the “noise” that comes with being famous. Some of Affleck’s critics believe the “ noise” he refers to are two counts of sexual assault charges pressed on him by two female coworkers.
In 2010, while working under Affleck on the film I’m Still Here, one female worker claimed Affleck crawled into bed with her while she was asleep, and the other accused Affleck of attempting to lock her in a hotel room with him to have sex. Both women also reported being subjected to verbal harassment. Affleck was never convicted, and both claims were settled for approximately $2 million each.
Affleck isn’t the only big name in Hollywood …show more content…
with sexual assault and/or harassment charges. Mel Gibson, who was also nominated for an award that night, was under investigation in 2010 for domestic abuse charges. He has a restraining order placed on him by former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva and their daughter. Fellow director Woody Allen came under fire in 1992 for allegedly molesting his daughter, Dylan Farrow, who was seven at the the time.
Unfortunately, the list doesn’t end there, and that’s why it’s a problem. Hollywood, along with big-buck industries, has a notorious history of letting bad guys get away with bad things. Projecting these men into stardom reinforces the idea that sexual assault isn’t a big deal, and should be swept under the rug. Not only that, it tells the victims of these crimes that their trauma doesn’t matter. After all, how would you feel if the person who hurt you received an award on national TV? According to RAINN, out of every 1,000 rapes, only seven of the offenders are convicted, that's 0.7%. If Hollywood, a long-standing icon of American society, fails to condemn this kind of behavior, the stigma surrounding sexual assault becomes that much harder to eliminate.
Oddly enough, many actors and actresses in Hollywood appear to be outspoken critics of sexism and sexual violence. While accepting their awards, or in interviews with Vogue or Elle, they make wishy-washy statements with no bite. Brie Larson, who presented the award for Best Actor, was praised by those upset by Affleck’s win for refusing to congratulate Affleck when he accepted his award, and refused to offer Affleck congratulations again at the Golden Globes. Aside from not clapping, Larson hasn’t done anything else to protest Affleck’s win. Even Meryl Streep, long-time advocate for women’s rights, hasn’t always followed through. In 2003, a video of her went viral, showing Streep give famous director Roman Polanski, a convicted child rapist, a standing ovation. Passionate words are great, but these words do nothing if perpetrators of sexual violence know they won’t be enacted on. It’s one thing to preach change, it’s another to actually make it happen.
Affleck’s critics place blame on the Academy of Acting, saying the Academy was wrong to nominate him when they knew about his previous charges.
Institutions such as the Academy, colleges, and companies refrain from punishing culprits of sexual violence because they’re afraid to ruin their careers or strip them of power.
An example close to home is Brock Turner. When Turner went to trial last year for five rape charges, Oakwood residents flocked to his defense, sending letters regarding Turner’s good character. Turner’s father, asking the judge for leniency on his son’s case, said that jail time was “a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.” In the end, Turner was sentenced to six months of confinement in the Santa Clara County jail. The prosecution had recommended a sentence of six years.
This has to stop. Whether they receive Oscars, college scholarships, or are elected president, we can’t continue to reward these men when we know their history. It’s a vicious pattern that empowers men like Affleck, it normalizes their behavior, and it sends the message that sexual violence is OK. We prioritize the lives and lament the careers of the culprits while forgetting about the women they hurt. It’s demeaning, disgusting, and disgraceful. Don’t ignore what these men have done. Don’t save a reputation at someone else’s
expense.
In 2010, while working under Affleck on the film I’m Still Here, one female worker claimed Affleck crawled into bed with her while she was asleep, and the other accused Affleck of attempting to lock her in a hotel room with him to have sex. Both women also reported being subjected to verbal harassment. Affleck was never convicted, and both claims were settled for approximately $2 million each.
Affleck isn’t the only big name in Hollywood …show more content…
with sexual assault and/or harassment charges. Mel Gibson, who was also nominated for an award that night, was under investigation in 2010 for domestic abuse charges. He has a restraining order placed on him by former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva and their daughter. Fellow director Woody Allen came under fire in 1992 for allegedly molesting his daughter, Dylan Farrow, who was seven at the the time.
Unfortunately, the list doesn’t end there, and that’s why it’s a problem. Hollywood, along with big-buck industries, has a notorious history of letting bad guys get away with bad things. Projecting these men into stardom reinforces the idea that sexual assault isn’t a big deal, and should be swept under the rug. Not only that, it tells the victims of these crimes that their trauma doesn’t matter. After all, how would you feel if the person who hurt you received an award on national TV? According to RAINN, out of every 1,000 rapes, only seven of the offenders are convicted, that's 0.7%. If Hollywood, a long-standing icon of American society, fails to condemn this kind of behavior, the stigma surrounding sexual assault becomes that much harder to eliminate.
Oddly enough, many actors and actresses in Hollywood appear to be outspoken critics of sexism and sexual violence. While accepting their awards, or in interviews with Vogue or Elle, they make wishy-washy statements with no bite. Brie Larson, who presented the award for Best Actor, was praised by those upset by Affleck’s win for refusing to congratulate Affleck when he accepted his award, and refused to offer Affleck congratulations again at the Golden Globes. Aside from not clapping, Larson hasn’t done anything else to protest Affleck’s win. Even Meryl Streep, long-time advocate for women’s rights, hasn’t always followed through. In 2003, a video of her went viral, showing Streep give famous director Roman Polanski, a convicted child rapist, a standing ovation. Passionate words are great, but these words do nothing if perpetrators of sexual violence know they won’t be enacted on. It’s one thing to preach change, it’s another to actually make it happen.
Affleck’s critics place blame on the Academy of Acting, saying the Academy was wrong to nominate him when they knew about his previous charges.
Institutions such as the Academy, colleges, and companies refrain from punishing culprits of sexual violence because they’re afraid to ruin their careers or strip them of power.
An example close to home is Brock Turner. When Turner went to trial last year for five rape charges, Oakwood residents flocked to his defense, sending letters regarding Turner’s good character. Turner’s father, asking the judge for leniency on his son’s case, said that jail time was “a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.” In the end, Turner was sentenced to six months of confinement in the Santa Clara County jail. The prosecution had recommended a sentence of six years.
This has to stop. Whether they receive Oscars, college scholarships, or are elected president, we can’t continue to reward these men when we know their history. It’s a vicious pattern that empowers men like Affleck, it normalizes their behavior, and it sends the message that sexual violence is OK. We prioritize the lives and lament the careers of the culprits while forgetting about the women they hurt. It’s demeaning, disgusting, and disgraceful. Don’t ignore what these men have done. Don’t save a reputation at someone else’s
expense.