Sexual Assault and The Year of Retribution

It was on October 5th, 2017, that the New York Times dropped an article that can now be considered a nuclear bomb on Hollywood norms. The article exposed decades of sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein, a powerful movie producer and de facto czar of Hollywood. Many actresses, famous or not, came out of the woodwork to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct. It took mere days for Weinstein’s world to come apart. He was fired by the board of his Weinstein Company, his wife, Georgina Chapman, publicly left him, and the people who he once called friends collectively turned their backs on him.

It was impossible at the time to foresee the domino effect this would have on not only Hollywood, but also countless other industries. Since Weinstein’s fall from grace, at least 20 other powerful figures have been accused of misconduct. Each claim differs, ranging from text messages, to groping, to full blown rape. Louis C.K., has fallen for exposing himself to disgruntled women, Kevin Spacey for groping various men for many years, Bill O’Reilly, the powerful Fox news anchor, for sexual assault, and Al Franken for groping a colleague, to name a few.

 

The fall of Harvey Weinstein has exposed an ugly truth about the nature of man. It seems that power unearths a psychological disorder in those ill equipped to wield it. Remember, it was only a few years ago that Anthony Weiner, the brash New York Congressman, was destroyed by sexual misconduct. This was not an isolated occurrence, but a foreshadowing of today’s continuum of scandals. Sexual misconduct appears to be engendered in the culture of power. It is stunning that even in the modern age, where man is supposed to have some sophistication, there exists these gross displays of such animalistic behavior.

Ironically, it is this age of information that is unveiling the antiquated darkness of man. We are now witnessing a paradigm shift not only in Hollywood, but in journalism, government, and industry. The natural rights of man, granted by God, are now being respected. No longer can a powerful man intimidate, denigrate, and attack a person just because he is powerful.

Women are the greatest benefactors of this shift, but also the most powerful catalyst. If not for these brave women, Harvey Weinstein would continue his rampage of sexual assault, Kevin Spacey would not have been exposed for assaulting men and powerful men would continue to abuse unabated. 2017 will be written as a pivotal year in our history. It will be known as the year of retribution.

Jacob Young
Staff Writer
@polliticalcom