Roman Polanski: A Feminist PerspectiveThere are two competing narratives about Roman Polanski and his subsequent arrest. In one, a genius committed a crime long time ago, which his victim has since recovered from. In the other, a wealthy and powerful man violated an innocent child, then absconded from justice when it looked like he might have to face the music. Both narratives, in a sense, are true. Polanski is a genius, and a wealthy man. He drugged and raped a 13 year-old girl, and his victim, now 39, wants the case to be over. When the judge looked like he would renege on the plea bargain, possibly sending the director to decades of jail, Polanski fled to Europe, where he has lived and worked since. What does one narrative have to do with the other? What Polanski's supporters are asking for is a sort of "benefit of clergy," as described by George Orwell in his excellent essay on Salvador Dali. The phrase is eerily apt in the wake of the scandals plaguing the Catholic church. Like a wayward priest, Polanski took advantage of a minor who was less powerful than him; unlike a priest, he was willing to face the music, and was working with the prosecution before he fled. Imagine if a black or Latino man, in south central Los Angeles, drugged and raped a 13 year old girl, pled guilty, then fled to South America after he'd been convicted. Would there be any controversy if he was arrested and extradited, even if the victim had long ago moved on? I doubt it.
The counter-argument is that crimes like child rape are not just against the victim, but against the entire society. Every day someone commits a crime like Polanski's; we should not turn our backs from these victims, even if time has passed. His crimes should get the same sentence given to a non-celebrity. But is that really the case? How does sending a celebrity rapist to jail help all rapists? If cases of incest, rape and molestation go unreported or unpunished, shouldn't we focus on those, instead of one celebrity? We will have to wait and see how this trial turns out, if there is a trial at all. In the mean time, expect to see these arguments traded back and forth, from both sides, and from both competing narratives.
|
