Looking at the Harvey Weinstein Case
By Ashley McHugh | Observer Contributor
In today’s age, rape culture is booming and people are turning a blind eye to what is happening. In the wake of the allegations made by actors in Hollywood against Harvey Weinstein, along with other large Hollywood names, such as Bill Cosby, it is time I told my own story of my own sexual assault and what these new allegations mean not only for me but for other women as well.
Harvey Weinstein is a movie and TV show producer who, according to The New York Times, assaulted 24 women since the 1990’s. Some of his accusers you know by first glance, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd, to name a few. On October 10, an explosive piece by Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker, detailed a more gruesome story, describing a deeper pattern of sexual harassment, intimidation, and, in several instances, rape.
According to Rolling Stone, Weinstein was fired from the company he created and his all male board resigned; the company plans to change its name in the next few weeks. Weinstein’s MO went a little something like this: he invites a younger woman to his hotel room or apartment on a professional pretense, appears in a bathrobe or completely undressed, and requests a massage or sexual favors, offering the exchange for career advancement. He also had his female assistants sit in during the beginning of these “meetings” so the young women would feel more comfortable.
So why didn’t this come out sooner? It is simple really because Weinstein is a powerful and influential man, and we live in a society where women are discouraged from coming forward with stories of harassment and rape. If people come out with stories like these, they either aren’t believed or told they are crazy.
As a survivor of sexual assault and rape, these allegations are gruesome and horrifying. But what is more sickening to me is that people have known about this for decades and yet not a soul said a word. He was a powerful man who held careers in his hand, but powerful people know they can get away with just about anything. I mean, who was going to stop him?
We need to do something about this epidemic; we need to speak up. if you see something, say something. Educate the people of today that this type of behavior will not be tolerated and that the time for change is now.
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