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Post by ellie on Oct 18, 2017 10:09:20 GMT
I don’t know of any of you are familiar with the Jimmy Saville story but the Weinstein situation is shaping up to develop in a similar way, which is mostly a good thing.
Saville was a DJ and TV presenter who worked at the BBC for decades. Known too for his extensive charity work and eccentric dress style he became something of a National Treasure. After he died a few years ago people began to go on the record to say they had been sexually abused by him. An investigation ensued which discovered that Saville had perpetrated hundreds of instances of sex abuse on vulnerable, young (sometimes underage) girls over several decades. He even abused young patients in the hospitals he had access to as part of his so called charity work.
Not surprisingly it turned out that, like HW, pretty much everybody around Saville knew what he was doing, but because of his position and power, nobody said anything until after he was dead.
The Saville investigation broadened out into a wider look into sex abuse in general in the entertainment industry and several more household names were implicated and a few convicted.
The only downside to it was there were unfortunately opportunists who saw a route to some easy money and made false accusations. Problem is that even though the accusations were found to be false, suspicion will always attach to the people they accused and that is not fair to those people or their families.
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Post by mllemass on Oct 18, 2017 11:46:54 GMT
Wasn't he the inspiration for Toby Jones' character in The Lying Detective? I remember hearing that it was based on a real person. How horrible!
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Post by ellie on Oct 18, 2017 12:36:02 GMT
Yes that was said but other than they were both despicable individuals under their jovial exterior there weren't many similarities with the Saville story.
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Post by onebluestocking on Oct 18, 2017 13:03:55 GMT
These are the exact opportunities where people can do something in their real, everyday lives about sexual harassment, even if they aren't directly involved! Those same "nice" guys are probably asking today why nobody stopped HW.
I had a terrible work experience in my youth, at a fast food restaurant. The manager hired a former convict, 26 or so, older than the rest of us. He began tormenting myself and the other girl working evenings: tossing ice cubes down the front of our shirts, standing behind us when we had to bend over to pick things up and making comments, blocking our way and pretending he was going to touch us (without actually doing so.) The other "nicer" guys there, even the night manager who had authority over the guy, would laugh along and even began some harassment themselves that had never happened previously. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch! And yes, it is so crummy that women are made to feel like they should "lighten up" about these things, or as Molly Ringwald said in her statement:
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Post by ellie on Oct 18, 2017 13:43:26 GMT
I think lots of us have had those sort of experiences. When I was a student I got a holiday job working in a restaurant. The cook there was a young, mouthy guy who had a chip on his shoulder about students because he thought we looked down on the other workers. We did not and none of the other workers thought that of us but, anyway, myself and another female student were the constant butt of his "jokes" and insults.
Anyway one day he and a bunch of others were on smoking break and I had to walk past them to get where I was going. Seizing his opportunity to embarrass me he yelled "Oi Ellie, you're looking miserable today. You know what you need is a really good shag." I just though enough is enough and shouted back " And there was me thinking I couldn't possibly have anything in common with your girlfriend." All the others laughed at my response leaving him red faced and fuming.
It was a sweet moment but, ultimately, a hollow victory as he totally loathed me from then on and would give me all the worst jobs and mutter "bitch" whenever I walked past him. So I didn't really improve my lot by standing up to him.
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Post by onebluestocking on Oct 18, 2017 14:00:40 GMT
I love that, it's the best comeback ever!
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Post by ellie on Oct 18, 2017 14:02:37 GMT
Thanks OBS but I'd probably have had a much easier time if I hadn't said it!!
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Post by onebluestocking on Oct 18, 2017 15:16:52 GMT
Maybe, but I guarantee he never forgot it. He probably retired that "joke" immediately. Guys like that do not take kindly to women standing up for themselves, and never see the fault in their own actions. I remember back in high school, I dared to speak up when a boy interrupted me in class. I said "please let me finish" (I even said "please!") and he responded "bitch!" Well, he was sent to the principal and it happened to be the last straw before he was suspended from school for a couple of days. The next morning when I entered school, the gauntlet of boys I had to pass in the hall fell silent and stony-faced, except for that boy's brother calling "bitch!" after me. How dare I expect to complete my sentence when a male wanted to talk?! I saw that guy later at the 10 year school reunion, and he was regaling the group with tales of his various school suspensions back in the day. How did he describe that event? "The next time I got suspended, it was Jennifer's fault!" I told him I was shy back then and hadn't answered him properly for calling me a bitch, but that I had learned a few words since then that I could use. Still no accountability for his own behavior, all those years later.
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Post by ellie on Oct 18, 2017 18:30:50 GMT
What did he end up doing for a job OBS? Given that his attitude hadn't changed over the years I'm just wondering if he's as charming to the women in his workplace as he was to you.
By the way I read a great response to the likes of him in a magazine I was reading the other day. There was a funny article on rude people and one of the one liners in it was ideal for your situation. It was "I'm sorry, did the middle of my sentance interupt the start of yours." 😀
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Post by onebluestocking on Oct 18, 2017 20:29:43 GMT
Not sure about his career. All that I know is that his ex-girlfriend burned down his house. Probably deservedly...?
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