Harvey Weinstein and the young film major

When did you learn the difference between right and wrong? I can tell you. I mean, not to the day or anything, I'm not Carnac the Magnificent, but let me jog your memory: You learned that wrong was wrong when you were scolded for your choice. At the same time, you may have even learned about consequence, and you most definitely learned how to lie when you did the wrong thing again and believed you could skirt justice.

I met Harvey Weinstein in 2007. I was fresh out of Film School and given the (volunteer aka unpaid) job of a lifetime at TIFF as a P.A working the pressers. That year, The Weinstein Company was backing "I'm Not There" starring (I don't think you're ready for all this A-List...) Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, and Michelle Williams. That's where I met Harvey. I'm sorry, Mr. Weinstein. 

People love to talk later about how someone "gave me the creeps" or say, "I knew it all along", or even, "I'm not surprised one bit". That's what's coming out of the Italian-Imported, Artisan-Crafted, Beverly Hills Woodwork these days as allegation after allegation erode Harvey Weinstein's facade and reputation in Tinsel Town. Fuck it. He gave me the creeps, and I'm about as "shocked" as three of Seth Myers' female writers are.

The next year, I worked briefly for Jian Ghomeshi. I felt the same way about him. I avoided every opportunity to spend alone time with him, I made friends and traveled in groups. There was absolutely NOTHING at the time to substantiate this "je ne c'est quoi" urge to flight his very glance. But I did, and often I wondered if my lack of face time, or stunted, understated personality in his presence, cost me. 

I can tell you without batting an eyelash, that I would have commiserated and shared my feelings (as disjunct and inexplicable as they were) with anyone who made mere mention of the same. That, my friends, is why a ball of yarn unravels once one string is pulled. "They could've said no". Most of them DID say no, but these acts tend to happen whether you say they can or not. Haven't we watched enough Law and Order: SVU to know that often a victim doesn't say anything right away because they feel a) alone b) powerless c) ashamed d) crazy e) afraid f) weak g) stupid h) confused ... any victim could fill the alphabet twice over with the emotions they experience after someone with perceived or legitimate exulted power, makes them feel like easy, casual prey.

There's a reason Meryl Streep wasn't easy, casual prey. Or Jennifer Lawrence, or Kate Winslet. While some top-of-the-food-chain actresses are agreeing that Harvey made them feel queasy at times, or even that they'd heard rumblings of his extra-curricular leanings - it's mostly lower-tier female actresses, or writers, or P.As that witnessed him at his most dominant. They are the most vulnerable, the least likely to be "heard", and potentially, the easiest to pay off for their silence. Predators know these things. They are calculated. Oprah once interviewed a pedophile who said he could pick kids out of a room that had daddy-issues, low self esteem, gullible personalities, and even, the invisible characteristics most susceptible to coercion and fear. 

These women who have come forward are strong, defiant, and worthy of our utmost respect and gratitude. They are leaders. They are survivors. In no way am I saying that they are "the weak ones" picked out by a mastermind. He doesn't deserve that title any more than they deserve the judgement. They were in a position that was taken advantage of by someone who felt like Superman. A position that the industry at large (and we as supporters and consumers) needs to take a good long look at. Now, these women are unraveling his yarn, string by string, and THAT is heroic. 

"I grew up in a different time" is not an excuse. They are still putting 90 year olds in jail for being Nazis 75 years ago. And we're all like, "That makes sense. Rolf blew the whistle, he's complicit. That shit is still wrong and he should pay." Rolf kept his thing a secret because he knew the consequences, and he knew he was wrong. Harvey is about to realize the consequences, and rest assured people, he knows the difference between right and wrong. It's the same way you know it. The stuff you don't tell people? Probably the worst shit you've got. The stuff you're willing to PAY people not to tell? Shudder. 

Here are some Canadian resources for victims of sexual abuse: https://crcvc.ca/links/