www.cnn.com/…
Tons of insane Trumpism happening, of course, but that’s not all the bad things going on in America right now, unfortunately. The latest accused abuser/harasser is Morgan Freeman, from an extensive investigation by CNN reporters, with dozens of victim reports and eyewitness accounts. By my reading, the accusations are all variations on frequent inappropriate remarks about women’s clothes and bodies, along with occasional inappropriate touching.
We all know this is unacceptable. And it’s not unique to the film industry, of course. But the film and TV industry by its very nature is particularly visible on issues like this, as well as being particularly well suited to taking the lead from a cultural and societal standpoint on making things better. This, along with the many others “outed” by brave survivors, leads me to believe that Hollywood (i.e. the TV and film industry in America), for all the good work it does culturally, philanthropically, and obviously making movies and TV shows, needs a work stoppage. Something like 6 months in which the entire industry does nothing but discuss and find a way to change their policies and practices such that it’s no longer possible to dismiss or ignore accusations of harassment and sexual abuse, along with allowing anyone and everyone with a story to tell to come forward and tell their story. This would obviously disrupt movie and TV production, but with some preparation the harm could be minimized — schedules and release dates could be staggered, such that viewers and programmers don’t lose anything aside from possibly waiting a little longer for their TV shows and movies to come out.
One possibility: a permanent independent agency, funded by all the studios, unions, and other industry institutions, that can be contacted by anyone, down to the lowliest grip, extra, or production assistant, and will independently investigate every single accusation, while keeping the accuser anonymous (if they wish), with the power to issue fines, suspensions, and even expellations, to organizations and individuals, along with reporting to and cooperating with law enforcement.
Something like this will have to happen eventually. It will be a lot less painful for the industry if they get ahead of the curve and do it voluntarily. Perhaps some prominent Democrats could advocate for something like this (while, of course, continuing to point out the disgusting fact that the White House is being occupied by an admitted abuser and harasser).
