The most powerful and provocative film I've seen in recent years is Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt," an Academy Award-nominated (Best Foreign Language Film) drama in which Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a Danish kindergarten teacher with a spotless reputation who becomes the target of mass hysteria after he is falsely accused of sexually abusing a child.
Lucas instantly loses his job and is shunned by the community. His friends abandon him. His family is torn apart, his son threatened by neighbors. Even after the allegations are proved false, there is no repairing the damage, no way to remove the stain on his reputation. Lucas' dog is killed, a stone is thrown through his window, and he is beaten by grocery store employees when he tries to buy food. "The Hunt" is a courageous film and it's message is clear: There are some accusations that cannot be undone, certain accusations that are as as damning and permanent as a guilty verdict in a court of law.
I don't know if Bill Cosby is guilty or innocent of the things of which he is being accused these days, but there is one thing of which I am sure: when it comes to certain crimes, legal conventions no longer seem to apply.
There are two categories of crimes - rape and child molestation - in which the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" has gone out the window and asking pertinent questions is no longer allowed. There is no presumption of innocence in the court of public opinion, no evidence sought or required, no questions asked or even permitted. For these crimes, to be accused is to be found guilty.
Rape and child molestation are heinous and indefensible crimes of violence and terror. This is not in dispute. Those who commit such crimes must be brought to justice. But justice requires truth, and how can we ascertain truth when keeping an open mind is considered an affront and standard lines of inquiry are strictly forbidden?
When Cosby's attorney, Martin Singer, commented on the long criminal history, including jail time for fraud, of one of the alleged victims, the outcry was predictably swift and one-sided: "The woman's past is irrelevant!" "How dare he victimize the victim!" I have no wish to victimize any victims, either, but - really - any and all questions are off the table? If the woman were accusing Cosby of robbing a bank, you know everyone from CNN to TMZ would be examining the woman's credibility. In the present situation, such a question is evidently taboo.
I cannot and do not defend Bill Cosby or any actions he may or may not have taken; I have no way of knowing what he did or didn't do. What I do know is, for the moment, Bill Cosby - in the eyes of the law - is as innocent as you or I. But it says something disquieting about our society when a select category of alleged crimes are protected from any whiff of scrutiny and the normal paths of justice are subordinate to the public's distaste for those crimes.