2009-10-01 12:31:01

POLANSKI and ATONEMENT

Filed under: Film,Justice,News,Politics
Posted by: Craig

How do we pay for our crimes?   Is an apology enough?   How contrite do we need to be for it to qualify?   Kanye West seemed to get it right on the fourth or fifth confession.  It took Jay Leno asking Kanye how his deceased mother would feel about his rudeness towards Taylor Swift.   Republican Representative  Joe Wilson’s outburst during the President’s address to Congress also raised the issue.   Wilson considered one apology enough.   Now, Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson has offended Republicans by claiming their “very simple” healthcare plan encourages sick people to die quickly.   Grayson insists that he will not apologize for his poster board presentation to the House of Representatives.

These cases are only about words.  What about when lives are wrecked?  Many were outraged by Scotland’s release of the Lockerbie Bomber.   Scenes of his heroic welcome at the airport in Tripoli mocked our efforts to combat global terrorism.  Was too much grace extended to a convicted terrorist dying of cancer?  Why should he be allowed to reconnect with his family in Libya, when his actions separated two hundred seventy families from their loved ones?

Our divided feelings regarding atonement have surfaced just as passionately around Roman Polanski’s extradiction.   The coverage in the Los Angeles Times illustrates the cavernous distance between those who consider the case ancient history and those who find Polanski’s actions still worthy of prosecution and incarceration.   Patrick Goldstein paints Polanski as a victim comparable to Les Miserables’ Jean Valjean, hounded by prosecutors as blind as Javert.   Yet, Steve Lopez reminds us of the sickening details of the case, putting the focus back upon the rape victim.  Megan Daum points out that no matter how tortured Polanski’s personal life has been, it is no substitute for a case that has never been tried, justice never served.   Now, the debate swirling around Polanski has been elevated into yet another symbol of the vast cultural divide in America.   Hollywood defends artists who live above the law, while middle America cries out for justice and equal prosecution.

My partner at Purple State of Mind, John Marks set off an imbroglio by calling for the prosecution of Alan Greenspan rather than Roman Polanski.   He wonders why massive financial crimes aren’t prosecuted with equal diligence as a single sexual assault.   Shouldn’t we truly be outraged by the people who have threatened to bankrupt our nation?    Why is our sense of justice so heightened about sex and so quiet regarding white collar crime?   For Marks, the Polanski case is too much about too little.His critics accuse him of marginalizing rape victims everywhere.

Marks (and perhaps most of Hollywood) has come to see Polanski’s case through the prism of the riveting documentary, Roman Polanski:  Wanted and Desired (edited by the great Joe Bini).  It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to substantial acclaim, demonstrating how the legal system in Los Angeles got caught up in its own celebrity obsession.   Filmmakers in New York and LA understood how fame can warp the wheels of justice.    Middle America wonders why the Polanski case has been ignored for so many years.   The artistic community wonders why it is being brought up after so long.

The case illustrates the ongoing cultural pull between freedom and responsibility.     Polanski is stand in for the excesses of the 1960s, whether viewed from the murder of his wife by the Manson family to his own rape of a thirteen year old.  No matter how many years Charles Manson serves, Polanski’s wife (and child) will not be coming back.    Polanski’s apology and his victims’ acceptance still doesn’t satisfy those who have also been sexually abused and assaulted.   Polanski may atone for his sins and even go to jail, but such conviction does not automatically cross over into forgiveness and healing.   Our hunger for justice is a noble, God-given desire, worthy of ongoing vigilance.   We long for somebody to make things right.   The Christian community holds up Jesus’ death as the only sufficient coverall, the one for the many.   Yet, our gnawing dissatisfaction remains on this side of paradise.   We cry out for justice, waiting, watching, wondering what will happen to Polanski and to us.

Comments (4)

4 Comments »

1. The trial should go on. The court can weigh all the extenuating circumstances. Our society (thankfully) still condemns rape and especially the rape of a child. Hollywood directors will think twice or three times before trying something this lascivious if the trail goes forward. If he is not tried, it increases their power, bad for all of us. And I do believe, if Roman Polanski was an African American, or a Latino…he would be tried without question.

   Comment by spjensen — October 1, 2009 @ 1:11 pm

2. There are two distinct conversations going on here. One is subjective (the philosophy of forgiveness, contrition, anger, etc). The other is objective: if you (reader) had the final vote in the Polanski case, how would you rule?

   I’ll leave conversation #1 for another day, and just ring in on conversation #2:

   For me, it’s cut and dry. I can’t look at it from any other POV than that of the courts (apologies to those everywhere, who know the legal system better than I): the legal system has a word for polanski’s decorated & tortured life as it pertains to the rape case: irrelevant.

   Then there’s the “The victim forgave him, so the courts should too” argument. Maybe relevant, probably not, definitely not conclusively. Not to get to legal and precious, but the crime was committed against the people of California. That’s how the courts see it. It prevents perps from “paying off” their victims.

   To the “she was a 13 year old seductress” argument: good point. The guy was helpless. (I have to be sarcastic. It keeps me from going “Falling Down” on anyone who brings this up).

   To the “he’s being made an example” argument. No he’s not. If Joe Blow, the JiffyLube worker was convicted of rape, and fled, and, 30+ years later, the state had a chance to get their man, do you think it wouldn’t? Of course it would. That’s the tricky thing about raping a 13 year old. It tends to get the attention of the authorities.

   As far as time healing wounds, I’ll defer to any parents of 13 year old girls who would like to chime in on this.

   I give polanski a big heap of empathy when it comes to the fact that his judge looked like he was going to reneg on the plea. I’m serious. And if I were ruling on this case in 2009 (which I hope a judge gets to), I would take that under consideration when polanski’s attorney presented it. But for him to make his case, he’s gotta go make his case. More and more, it’s looking like he’s going to get the opportunity to. [Sidenote to those wondering how to avoid being wronged by a rogue judge: Step One: Don’t rape a 13 year old girl, and find yourself on the business end of that judge’s gavel].

   Speaking of false generalizations (“all of hollywood is lining up to support polanski”), here are the thoughts of Tom Morello (guitarist for Rage Against The Machine, and artist in his own right, who’s, somehow found a way make it through life w/o being convicted of raping a 13 year old): “[Polanski's] probably one of the greatest child molesting directors of all time. [We can all agree on that.]”. Rock on, you pinko, pacifist, you.

   “Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired” was an amazing film.

   Here’s a companion amazing piece of literature: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/polanskicover1.html

   Comment by Mike — October 1, 2009 @ 2:04 pm

3. An interesting piece, Craig. Here in Sydney, Australia as convicted paedophile was released back into the community after serving a lengthy prison sentence. But the housing estate into which he was placed were outraged at having him in their midst – with public demonstrations, representations to the media and the state Premier (governor), and even a wooden casket placed on his porch.
   Even the klan in their hey-day would have been proud of the vigilante number done on this guy…. by ordinary, middle Australia. He was ‘temporarily’ housed elsewhere because police could no longer guarantee his safety.

   It taps into the same issue as your blog, except here, justice has already been done (according to the law); tried, convicted and serving a lengthy sentence.

   It makes an interest counter-point to the Polanski case (both involved girls of similar ages), and exposes inconsistency in the sense of justice in our law and courts and in our own hearts.

   Do any of the Hollywood defenders of Polanski want a new neighbour? There is a ex-con paeophile here in Sydney who desperately needs a new home, and more compassionate and understanding neighbours. Any volunteers?

   Comment by Geoff — October 1, 2009 @ 10:30 pm

4. Great post Craig. I have to say though, I would contend a few points. First of all, I don’t think this is a direct left/right split. I’ve read and heard many on the left who are just as angry and of the throw Polanski in jail crowd from Slate to The Nation to Salon to Truthdig and the list does on. Second of all, I think there is less of a yearning for just right now and really just people wanting blood. There is no question that Polanski did something wrong and have legal punishment, that can’t be denied. But I can’t help but see this almost be a further extension of the low form of rhetoric going on in the healthcare debate, only it is more acceptable in society on both sides to call your an opponent a rape supporter or enabler if we are talking about a sexual offender. Which I think speaks to the deplorable, disgusting cultural views about sexual offenders. They are the one category of criminals that apparently across society where we can still consider them to be sub-human and it’s all okay, which is disheartening to say the least. I really wish people would view them as flesh and blood people who can be forgiven and they can change, but maybe that’s a bit too idealistic in a society in intellectual and rhetorical decline as ours in America.

   Comment by Matt G — October 2, 2009 @ 12:59 pm

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