Let me start by saying that what Roman Polanski did to that girl more than 30 years ago was wrong. Period, end of story. That he is a great director does not matter in the least right now, despite what the filmmaking community would argue. The question is, what should be done with Polanski now that he is in custody?
Let me also say that, despite my distrust of an American justice system that continues to systematically disregard civil rights and ignore mitigating circumstances in individual cases, I believe in justice for all victims of crime by giving offenders a sentence appropriate to the scope their offenses. What makes this particular case difficult is that Polanski's victim and her family have long ago publicly forgiven him for his crimes and even expressed their desire that the charges against him be dismissed and that he be allowed to return to America.
Now, shouldn't the bottom line of punishing criminals be to give closure to those they have wronged? Polanski didn't commit any crimes against the country or government of America, besides fleeing from justice*--his crime was against a person. He took advantage of and sexually violated a thirteen-year old girl. For that, Roman Polanski is a contemptible man, and no amount of time or talent will remove that stain from his soul. For that very reason, he deserves none of our concern and none of our attention. The only person who deserves to be listened to in this case is the victim, and she's the one person no one seems to be listening to. Is it really justice if the victim's wishes are not even considered?
*Which, if you read up on the judge who handled that case, you can't really blame him for. Watch the documentary 'Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired', which inspired the title of this posting.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment