Mark Steyn joins the discussion about Roman Polanski's arrest, adding some revolting and disturbing detail - Jerry Lee Lewis' marriage to his own 13-year-old cousin Myra, this isn't.
My question is, why have the authorities left it so long? There's some hidden agenda, surely. And surely, for justice to be seen to be done, there should not be hidden agendas.
2 comments:
Mark Steyn's comments are spot on.
He hits the nail on the head: Not even JS Bach could be justified for this behaviour.
Somewhere along the way(I think it began with the generation of Beethoven), the idea was planted that 'artists' are a different brand of people, and that we should expect them to be rogues and/or tortured souls.
Ironically, that attitude led to the characterization of Mendelssohn, Dvorak, and Saint-Saens as 'lightweights', because they were happy souls, generally very morally upright and productive in their lifetimes.
Wagner was forgiven all, because he was 'an artist'...
People who ply their trade in the arts are just that. It's a craft and a business, and sometimes, something or someone really extraordinary emerges as a result.
Just like in every other profession and pursuit in this world--arts, sports, business, academia. And none are exempt from the obligations of ethical behavior.
A thirteen year-old raped by a movie director is just as violated as if the act had been performed by a truck driver.
And the movie director is just as culpable.
I agree with OldSouth that we treat artists as 'special'. By contrast, a former colleague with obvious emotional problems who stalked two women (no physical harm) was given an extra heavy sentence (3 years in jail, if I recall), because 'he should have known better, with his education'.
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