>>THE NEW YORK TIMES HAS RELEASED A REPORT DETAILING
DECADES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HOLLYWOOD
PRODUCER HARVEY WEINSTEIN --
>>
THE REPORT IS EXTENSIVE, IT GOES ON, AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT
IF YOU WORK INTERESTED YOU READ THE WHOLE THING, BUT THERE IS A
PATTERN THEY POINT OUT, WHICH IS THE FOLLOWING --
>>AN IMPORTANT PERSON THEY POINT OUT IS LAUREN O'CONNOR, A FORMER
COLLEAGUE OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY, SHE SENT A MEMO TO
SEVERAL EXECUTIVES AT THE COMPANY AND THEY CITE HER A LOT
IN THIS REPORT, BUT THAT GETS A LITTLE BLURRY TOWARDS THE END
BECAUSE --
>>
WEINSTEIN'S LAWYERS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE
PREPARING TO SUE THE TIMES, AND THE PROCEEDS OF THAT SUIT WILL
GO TOWARDS WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS, BUT NOT BEFORE
HARVEY WEINSTEIN RELEASED A SORT OF CONFUSING STATEMENT OF
HIS OWN.
HERE IS PART OF IT --
>>
HE ALSO MISQUOTES JAY-Z LYRIC, THEN SAYS HE WILL APPOINT
HIS FULL ATTENTION TO THE NRA, AMONG OTHER THINGS.
>>FIRST OF ALL PLEASE READ THE FULL TIMES REPORT BECAUSE IT
GOES INTO MANY DETAILS, VERY GRAPHIC DETAILS, AND THERE ARE
SO MANY WOMEN INVOLVED, AND THIS TOOK PLACE OVER SUCH A LONG
PERIOD OF TIME.
AND SOME OF IT OCCURRED AS RECENTLY AS 2014, SO
I'M NOT BUYING HIS B.S.
ARGUMENT ABOUT I GREW UP IN A DIFFERENT
CULTURE, I GUESS THINGS HAVE CHANGED -- NO, YOU SHOULD HAVE
NOTICED HOW MUCH THE CULTURE CHANGED.
AND TO DO THE SAME TYPE
OF STUFF IN 2014 MAKES IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT HE DIDN'T
REALLY CARE ABOUT THE CULTURE OR TAKE ANY OF THAT INTO
CONSIDERATION, HE WAS AND IS A MAN THAT HAS SOME DEGREE OF
POWER AND HE THOUGHT HE COULD GET AWAY WITH IT, MUCH LIKE WHAT
HAPPENED AT FOX NEWS WITH ROGER AILES AND BILL O'REILLY.
BUT I
WANT TO QUICKLY MENTION HOW HE ENDED HIS STATEMENT, HE COULDN'T
JUST LEAVE IT AT I MESSED UP AND I NEED HELP AND I'M GETTING IT
-- HE PANDERED TO INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE UPSET AND EMOTIONAL
OVER WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MASS SHOOTINGS IN THE COUNTRY, AND HE
GOES ON THIS THING ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS TO DO TO STOP GUN
VIOLENCE, AND, NO.
>>AND WITHIN THAT SAME PARAGRAPH HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HE HOPES
WAYNE LAPIERRE ENJOYS HIS RETIREMENT PARTY, AND HE TALKS
ABOUT HOW ONE YEAR AGO I STARTED A FOUNDATION TO GIVE
SCHOLARSHIPS TO WOMEN DIRECTORS AT USC.
SO DID BILL COSBY.
>>YOU CAN BE PHILANTHROPIC AND STILL BE A RACIST.
SO YOU
TALKING ABOUT ALL THE MONEY YOU HAVE GIVEN, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR
MONEY AND STOP BEING A RAPIST AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING FOLKS.
THEY DON'T WORK AGAINST EACH OTHER.
I'M GOING TO BE CRAZY BUT
GIVE $1000?
THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS.
>>THEY ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE AND IF YOU LIKE THE
WAY HE ENDED HIS STATEMENT WAS, AGAIN, TRYING TO PANDER AND MAKE
HIM OUT TO BE THIS GREAT PERSON, AND I FEEL LIKE THAT
UNFORTUNATELY NULLIFIES ANYTHING ELSE HE SAID IN THAT STATEMENT.
I WILL SAY THIS, I WAS SHOCKED THAT HE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY,
BECAUSE THAT IS NOT THE WAY THINGS USUALLY PLAY OUT.
THAT IS
NOT HOW IT PLAYED OUT AT FOX NEWS, BILL O'REILLY STILL DENIES
IT, ROGER AILES DENIED IT TILL THE DAY HE DIED, AND IN
THIS CASE WEINSTEIN IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY WHICH I'M
GLAD HE'S DOING, BUT THE WAY HE ENDED THAT STATEMENT WAS SO
UNNECESSARY.
>>THE WHOLE STATEMENT READS AS THOUGH HE SAID IT OUT LOUD TO
SIRI IN A NOTE AND THEN WAS LIKE, YES, PRINT THAT ONE, I'M
GOING WITH THAT.
DOWN TO MISQUOTING JAY-Z.
JUST DOUBLE CHECKED THE LYRIC.
>>OR DON'T QUOTE HIM.
>>BE A RESPECTABLE PERSON, OR AT LEAST TRY TO PRETEND THAT YOU
ARE.
YOU HAVE ALL THE OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE SOMETHING,
REVISE IT, YOU HAVE FOLKS AROUND YOU, APPARENTLY A TEAM OF
THERAPISTS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH TO HELP YOU NOT BE
A MISOGYNIST -- I ALSO THINK THIS SPEAKS TO THE NEED TO HAVE
MORE WOMEN IN POSITION OF POWER IN THESE COMPANIES, NOT TO SAY
THAT'S THE SOLUTION TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT, BUT IT WOULD
CERTAINLY HELP.
AND I THINK EVEN SOME OF THE WOMEN IN THE REPORT
TALK ABOUT GOING BEFORE SOME OF THESE PANELS AND BRINGING OTHER
WOMEN WITH THEM TO CORROBORATE THEIR STORY.
THERE IS POWER IN
TERMS OF NUMBERS AND HAVING REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THESE
SPACES.
I THINK IT WOULD HELP, PARTICULARLY AS THE CULTURE
IS CHANGING.