Kevin Spacey and the Nantucket case

Or to be more accurate, the Nantucket case was one woman’s crusade against a famous man who supposedly allegedly harmed her son in a sexual way.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday, July 17, 2019 afternoon that they will be dropping charges against Kevin Spacey, who was accused of groping an 18-year-old man at a Nantucket bar in 2016.

The reason why you are reading this is because [I wrote it] after the case was dismissed with prejudice I woke up to at least two – there are more, but I didn’t read all of them- articles about how Kevin Spacey wasn’t exonerated regardless of the DA’s decision.

In Variety, Caroline Framke wrote:

“Just because the charges were dropped, however, doesn’t mean that many won’t (or shouldn’t) be wary of working with him again.”

[…]

“Sexual assault cases are so rarely taken seriously at the time the crime is allegedly committed that sometimes, telling the story on their own terms is all a survivor can do. Anyone who believes in that tried and true fact will just believe that Spacey has escaped tangible consequences for abusing his power once again.”

In the Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber wrote:

“’Help me’.

Among the text messages sent by a then–18-year-old busboy on the night in 2016 when he alleges Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted him, that one sentiment—a plea for rescue—recurred at least five times.”

[…]

“The truth is that the case, and the dozens of other accusations against Spacey, demonstrate why #MeToo is not only—or even primarily—a courtroom battle.”

If you have read any of my blog entries, you know I strongly support the innocent until proven guilty doctrine as a fundamental legal and human right. There are many discussions taking place in academia on whether the presumption of innocence is a substantive human right, and thus not merely a procedural one, and finds them wanting, according to Richard L. Lippke’s Taming the Presumption of Innocence.

Nothing in regards to the Presumption of Innocence and the Media though, which is my main issue.

May I still like American Beauty?

Sir? Madam? May I still like American Beauty?

David Klion is a writer and editor in Brooklyn whose work has appeared in The Nation, The New York Times, The Guardian, Jewish Currents, and other publications.

Well….

I don’t know, I guess…. not?

I watched American Beauty as a teenager; a female teenager, I should mention, sometimes in the early ’00s. Sadly, it’s been one of my favourite films ever since. I’m not sad that it is my favourite movie, but I am sad for people attempting to make me feel guilty for liking it. There are many reasons you like a movie and not all of them have to do with a right/wrong directions of ethics and values (despite what you’ve been told the last decade), or with fluffy, cute warm feelings, or even -gasp- with representation! I’ll leave Disney and co. to that and their need to get more money through manipulation of people’s low self-esteem.

I like movies for multiple reasons:

• Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes films are two of my all time favourite movies, they are my «hurt/comfort» movies.
• Mike Leigh’s Naked is my «uncomfortable as hell» favourite movie. There are times I don’t even like it, but the feeling I get by the end of the movie is too strong not to acknowledge.
• Cohen Brothers’ The man who wasn’t there is my go to «black & white elegance aesthetic» favourite movie.
• American Beauty is one of my favourite «bittersweet movies with a complex, male protagonist». Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game is another one in this list.