Thoughts on Woody Allen sexual abuse claims?

I think Roman Polanski might have as well although I'm sure he has his defenders on here.

SMJO wrote:

Real Thought Experiment wrote:

Thereby demonstrating that you are not only an ignorant fool who rushes to judge that which he has no f'ing idea about but also a notably stupid one.

Congratulations!

Thanks for letting me join your club, Founder and President.

Let me know when you have something to say worth the electrons it is written on.

I think we all need to lighten up and bond over pics of underaged girls in bunhuggers.

Lyndon LaRouche wrote:

Some Things Should Be Obvious wrote:

The whole thing is gossip - not worthy of idiotic speculation. And ultimately such gossip has profoundly negative impacts on society as a whole while having no redeeming qualities.

When it is a claim filed w/ the prosecutors office in 1992 and a letter in the NYT, it is not gossip. This is happening, in real-time, in Manhattan. Believe it or not, what is said on LR will not make or break Woody Allen.

People said the same thing about the claims against Sandusky.

They said the same thing 30 years ago about claims against Catholic priests.

Sorry, but the fact that a claim was filed does not negate the fact that this entire thread is nothing but gossip.

Your "the same thing..." arguments amount to essentially nothing.

Sandusky was tried, was he not? Is that not the correct venue to address such serious claims? Is that not where his fate was decided? And all the gossip, on this message board and elsewhere amounted to ... wait for it ... gossip. Nothing more, nothing less.

SMJO wrote:

I think Roman Polanski might have as well although I'm sure he has his defenders on here.

I believe it has been established that Polanski drugged and raped a 14 year old girl.

I haven't seen such a spirited defense of pedophilia since the Jerry Sandusky and Michael Jackson days. We don't need absolute proof to virtually convict Lance but some LRCers need it in the case of pedophiles. Go figure.

Some Things Should Be Obvious wrote:

And all the gossip, on this message board and elsewhere amounted to ... wait for it ... gossip. Nothing more, nothing less.

So then who cares? Why do you care?

Sandusky went years (decades?) with allegations before somebody came forward and said they saw him. Prior to that, Joe Pa did everything he could to make these pesky kids go away.

A person is stating, "Woody Allen raped me". What more is required? What other, "proof" do you require? Her story has not changed. She has not been discredited. Somebody had to have caught them?

Sandusky had the hubris to use his office to a) procure victims and b) conceal his crime. It is monstrous. He has destroyed people in ways that cannot be imagined.

Allen was more discreet, but still has ruined 1 life that we know of. Probably others. Who knows? Perhaps this letter will encourage his other victims to come forward, and give evidence today.

K5 wrote:

SMJO wrote:

I think Roman Polanski might have as well although I'm sure he has his defenders on here.

I believe it has been established that Polanski drugged and raped a 14 year old girl.

Exactly. Established in a court of law, not on LetsGossip.com.

LRC always surprises wrote:

I haven't seen such a spirited defense of pedophilia since the Jerry Sandusky and Michael Jackson days. We don't need absolute proof to virtually convict Lance but some LRCers need it in the case of pedophiles. Go figure.

You, like so many of your species, appear to have a difficult time thinking clearly.

Nobody on these threads is defending pedophilia or even Woody Allen. What I and perhaps others are pointing out is that this entire thread amounts to nothing more than gossip - a bunch of folks talking out their asses to no more effect than self-titilation and the chance to pat themselves on the back as defenders of innocent children.

Yay! Doesn't that make you wonderful? Especially as you have no f'ing idea what actually happened.

Actually the point is that you do NOT know. I know that you will have a difficult time with that concept but it does not change the fact that you do not know.

Why do I care? I don't give a rat's ass about Woody Allen other than that he is a human being and entitled to the same level of respect as any other human being. I care a great deal more about the truth. Which, no offense, you do not care about. Neither do any of the folks talking out their asses here. Unfortunately the vast majority are largely incapable of saying the simple words, "I don't know".

Let me give you an example of the consequences of this type of behavior - the gossip that I do very thoroughly despise...

Some Things Should Be Obvious wrote:

Unfortunately the vast majority are largely incapable of saying the simple words, "I don't know".

Let me give you an example of the consequences of this type of behavior - the gossip that I do very thoroughly despise...

What do we know

- charges filed in 1992

- the same accusations made in the NYT 21yrs later

- Allen says nothing about these claims. Nothing. Nada.

- Allen marries an 18yr old for whom he was a parental figure.

None of these are that unusual. Taken together, they make for some compelling circumstantial evidence.

This most recent claim is not out of the blue. If it were, it could easily be discounted. This is not Tawanna Brawley making an outrageous claim. This is very specific as to time and place. And it has been consistent.

He can't be convicted. But the circumstances are fairly obvious. This is not a set of conditions found normally on every block in America.

...Let me give you an example of the consequences of this type of behavior - the gossip that I do very thoroughly despise...

I have a friend who is in his mid-forties. He is a soccer coach. Or he was a soccer coach. And he was an absolutely brilliant coach.

He was not into particularly competitive soccer. He coached kids' teams. Both girls and boys aged 6 through 13. He did it because he loves kids. And he is great with them. Frankly, the best coach I have ever seen. Every season parents would line up to try to get their kids on his team. Again and again and again kids would develop a real love for the sport based on his methods, his fun loving manner, and his genuine love for these kids. I dare say that he has had a greater positive impact on the world through his coaching than 99% of humanity has had with their entire lives.

He does not coach any more.

Why? Because he saw too many examples of coaches who had one troubled kid on their team and a matching set of off-balance parents. Kid gets angry, wants attention, wished they got more playing time, maybe even in some cases had a puppy-love type crush on the coach. Kid didn't get what they wanted and, with the 'help' of their parents made up some story about the coach molesting them or propositioning them or...

Now, sometimes coaches do bad things. Quite often, however the accusations are BS. But in that wonderful world of public opinion (read - LRC message boards gossip, local school ground mom gossip,...) "what girl would say such a thing if it wasn't true?!?" "How can you defend that pedophiliac?" Coaches' very lives are ruined, marriages destroyed...

All for this lovely gossip - people talking out their asses for the titillating effect, to pat themselves on the back about how wonderful they are battling evil people...

My friend does not coach any more. He says he simply cannot risk it. And there are hundreds of kids out there whose lives are substantially poorer for it. All for that holiest of holies - Gossip.

Now why don't you all just resume your self-congraulatory gossip sessions?

Gossip. Now don't you feel better about yourself? You have successfully talked out of your ass.

What should you do? Focus on those folks who you actually know. Let those who actually are involved with Woody and co. deal with whatever situation exists there. Stop talking out your ass. But I know, I know, gossip is just so wonderful, what would you do without it?

On one hand, you seem to respect Allen as a human being, but don't mention the alleged victim. As to earlier posts discussing false memories, not saying that doesn't happen. However, she is discussing events which took place when she was 7 years old - not as a toddler. My sister and I were both abused for years - beginning at the ages of 7 and 5. To this day, I remember VERY clearly the first time it happened. No matter how many years pass, I think about those years almost every single day. No matter how much I have tried, those years continue to haunt me.

I admire her mother for attempting to take action. While we were constantly threatened by our molester, we finally told my mother. Unfortunately for us, she did nothing and claimed this kind of thing wasn't that uncommon. My sister refuses to talk to her. We have had many arguments about the topic through the years. to this day I can't understand. I know my mother was very financially dependent, but it still isn't a valid excuse in my mind. Strangely, the last time I addressed the subject about 6 years ago, she claimed to have no memory of us ever telling her about the abuse. What??? I was flabbergasted but decided right then, I would never find any kind of satisfactory resolution, so have given up.

To anyone who hasn't experience being completely defenseless to a sexual predator when you are just a child, you can't possibly understand how the ordeal continues to haunt and define your life. I believe his daughter and am not the least bit surprised Hollywood not only defends, but heaps praise and awards on this man.

Some Things Should Be Obvious wrote:

Now, sometimes coaches do bad things. Quite often, however the accusations are BS.

You're sure of this....absolutely 100% sure....*YOU* have proof in a very private matter. But in something that is occuring on the front pages of the NYT and the Manhattan prosecutors office, we don't know anything?

You are a self-righteous pile of shit.

Oh brother. One more person who cannot separate two different concepts. It is a wonder that our species even manages to survive.

1) Sexual abuse is a TERRIBLE thing. Nobody is arguing otherwise.

2) You, and everyone else on here has no f'ing idea what did or did not happen with Woody Allen.

3) But somehow it makes you feel better to say that you do know what happened.

4) BUT YOU DON'T

To your ridiculously lame point:

I don't give a rat's ass about Woody Allen other than that he is a human being and entitled to the same level of respect as any other human being.

I don't give a rat's ass about Soon-Yi other than that she is a human being and entitled to the same level of respect as any other human being.

I don't give a rat's ass about Dylan Farrow other than that she is a human being and entitled to the same level of respect as any other human being.

I care a great deal more about the truth.

There, now I have added a sentence stating respect for three human beings. Feel better now?

Maybe Woody Allen should become a priest. Apparently that affords you legal immunity and child rape can be dealt with as an internal matter.

Lyndon LaRouche wrote:

Some Things Should Be Obvious wrote:

Now, sometimes coaches do bad things. Quite often, however the accusations are BS.

You're sure of this....absolutely 100% sure....*YOU* have proof in a very private matter. But in something that is occuring on the front pages of the NYT and the Manhattan prosecutors office, we don't know anything?

You are a self-righteous pile of shit.

I am right. And you are wrong. Therefore I am self-righteous.

OK, I can live with that.

Seriously, try learning to think clearly sometime. It is a wonderful habit and generally only good things come of it.

Real Thought Experiment wrote:

Let me know when you have something to say worth the electrons it is written on.

What the hell was that? That's like crack baby talk.