Harvey Weinstein and Feminism

BY: Mona Charen

What makes Harvey Weinsteins?

The chief of Amazon studios, Roy Price, has now resigned in the wake of allegations that he made lewd comments and propositioned a producer. Lists of accused sexual predators in Hollywood and journalism are circulating on social media. President’s Trump’s long history of pawing and gawking at women has again reached center stage.

Actress Alyssa Milano, one of Weinstein’s targets, fumed that “this is not an uncommon occurrence. This is a sick culture. Men like Harvey Weinstein are around every corner. Men who undermine women and their strength, ability, and intelligence exist everywhere.”

This is a common theme you find in feminist thinking. Harassment and even sexual assault are seen as part of the spectrum of sexism. It begins with disparagement of women’s abilities and intelligence, then progresses to making them sexual objects, and finally results in abuse and even rape.

The MeToo hashtag and related posts on Facebook are intended as a feminist rallying cry. The Feministing website explains that “gender violence doesn’t exist without white supremacy (such as racism, colonialism, zionism [sic], militarism).

That’s hard to beat for dimness. In China, according to a U.N. study, 23 percent admit to rape. In Papua New Guinea, 61 percent of men say the same. What if boorishness isn’t a form of sexism, but merely bad behavior? Let’s face it, many a flagrant lecher — Bill Clinton anyone? — has been a stalwart and possibly even sincere feminist. Many a womanizer seeks absolution for his grubby conduct by ostentatious displays of political correctness. The louts seem to calculate that they earn gropes for every contribution to Emily’s List or NOW. Weinstein offered a particularly pathetic appeal to left-wing sympathies by declaring that he would train even more fire on the NRA.

Read more at National Review.