Roman Polanski, Have I Got a Sentence for You!
An Open Letter to Roman Polanski:
Dear Mr. Polanski,
I'm sending you this letter, even though you don't know me from Eve. As I write this, we've just received news that you're open to house arrest for your 1977 statutory rape sentence. That's a great idea, but I've got another idea for you: back my documentary about ending violence against women and girls.
Why don't you help me and my colleagues in the personal safety community get the word out about a person's human right to protect themselves from emotional and physical harm? Specifically, how about helping us mainstream the idea of a woman or girl's right to defend herself from an assailant? I'm not kidding. With your notoriety and clout, you could bring women's physical empowerment from the shadows into headline news, theaters and the talk show circuit.
At the risk of coming off as completely self-serving - my status and bank account prove that I'm not - I've been having a heck of a time with my mission of providing self-defense skills as a normal part of physical education. Hey, trying to sell self-defense classes to women and girls is a bit like trying to sell cod-liver sundaes. Healthy idea, but YUCK! Most people are so uncomfortable with the image of a female being attacked that they just want the whole idea to go away. Nonetheless, violence against women is one of the darkest open secrets we have, which you - as a cultural king - could actually help end or at least reduce for us subjects. Do you dare help me at the root level?
As your case is endlessly blogged and blabbed in the media, all I can think about is the waste of money, column inches and air time - resources that could be used to prevent future "Polanski episodes": when a powerful authority figure like a priest, celebrity or film director promises great rewards or consequences, exacting secrecy in exchange for silence. No one is arguing over whether you raped a 13 year old. They bicker over whether it was really that bad, or whether you should be punished or not.
I'm mostly against warehousing human beings, even though the more vengeful side of me would definitely like to see you punished, as in setting you down in a prison somewhere with the words "Casting Couch" embroidered on your pants. I know, I know. Your supporters argue that life has been punitive already. I argue that because you had already suffered so deeply before the "incident," you should have been less cowardly and more willing to own up to the suffering you caused to someone weaker and less powerful than you are. But I digress.
Rather than punishment, I stand for creative sentencing and actions that serve to make inroads in the area involving the damage you caused. I am for the prevention of violence, with an emphasis on teaching people - boys too - what they might do before something violent happens, or more importantly WHILE it is happening.
Your 1977 scenario is almost a cliche, insofar as there is a socially inept girl who has the promise of possible stardom, with Your Highness "dangling" it in front of her. She's not only scared of you physically, but scared of "blowing" her own shot at fame or wealth. I know straight grown men who would have been scared to fight or say an effective "no" to someone like you, especially drunk and drugged. Nasty business, that casting tub.
I've been struggling - and I use this word advisedly - to raise money to complete a documentary which demonstrates the transformative power of teaching girls and women how to set boundaries - physically if they must. It's called "Beauty Bites Beast" which is also the title of my book. If you were sentenced to fund my film, it'd get done in 6 months and get a distribution deal and lots of press! We could actually prevent injury and save lives; not all, but a significant number of them.
I just completed co-teaching a self-defense class for kids with IMPACT Personal Safety, www.impactpersonalsafety.com, a non-profit provider of personal safety training. I thought of you when I was showing the two girls who were almost 13 how to tell a predator to stop being creepy. They practiced over and over. They were so shy, and yet eager to know and "rehearse" what to do if they were in trouble. We then had them exercise eye strikes and groin shots with a padded mock assailant as simple escape maneuvers.
Do not think I blame your victim for not defending herself. She didn't have a clue what to do. So many attacks could be stopped if we only taught enough women and kids simple, brains-not-brawn, easy-to-learn techniques against sexual predators. I assert that the statutory rape in 1977 will plague you until you make some type of sincere public amends. Backing an "end violence against women and girls" film would be an astonishing act of atonement. Consider it. Talk to the lawyers. You can see the trailer to my movie here.
Sincerely,
Ellen Snortland
Follow Ellen Snortland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/snortland
Megan Carpentier: Roman Polanski, And The Making Of A Legend
Polanski, the master story-teller, has been refining his story for 30 years, weaving his little lies one by one into a cloak intended to shield him from both moral judgment and the legal system.
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Wow! Great idea! I would love for it to be funded ASAP! The parts that are finished are so great! http://www
In order to understand Polanski's self-identification as victim, it is helpful to go to the statement
of the examining psychiatrist, one Alvin E. Davis, who declared Roman to be sexually 'normal'.
Davis argues that, and I quote : "The provocative circumstances, permissiveness and knowledge
of circumstances by mother, physical maturity and willingness and provocativeness of victim
and the lack of coercion by defendant and his solicitude regarding pregnancy . . . " and so forth.
This is from page 24 of the probation officer's report and can be found at the smoking gun.
The probation officer himself states, on pages 26 & 27, "Possibly not since Renaissance Italy has there
been such a gathering of creative minds in one locale as there has been in LA county during the
last half century . . . it is believed that incalculable emotional damage could result from incarcerating
the defendant whose life has been a seemingly unending series of punishments . . . "
Apparently in the psychiatrist's worldview sodomy is really just 'solicitude regarding pregnancy . . .'
I keep thinking how scared Roman Polanski's victim must have been AND how although some view her as "gold-digger," she certainly could have kept quiet and not reported Polanski if she wanted to keep her "career" aspirations intact. It's absurd to think about a 13 year old being that calculating anyway.
It's astounding how many rapes go unreported
Though provoking article, Ms. Snortland.
Just the other day, I found myself wondering whether or not Polanski has ever contributed portions of his considerable wealth to a worthy, non-profit organization -- to any one, anywhere in the world. I did so after watching, yet again, his '90s interview with Diane Sawyer.
What struck me most in that interview is how very much Polanski paints himself a victim. And yet throughout his life he has, in my opinion, victimized women -- exploiting his position of power as a renowned artist and director -- whether it be his wife Sharon Tate, to whom he was notoriously unfaithful ('Sharon's hangup' as he called it), or Nastassia Kinski, a naive 15-year old at the time of their affair... or Samantha Geimer, the victim of the '77 attack.
I admire Polanski's work greatly, but have always been troubled by his lack of character and courage.
Regardless of the outcome of a new trial, I do find the idea of Polanski bankrolling your efforts, and other efforts aimed at protecting women from violence, very attractive.
Dear Glenn,
Thanks for your comment. I have no idea about Mr. Polanski's philanthropic life. It would be amazing for him to focus a bit on just how pervasive violence against women is. There's a continuum, and I know for sure there are plenty of people still, in the 21st century, who would maintain that what he did with his 13 year old victim was not violent.
I doubt that his situation will ever get to a trial. They'll do something to make it go away.
Thanks for writing.
Just a couple corrections:
The Diane Sawyer interview with Roman Polanski was from the mid 80s. The TV interview that he did in the 90s was with Charlie Rose.
Sharon Tate was also supposedly unfaithful. They had something of an open marriage, but by all accounts, they were nevertheless very much in love and devoted to each other.
Nasstasia Kinski was 15 when she met Roman, but in Europe it was legal. They had a real relationship, he gave her her career, and she continues to speak very highly of him. We may disagree with the European age limits, and I think that we should, but even our own age limits could be called into question. If the human brain continues to develop into our 20s, it could be argued that 18 is not a good legal age.
The greater part of your 'corrections' are merely opinions -- as with my own post. That's what a blog site such as HuffPo is about.
Thanks for doing what you do, Ellen and Erin!
I love what ntelsey said about making him analyze his behavior and make some sort of campaign/program speaking to boys and men. How great would it be if he had to stand up, go through a list of his atrocious behavior and say "Don't be ME." I love it.
Thank you Ellen for writing this piece. Very inspired by the other commenters here who have similar mindsets.
Thanks Robin. And thanks for taking the time to read the comments. We need to get this conversation out of the shadows and into the light.
In 2001, my dear friend named Shannon McNamara was murdered. Just a week shy of her 22nd birthday, Shannon's neighbor broke into her home and strangled her. He was a 26 year old "fellow" student at Eastern Illinois University. She fought back physically, and in doing so, gathered evidence to capture her killer.
His trial began in 2003, and I was there. For many weeks I had the opportunity to sit in a court room and engage in an inward mental debate about the effectiveness of our justice system. Then the day came where the G word was spoken: GUILTY. I remember the bells ringing outside the courthouse right after. Silence in the court room, during a time I anticipated to feel celebratory. I remember thinking, "This is what justice feels like?" Two weeks later he was sentenced to the death penalty. Again I found myself feeling anything but victorious.
This lead to a women's safety education company called Girls Fight Back http://gir
Dear Erin,
Thank you for the work you do with www.girlsf
We've had so many headlines lately concerning girls' safety and I am eager to have more voices chime in on PREVENTION measures. It breaks my heart to see that self-defense class enrollment surges just immediately after an event but then, after the media hoopla wears off... people forget why they wanted self-defense skills and put them at the bottom of their list. Anyway, we just want simple self-protection skills to be a normal part of what I call "physical literacy."
Anyway, thanks for being such an ardent and clear voice for women and girls' safety!
Ooops! Erin's organization, Girls Fight Back is at www.girlsf
Don't take blood money, Erin.
Ellen--Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my comment! So often, you never hear back from the author. Meanwhile, since I agree that the film you want to make would be very valuable and important to girls and their parents all over the country, I thought of a great compromise: Have Polanski go to prison AND finance your documentary out of his own pocket as a form of monetary damages! As you well know, he's a millionaire. True, he would not be available to direct but it's better for your career if you direct anyway.
Ellen, you are as solid as a rock. Go for it friend! Je t'embrasse (big hug!) Jane Roberts
Thanks Jane. You're an amazing human being who is rock solid in your commitment to others. Thanks goodness you're on the planet with us. It's a better place because you're here.
Ellen:
While I appreciate your premise to create a good message out of something vile, I think that you have overlooked some facts of this case including the promotion of this girl by her parents, drugging, and the rape and sodomy themselves. This was a crime against a child.
It is as ironic as trying to create a good message from Michael Vick. Team up with the girl scouts and people like Gina Otto who teach leadership to the 12-14 demographic to protect themselves. They are going to watch Gina far more than Roman.
Roman ran, and Roman needs to be accountable for what he did.
Dear Beth,
Thank you for your comments. And thanks for the work you do in the world.
Just so you know, with an 850 word limit for my column, it’s not necessarily true that I’ve overlooked your points. I didn’t address those points because the topics are outside of the scope of this particular piece.
I’ve been thinking and writing about self-protection for females for many years now. I would love for you to read “Beauty Bites Beast” which is not “how-to” book about personal safety but a “how-come” book which examines through many filters why women and girls have come to have at least two major, culturally perpetuated expectations that ultimately endanger them physically: one, that all men will behave and not attack them or kids; and two, if they are attacked, there’ll be a protective man around to fend off the attacking male.
In anti-violence initiatives, as much as we need them, since we need all sorts of solutions, the woman herself is almost always left out of the scenario. We absolutely need to address pre- and post-violence. However, hardly anyone talks about or lets a woman or girl in on skills that could possibly help her DURING an attack. This is against nature. Everyone has the right to defend themselves and not have to depend on an out-moded notion of chivalry.
With regard to the role of prisons and punishment, I think intelligent people can agree to disagree about punishment.
Part two of reply to Beth Klein:
When I was in law school, we discussed the different modes: rehabilitation vs. retribution. I think the U.S. prison system, on the state and Federal levels need serious revamping and that we’ve become a system of warehousing and wasting human lives. As guilty as I believe Polanski is, I don’t see the value or benefit of locking him up. Now, my mean and punitive side would love to see him punished. Indeed, I do have that aspect. I just would love to have something of value come out of this terrible, sordid crime.
See Jeff Norman's Profile
It's not a "fact" that there was a "drugging" of the girl. Polanski denies he offered the Quaalude or a portion of it to her.
Is there a reason that a fair-minded person should believe one version of the story over the other?
As a mama of a girl and a self defense instructor, I could not agree more: we must teach our daughters the essential skills of self protection. This is an unpopular, scary, confusing proposition for most parents. What does it mean to live with girls who can stand up for themselves? And how does it call upon us, as the adult woman they look up to, to stand up for our ownselves?
I appreciate your putting this perspective out into the world. I blog about similar topics at www.mindbo
Hear, hear! Thanks for commenting. I'm so glad you included your links too. As someone I admire, your perspective is so important about the physical, mental, spiritual weavings of boundary setting. We just didn't get that much when we were growing up. It's really up to us to stop the legacy of ignorance about our right to defend ourselves. I'm so glad you commented, Lynne Marie.
Self-defense certainly is a key element in rape prevention. Education, etc is another part. But a women capable of self-defense should be No. 1 priority.
I understand that you are trying to be creative but here's the problem: Where is the punishment in your sentence? The man drugged and raped a young girl. He deserves to be punished, as in prison. Making movies is what he does and what he enjoys doing. That's not punishment even if it is for free. What about the man currently sitting in San Quentin for the same crime who does not have the advantage of Polanski's "gift"? Is it equitable that he stays in prison while Polanski gets to make a documentary?
Good point about the punishment though I really like the idea of his providing funding for much needed and horrendouly underfunded work on defense. It makes no sense for those victimized to have to pay for this information and training. Perhaps part of the film should be Polanski analyzing his own behavior, taking complete responsiblity and addressing boys and young men.
Hi, thanks for writing. I'm very ambivalent about the whole topic of punishment. I have parts of me that really want to punish; other parts think of punishment as a waste.
There's civil law concept of cy pres. That allows judges to award judgment money to people who could benefit based on the bad behavior of the person who lost the law suit, if there isn't an apparent plaintiff. That's a terrible definition from a legal standpoint. But I'm trying to get some lemonade out of a batch of Roman Polanski lemons.
Dear Counselor,
Ah yes. I know. However, given you don't know me, you have no idea how punishing I could be to work with. Kidding. I understand. And you're right. He's not going to be treated like a regular person. In the meantime, wouldn't it be great if I could get this film done, using his infamy?
Ellen--Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my comment! I appreciate it. So often, you never hear back from the author. Meanwhile, since I agree that your proposed documentary would be a very valuable and important film for young girls and their parents all over the country, I thought of a good compromise: Make Polanski go to prison AND finance your documentary out of his own pocket as a form of monetary damages. He is a millionaire as you know. Of course he would get no credit, no recoupment, and no remuneration of any kind whatsoever. He would just pay the money into an escrow account. True, he would not be around to direct it but it is better for your career and the film if you direct it anyway.
I like the idea! As another long-time self-defense teacher, I TOTALLY hear the analogy between self-defense for girls and women and cod-liver sundaes. And maybe it will take the attention of our cultural icons for this societal plague to get the attention and resources it's due.
I know right? How do we sell something to people who are abhorred by the idea of it? That's been our challenge all along.
What is your history on this? Do you come to this topic from personal experience?
I was actually with you until you got tasteless. Not as tasteless as rape, mind you, but close enough for the bile to rise in my throat. Too bad; it was a good idea.
WTF???? Tasteless? I was with you until I noticed a hair out of place ~ too bad
I think using insensitive and insulting language in referring to the victim in this specific case is just a tad more than having a hair out of place. Additionally, it sure isn't the way to win the support of the perpetrator. Removing a certain paragraph from this "open letter" might go a long way toward being taken more seriously by a wider range of people who are clearly needed to bring the ingenuity of Ms. Snortland's idea into full practice. What I think may be irrelevant. But my reaction should be seen as an indication of a bump in the road towards the success of this project.
hear hear davidly!!
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