It’s the question of whether it is Hollywood that is essentially stigmatized by the disgrace of scandals, or the US system, as an entirety known for the claimed liberalism that tramples women’s rights.
Over decades of filmmaking, Hollywood cinema industry has been trying to promote itself as an unrivalled American utopia. But, with the exposure of its dark side through a multitude of sexual harassment and assault scandals, it’s not just the Hollywood or the Oscars (the Golden Globe Awards) that has lost face vis-à-vis the world’s ethically-principled people; rather, it’s a global hegemonic power and it’s most efficient tool used over decades to build up soft power, that is now being consistently defamed.
Last year, the public disclosure of the chilling sexual harassment and assault cases exposed the Hollywood’s B-side, as a symbol of virtually everything in the US related to material life. The revolt by a group of the harassed women culminated on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, when they showed up totally clad in black, in protest not only to the years of tyranny and repression by the rich and famous, but also to the system that supports such evil deeds, i.e. the governing system of the US. It was aimed at ending the decades-long sinful practices, and at bringing down the perpetrators and their supporters.
Everything started with accusations by several actresses against renowned Hollywood filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, who has a long record of co-producing with American director, writer, and actor, Quentin Tarantino.
To manage the crisis, Hollywood runners (backed by the American governance as an integral part of the hegemonic system) quickly laid Weinstein off; a move demanded by virtually everyone in the US cinema industry. Even Tarantino expressed sorrow over what we can now refer to as the Hollywoodgate, and said he was out of the picture. In another show of sympathy, Director Ridley Scottd changed his film’s lead actor, Kevin Spacey (Oscar winner for the movie ‘American Beauty’) and underwent huge expenditure, to reshoot midway, the scenes in which Spacey had acted in ‘All the Money in the World’.
Then it was time for a domino of allegations made against virtually each and every big cheese, not only in the cinema industry, but also in the US corporations across the country.
From an eagle-eye’s view, the abyss that has infected the US VIPs has a long history, with people such as Ed Westwick, House of Cards star Kevin Spacey, actor Ben Affleck and former President George H. W. Bush, on the top of the list. The roll even includes CEOs such as Steve Wynn, and artists such as David Copperfield, Michael Douglas, with several dozen other names down the list; however, you never know when the so-called global power is to seriously start doing something to stop the inhumane treatment of women working for the country’s top brass.
Hollywoodgate, which goes beyond the cinema industry and spreads to the system administered by a noticeable population of unprincipled individuals whose wicked conduct has vexed even the most famous women, could be interpreted as the USgate, one in which the entire US administration is embroiled as long as the corrupt behavior lingers over an oppressed nation; that’s why what happens to every female subordinate in the US, during or after work, matters to all of us.
Hollywoodgate is just the tip of the iceberg; USgate might be up next.
MF/MF