As a disabled person who uses a cane to walk, I am troubled by the image and caption the Times has chosen to run with this article. The photo looks down on Weinstein and presents his posture as undignified, even grotesque, next to the upright stance of the surrounding officers. The photograph, with its use of a fisheye lens and its failure to capture Weinstein’s face, strikes me as moralizing— as if Weinstein’s disability were some kind of cosmic retribution for his alleged wrongs. It’s like the Times wants readers to believe that the signs of depravity are visibly written on the disabled body.
This is made worse by the biased caption, which suggests that Weinstein may be “exaggerating” his degree of impairment. The Times should remember that Weinstein, despite seeming like a very unsavory character, is still innocent until proven guilty. The NYT seems all too keen to read into Weinstein’s disability, and to treat it as a sign of his moral turpitude. This conflation is an offense against disabled people.
20
Oh for God's sake, it looks like he stole his granny's $20 hospital walker.
It's too short, he's standing too far back and haunched over. Fraud!
I went from cane to cheap walker to a sturdy 4 wheeled rollator to help my gait and keep me from falling, this is totally play-acting and it's pathetic.
38
I can't be a juror.
I've done commercial filming and I know how aggressive people become to get a centre spot and to be picked for a major role. We were all amateur not professional and still this.
I told this to an orchestra member, a friend of mine.
She wasn't surprised.
I can't wait for Weinstein to produce Alan Feuer's movie script. Probably a story about a bunch of women who frame a Hollywood executive
3
When I saw the picture of him with the walker my first thought was about the old Mafia Don who would go out in a bathrobe and pretend to wander aimlessly until one of his henchmen would appear and take him home in order to appear incompetent. My second was about Tony Soprano's "Cousin Junior" and his charade.
I definitely think he is over playing his malady for sympathy.
Who doesn't think he could pull Goshn, sorry for my spelling, and sneak out of the country?
6
The Strollers have adjustable feet. He is most like stooping in an attempt to get sympathy.
18
I do not wish ill on the sinners. As I am a sinner too. Harvey knows he did wrong, we in the public knows he did wrong. He is a Trump like mindset, "I didn't do what they claimed I did, cause I am so special they didn't know how special I am, They didn't stick a knife in me telling me to back up, so they must have liked it and wanted it...." The ghost in the mirror telling the person they are the best that's ever been.
The whole issue is, that for a huge portion of time and history, we've been Male Ego centered. Especially in the West. We could be better as humans, yet we aren't really trying much. Harvey should have his day in court. I can't sit on the jury. I think he is guilty as charged.
Jail isn't a hard place to be, until you are there and find it a hard place to be.
As an author I have stories about being in Jail, all of them short stories and mostly in the sci-fi-horror section. Not an easy place to be.
8
Do these evil corrupt individuals deserve this analysis/paralysis attention on one of the best media publications. It’s doom and gloom over and over. I’d like to read a little about the recovery of the victims, the control processes put in place to deter the continued abusive behavior, or the efforts of the people who are working to achieve justice.
24
Poor guy - he's "hobbled and terrified." Imagine how his victims felt.
31
"Sex addiction" is not an excuse for sexual assault.
It is possible to find willing partners.
23
Maybe when he listens to the women talk in court, hour after hour, he will finally get it. I hope so. I'm sure he has never REALLY listened to them before.
18
I doubt it, but maybe when he's being physically abused in jail, he just might finally get it.
27
How is it that he was allowed out so that he could even be in a position to get into that accident with a deer?
22
@Leonard Cohen He's out on millions of dollars' worth of bail.
4
Committing acts of sexual violence against women. Seeing himself as the victim when he is in fact the perpetrator. Alienating (or firing) those around him. Concerned only with his image. Lashing out at those in authority who dare to call him out.
I am now convinced that Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump were separated at birth!
57
As a professional actor, I recognize the shtick. I see it all the time on the freeway off-ramp; the exaggerated anguish and pain of the panhandler, trying to look tragic and pitiful. See, most folks who are suffering soldier on, they work to conceal the pain. In acting, we call that "playing the opposite." What you're doing is called "indicating", and it's a rookie mistake. Pass me the walker, Harv, and I'll show you.
46
@JD I took acting classes for years. Fine description of the difference between good acting and bad, i.e., "indicating". Well done.
6
He became a new father at the ripe age of 61? How utterly ridiculous. And so selfish, as it sets up the resulting child for having no father, at a relatively young age in life.
24
Having watched Mr Weinstein and his walker moving over the sidewalk I have two pieces of advice for him, either get an acting coach or a physiotherapist.
Speaking as someone who had to use a walker after back surgery and more recently, knee surgery, I can definitively state that no physiotherapist would ever allow their patient to use a walker in that way
66
Included in Harvey’s entourage is “a man responsible for making sure he always wears his electronic ankle monitor.”
The chokehold of poverty tightens on this one percenter. The horror.
47
Of interest is a recent study on wealth and how the rich, for the most part, believe they are superior in pretty well every way to Joe Lunchbucket Ithat's us). So, I can see Weinstein's state of denial stemming from his premium DNA. I guess it was a gift of Nature.
16
He pays someone to remind him to wear his ankle monitor? What's the going rate for that and, if he needs someone to remind him to, uh, brush his teeth, where do I apply?
19
@BugginOut
Sorry but I already was hired for that gig. But I hear Harvey has an opening for someone to lay out his clothes each morning. You might want to apply!
6
We don't have to go to the movies anymore.
8
Typical predator behavior. Try to shine a light on anything but his despicable behavior. I can understand the NYT wanting to give him "a voice," but it still sickens me that there's precious media real estate devoted to his "poor me" act. I believe he's in ill health, but please. Lots of people are. He doesn't need to pull that card for sympathy--it's simply all he has left. If he is truly grappling and self-reflecting as he claims to be, that endeavor may be more effective without all the press. Introspection is impossible when there's a preoccupation with spin and public perception. Since he can't seem to answer for his criminal behavior, what about the excessive bullying/abuse of power via lawyers, which has been well documented. Can you at least be called to account for that, Harvey?
15
if he wasn't caught would he still be attacking people.
32
@Pheasantfriend Well, he doesn't think he is guilty.
2
At first, I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. But as I read on -- boy, this guy has learned ab-so-lute-ly nothing about himself.
His therapist seems to be failing to address his extreme narcissism. Or maybe that particular cognitive disorder is irremediable.
21
"He is preoccupied with the coverage about him in the media, as well as with his image as a villain," they said.
He is a flat out rapist, who used goons to intimidate the people he abused. I understand that the writer felt he had to represent both sides, but the issue makes me physically sick, and he deserves no pity. I'm fuming.
32
Now as he shuffles along with a bloated body and a bankrupted sense of morality and responsibility he reeks of decay. His life’s work poisoned by his prurient appetites and his massive lack of compassion and understanding. He has reaped what he has sown and deserves no sympathy.
38
Harvey -- if you're reading this -- welcome to consequences for your actions.
Who knew that Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby would end up in the same boat, tied up at the Matt Lauer Marina on Charlie Rose Island? We see you, too, Les Moonves!
50
My religion teaches me to forgive. But since I think Weinstein is playing us, admitting NOTHING, I cannot bring myself to do that.
12
The walker's a nice touch. The tennis balls just add some flavor.
21
Weinstein is a perverse spectacle of the effects of wealth and power. His abiding sense of entitlement protects him from any revelation of the consequences of his behavior and his culpability. He is the embodiment of the pursuit of money and power to the exclusion of everything else.
Before the revelations of his inappropriate sexual behavior, he was admired and respected for the simple reason that he had so much wealth and power. Trump admires powerful despots and dictators for the same reason. He only respects power because it is the only thing that counts for the ultra wealthy.
17
Guilty or innocent, that walker is only good for living room to bedroom, on carpet. Outdoors, he needs a Nitro.
5
NYT throws Mr. Weinstein a poor Mr. Weinstein article.
I noticed none of the witnesses are pitied just poor Harvey the sick, fearing predator. Do we really need to "both sides" the abuser who is poor Harvey Weinstein...
16
Spare me the pathos of Mr. Weinstein. You can get erect walkers that are better for your back.
15
This borders on a formal apologia. It is not a human-interest story of a fallen, powerful icon. It is a strongly sympathetic piece, written and designed to evoke sympathy or pity. The elegant picture of an older, balding, overweight man with obvious wrinkles and pain and a walker with tennis balls tugs at visions of our parents as they age and decline. Words and phrases like, "utterly isolated," "all but banished," "a leper," "befuddled," "struggling," and then ending with a friend talking about a comeback? The text reads as a writer trying to portray balance to cover up his real feelings of empathy and compassion for this poor man.
This is the kind of writing I would expect from a skilled PR company with a long-game strategy aimed at public remorse and rehabilitation.
It's not what I expect from the New York Times.
42
What's with the walker? Is Weinstein trying to gain sympathy? As far as I'm concerned it's not working. Weinstein is a predator and belongs in prison.
19
That walker is a prop and it's insulting that Harvey and his team think people will fall for it. I wonder if his attorney suggested adding the pathetic tennis balls to the legs of the walker. To Harvey and team: there is a highly recommended, lovely, modern walker with a seat and storage sold on Amazon for $50.00.
22
Love the tennis balls. Nice "everyman" touch.
17
His personality is alarmingly similar to that of the president of the United States. Our only hope in both trials is the fair and impartial justice department. However, we have reason to be afraid.
12
Thank you, Ronan Farrow. Thank you to all journalists that speak truth to power. In times we are living in I only wish there was a category of news that was required reading of all citizenry. The misinformation we see politically, so voluminous, so overwhelming, makes it difficult to feel optimistic.
While I despair with each new story, it gladdens me that we have people willing to devote their professional lives to truth telling.
41
"One person who worked closely with him said that he genuinely believes the encounters 'were transactional.'” Considering the power disparity between an aspiring actress striving to break into the movie industry and that of a movie mogul, this admission points to Weinstein's guilt, rather than absolves him.
22
@krw No doubt he's a horrible person.
This is a rape trial though. If actresses slept with him to get parts in movies I'm not sure that qualifies as rape. Abuse of power certainly - I'm not a lawyer & don't know what crime that translates into.
7
@Paul, I don't think the women accusing him off rape slept with him to get parts, whatever other women might have done.
3
All the punishment in the world will not reform a man, unless he knows that he who inflicts it upon him does it for the sake of reformation, and really and truly loves him, and has his good at heart. Punishment inflicted for gratifying the appetite makes man afraid but debases him.
Robert Green Ingersoll
3
Last I checked, transactional sex includes prostitution. Whether Weinstein paid cash, or offered career assistance, it's still a fair question, except for the fact that the women did not offer themselves up for his pleasure.
That makes it sexual assault, and the price for Weinstein if convicted, as I suspect he will be, should be far greater than whatever an hour with a hooker would have cost him.
Prisons are filled with lots of guilty people who proclaim their innocence, just like Weinstein has, and while some of them truly are innocent due to bias and errors in the legal system, most of them aren't.
Anyone want to take bets on which category Weinstein falls into?
19
Whether or not he's foxing with the cheap walking frame he does look broken and pathetic, but he did it to himself and if found guilty deserves what he gets. He lived in a bubble of unreality and never thought he would be called on it. Ultimately it just gets too much for the authorities to ignore. Similarly Trump and family impedimenta will likely have their turn to be scrutinized by SDNY in due course if it's not already in the pipeline.
20
"Mr. Weinstein wrote, “I have always been self-sufficient.”
I knew that the minute it was stated he had a man on the payroll to make sure he wears his electronic ankle monitor.
Doesn't every self-sufficient criminal ?
15
I'm sure he is shocked and frightened by his fall from grace. Anyone in his position would be. Given what a reprehensible man he was all throughout his life and how many women he victimized, it is hard to feel compassion for him. My compassion is reserved for the women who he traumatized. Whatever suffering comes to him he has brought it on himself.
40
@Green Sangha I am really glad that he has lost a huge bulk of his money. He should, of course, lose it all and make restitution to the women. I wish more of Trump's henchmen would have lost more of their money.
5
One night last year I was having dinner with my family at Cipriani in SoHo and who should walk in and be greeted like he owned the joint but Harvey Weinstein. He was greeted warmly and ushered to a private room. Our dinner was ruined by his very presence. I hope he is suffering as suggested in the article but I have a feeling the frailty is an act.
39
The pain and suffering he inflicted on his victims can't be ignored. His legacy as a film maker should continue to be part of the archives of great films that live on and continue to be readily available.
Punish the man who violated the law. Seek punitive financial restitution for the victims. Many of his films are brilliant and deserve to be readily available to the general public. I hope the commercial interests that control his films will still make them readily available to the general public. I hope we can separate the criminal predator from the art.
13
@HL His films? He didn't make films, he financed them. Given the awful, awful human he has turned out to be, we may legitimately wonder whether his influence improved or harmed those works. He wasn't the "art" end of those films' making; he was at the sausage end.
17
@Matthew
Films aren't made by magic. The independent films his company financed are among some of the great works of American cinema.
The works stand on their own. You can wonder all you want. The fact is most of the independent films his companies made would not have been made and you're likely correct if someone else made them they would have been different.
Your wonder takes nothing away from them and it's exactly why I fear that commercial owners of these archives will be pressured to keep them out of circulation.
Harvey Weinstein is not above the law. The public shaming is warranted. The art stands on its own.
5
The same for Roman Polanski. Chinatown is a masterpiece that towers above the genre. His first Polish film Knife in the Water is oft-overlooked genius. And HE certainly did make his films. Throughout history artists have been tortured souls whose creations have stood the test of time. Examples, Henry Miller, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Poe.
5
Isolated and terrified? Now he knows how all the women he assaulted feel...
121
Hmmm. He and trump should share a cell - similar ethics.
He had money and money bought women and friends. Because he’s gross and disgusting and no self respecting woman would let him come close.
61
It seems he believes he has “suffered enough”. That seems to be a common trope with the rich and powerful, that being shamed and losing a high status for committing crimes equates to having “suffered enough”.
I don’t want him to suffer any more or less than anyone found guilty of similar crimes. There are a lot of minority men sentenced to life in prison who’ve clearly done far less harm.
61
Who knew he was also a great Actor ??? Not buying it, Sir. “ Do the Crime, Do the Time “.
Period.
19
The only possible justice for Harvey aside from to going to prison would be assigned a woman's prison to spend his last days. That would be poetic justice.
13
He thinks HE'S the victim???? Ah, the powers of cognitive dissonance.....Let the truth prevail.
51
The walker and other "oh, poor me" games are so typical of defendants who know they are nailed. It is all an act designed to evoke sympathy. How could he rape or assault when he is soooo very helpless? Such an act. So much balderdash.
60
From the life of power and riches to becoming a decrepit ailing old man. His karma has begun!
20
The wheels of justice grind slowly, but exceedingly fine. Like Bill Cosby, he will spend his final days in prison and without friends. 
34
@Rob Keller: Justice being a set of wheels that grind slowly is an unsatisfying metaphor for me. The deep and lasting harm Harvey Weinstein perpetrated must now be matched by a suitable punishment? We're lost!
2
He got away with his perverted predatory behavior for far too long. His so-called "dark days" are far better than he deserves and hopefully things will get a whole lot more unpleasant for him.
20
Seeing Weinstein crippled over, hobbling along with his walker, does not elicit pity, but a deep-seated disgust. I almost feel sick to my stomach, thinking about how much power that man had and how he used it for his own personal pleasure. He can't be jailed soon enough.
His total lack of remorse or understanding reminds me that there's another powerful man in this country who should follow Weinstein down -- and for much the same reason.
100
Two weeks ago there was a photo of Mr.Weinstein walking unassisted into a store near his country home. He is just a bad guy!
29
Are we allowed to watch the films he produced?
4
@Mark Man, I'd hate to let those movies go. There were a lot of great films created by a lot of talented people... but I got to say, I feel kind of creepy when the Miramax comes up at the beginning of a film. I started "An Unfinished Life" the other day and when the logo came up, I thought "Huh, I didn't know this was a Miramax movie." and then I turned it off.
I'm still actively not listen to Michael Jackson, that seems right, the music is a lot more a Michael Jackson product than "An Unfinished Life" is a Weinstein product. I think I'll be watching "Pulp Fiction" a lot sooner than I'll be listening to "Thriller", but I wonder how long it's going to take and what that is going to feel like.
3
@Mar
Why wouldn’t you? Or are you of the school to banish works by Picasso, Lord Byron and others who behaved badly?The product and the person are not necessarily the same thing.
6
@Mark
Uh, yeah. You are. What's not allowed is the systematic harassment and abuse and rape that Weinstein is being tried for.
I love Roman Polanski's films, but I have never given him a dime of box office; I rented his films from the library. Polanski was a brilliant director; he is also an unrepentant perv who sexually molested a 13-year old girl, then left the country to avoid prosecution. Hopefully, Weinstein will held accountable for what he has been accused of.
5
I am curious how this would have played out had he immediately taken flight to a country like France. Would it take the academy 40 years to expel him?
15
"One person who worked closely with him said that he genuinely believes the encounters “were transactional.”"
Well, I get that since he is a pretty sexy fella', doncha' think?
25
If he were a person of color, he´d already be in jail while awaiting trial. His white privilege yet protects him and allows for deferential treatment. Likely he´s a broken man by this point, but he has wasted the period of relative freedom that he´s enjoyed. He has done nothing to make amends while he´s had the opportunity to do so.
27
@R looking at the me too movement as a whole, that it was necessary and why, and that was let things get so bad before we finally had such a movement, it's tough for me to conclude that his whiteness in particular has shielded him from punishment.
1
@R
Was Bill Cosby kept in jail prior to his trial? When did he become white?
2
@Somebody It's all about MONEY.
1
I’m absolutely positive Mr. Weinstein is not experiencing anywhere near the trauma, feelings of isolation, PTSD, loss of income, ongoing therapy bills ( many that they cannot afford ), nightmares, fear, stress and anxiety, and normal life ( riding in an Uber, meeting in an office with the door closed, walking down a quiet street etc.) that so many real victims of sexual assault and rape feel EVERY day of their lives.
Sorry, most of us just can’t dig up much sympathy for this man who had everything and lost it as a result of his need to exert power over young women. He is a prime example of the kind of man we all fear...yes, fear. Luckily, for his victims they get their day in court.
The rest of us haven’t been so lucky as police departments, district attorneys and others haven’t taken us seriously, haven’t processed our rape kits, haven’t bothered to collect evidence or witnesses, or haven’t wanted to wreck the lives of the perpetrators.
So, let the evidence lead where it may. But Harvey Weinstein is anything but a “ victim.” Whatever he is, it is of his own making, his own actions, and his inflated ego.
His acting the victim is just that...an act.
88
Perhaps Harvey who does not not understand the “ widespread disbelief “ regarding this health will have a modicum of compassion for his victims whom he’s spending millions of dollars to prove not-credible people.
He, after all, has been painting each of them as liars since the beginning.
How does it feel, Harvey, when the tables are turned?
18
I've no doubt he's a terrible person. However:
One person who worked closely with him said that he genuinely believes the encounters “were transactional.”
This is the question really.
5
@Paul Want transactional sex? Hire a prostitute. You don't get to demand or expect sex or hushed up rape as a condition for employing someone. That is illeagal and immoral.
13
Paul,
I suggest it is not “the question actually” whether Weinstein believed these encounters “were transactional”. Rather, it is my suggestion that he believing they were is the perfect illustration of the problem and danger that he is.
10
Men like this, unfortunately, exist everywhere. Even those who gain small amounts of power can use it to abuse others and build themselves a false kingdom to their own glory. I have dealt with many such men in own small community. It gives me great comfort to know that they can and will have a swift fall.
20
@Ellen Too bad some of the worst offenders out there nowadays will most likely never have the kind of downfall Weinstein is experiencing.
3
I guess predators bring out the worst in me. I’m really glad he’s frightened.
23
Weird that no one showed him how to use a walker. Perhaps he doesn't need it very often. or at all...
30
In light of the punishment (rightly) given to Bill Cosby it will be interesting to see what will be meted out to Mr. Weinstein.
15
My recollection is that, long pre-dating his current legal situation, Mr. Weinstein enjoyed a well-earned reputation for being a thoroughly unpleasant individual, rude, bellicose to the point of the physical, egotistical in the extreme, and brutally domineering. That he appears to have no friends at this juncture isn't surprising. That he likely did what he is accused of doing would be perfectly consistent with the reputation of a man besotted with his own power. Karma can be a hard thing.
57
So, Weinstein feels "isolated and terrified". Good.
While I have no expectation of justice from our legal system, i am glad that he is at last experiencing some of the trauma and horror his actions caused his victims.
it is far past time for rapists and those who protect them escape the consequences of their crimes. The emotional damage of sexual assault (if survived physically) last the survivor's lifetime.
Weinstein's terror, his isolation - call it karma if you will. I call it justice. it may well be the only justice he gets.
30
Elise,
I freely admit to transferring my own experience of rape onto Weinstein, my feeling not just of schadenfreude, but pleasure in knowing he is afraid and isolated. I actually relish that he feels scared & alone. I hope he’s feeling it all: the terror, the hyper-vigilance, panic attacks and nightmares. I hope he feels the sense of panic when a group approach him on a street, or the desperation to get away when someone is too close. The panic. The overwhelming dread of leaving the house. The terror of crowds when there are too many people to keep an eye on. The helplessness. The unrelenting, all consuming fear. I hope he feels trapped and I hope he literally gets trapped in a cell forever.
Does this make me a bad person? I feel ashamed I have such thoughts. But by god, do I feel this relish strongly
18
@elise I also fear he won't be convicted. Too many he said/she said sexual assault cases are dismissed or the perp found NG. If HW is not convicted, given his attitude, he'll feel vindicated. I can only hope at least he'll continue to be ostracized and a pariah in the film business.
2
Compare Harvey Weinstein to another great filmmaker of his generation - Steven Spielberg. Both came from similar middle class Jewish families. Both are incredibly accomplished in their craft and industry captains in owning successful studios and creating beautiful and impactful movies, launching numerous movie stars and sprouting thousands of successful careers.
But one man chose to be a kind, decent and honorable man. The other, let dark vices and power corrupt his soul. One uplifted his colleagues and actors. The other, preyed on their vulnerability and shame with his evil.
This is not a hard choice in life. You choose to be who you are. Harvey choose a dark and cruel path, while Steven choose a kind and loving one.
55
I figure that Mr. Weinstein probably did what he is accused of. But what if these interactions were mutual exploitation? Our anti-male "conviction by accusation" culture truly is dangerous - it smacks of McCarthyism and is a stock-in trade method for tyrants of many stripes.
7
@MHW explain "mutual". Most of his accusers said he offered a meeting for a job, they showed up and he tried to or did assault them.
In addition, say, a women offers to have sex with Harvey, on the off chance he gives her a part versus the compelling supported narrative that he commanded ownership of precious few parts for unknown actors and demanded sexual favors or assault silence for employing women. That's not legal. If you want transactional sex, legalize prostitution, but women shouldn't have to submit to rape for employment in a legitimate business.
10
@MHW
Oh please. Seen any actual conviction rates for rape and sexual assault lately?
He's doing 12 step for sex addiction....isn't that evidence enough of his past misdeeds?
9
It would be uncontroversial to say that having physical impairments or disabilities are known to work in a defendant's favor. Whether real or exaggerated, the walker will doubtless impress the jury.
7
"He doesn’t blame himself for anything.”
Like most of the rich and powerful, he doesn't take responsibility for his own actions. We are so overdue for a change.
97
The walker is a prop for sure. The way he is walking is not what one does after back surgery. A few trips for physical therapy and he would lose the walker... and the sympathy that he seeks from it.
72
It's important to remember: Meryl Streep had no idea. No idea!
14
@Harry Mylar
Why is this important to remember? Are you saying she’s complicit? Or you have a war of the sexes take on this and are dragging Meryl into the mix as the female bad person? I don’t understand your comment
3
@Harry Mylar Meryl has said [and is not the only one] she knew he could be a bully and unpleasant, but that he didn't sexually harass her, which is why she had no idea. Why didn't Harvey put moves on her and some other actresses? Mostly, it seems he made his moves on lesser talents and weaker victims. Perhaps he didn't want to risk losing the professional association with such a talented actress. He was an exploiting pig, but not a fool, after all.
8
I'm always a bit disturbed by these types of articles who present as victim powerful (mostly) men brought down because they had an inacceptable behavior. Like if he is going to therapy everyday, the women he sexually assaulted should be happy !! Not sure the come back quote at the end is not a threat...
47
As I was reading this article, I realized that the names Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein could be interchanged in each instance.
Both men are despicable individuals.
260
@Joan And I not-so-secretly fantasize that Trump someday should be in the same pitiful condition, lonely and bewildered.
37
Spot on. I think it’s the narcissistic personality disorder thing. Never accepting blame, believing you should have special rights not given to others, thinking you know better than the experts (or anyone else), being an awful and difficult client for his lawyers, believing everyone else is out to get him when he’s done nothing wrong in his mind, an absolute inability to feel empathy, inability to consider the pain he’s caused, the obsession with his public image, the belief he’ll be able to get away with all this too, the delusions of being some kind of sex god, the ego of using his phone repeatedly in a court whilst the judge is present, believing himself the alpha in every scenario, the transactional approach to all relationships, the throwing under the bus of anyone no longer useful, whilst the gradual dislocation and abandonment within his circle by anyone with a conscience and of course, the wallowing, whining and believing yourself the victim. Every one of those qualities are present in Weinstein in this article. Every one of those qualities are demonstrated regularly by Trump.
56
@Joan
Could it be that this is because they are both prime examples of narcissistic personality disorder?
26
I assume his defense will be that he is a broken man and can no longer physically be a treat to women. Lock him up. The act fools no one and even if his physical issues are true, it still does not excuse his acts.
77
I’m not sure that he ever was a ‘physically treat’ to women.....
3
Aye, Mr. Weinstein, in addition to Dark Days "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."
20
Harvey knows acting, and how to use props.
162
@debating union
He knows how to do this - but overlooks that this sad ploy backfires. There is pity and there is pity. And the pity these pictures elicit are not going to save him. The arch of history...
5
Harvey, better start packing for prison! I hope after you're convicted that you can finally apologize to your victims and admit that preying on young women in an inferior power position is wrong (and criminal). You are delusional for continuing to think your serial deviance was "consensual". Do you have no one in your life to tell you the obvious?
90
@Nathan The sex was "transactional". This suggests that the potential and actual actors were paying for a art with sex. This is illegal.
He bullied me when I made a small, self-financed, independent film 20 years ago, trying to keep if from screening and from gaining distribution, because I wasn't afraid of him. Distributors, agents and producers were terrified of him, and distanced themselves from me for standing up to him. I wonder how many stories there are like mine - not involving violence, just business - and I wonder if I'll ever find out what he did behind the scenes to trip me up.
291
FMcT,
The behaviour he exhibited to you is from the same place it came from with the women he assaulted. A lot of men seemed really surprised when #MeToo was at its height with testimonials, as though they were truly shocked the men they thought would ever do such a thing.
I think it comes from a misunderstanding about sexual harassment, assault and rape. That is because, at its heart, this behaviour is always about power. Who wields it and who gets off on it.
Make friends wondered aloud how they could possibly know who these men are and were wondering if they should have known from something they saw themselves, but be cue for the vast majority of men, sex is about sex, they failed to see.
But I guarantee when you think about the men you know in work who enjoy belittling others, humiliate those with less power, have a kiss up kick down mentality, have a temper, bounce about the office instead of walking, bully and use others, have a superficial charm that can make you feel very special- perhaps even make you think they feel like you are one of the most important people in a room when they talk to you, claim the bad stuff happened because of someone else and take the credit for the good work of the whole team - those same men will be the men that your female colleagues try not to be alone in the office with. When you actually see the power play for what it is - you’ll also be able to see the type of man that sexually harasses the women in the workplace too.
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@FMcT
You are right. There are many of you, many of us. Filmmakers and careers were ruined and civilized companies had a hard time to survive because of this ogre, playing by his own rules.
13
Thankfully, we have the jury system. Our peers, our neighbors will have the opportunity to render fair justice to this man, and as important, to his accusers. With power comes responsibility, and if power has caused harm or corruption, victims must have their day in court to seek redress.
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As a man raised in a household with six sisters, two brothers, a mom and a dad, I cannot even understand how on earth these men like Mr. Weinstein develop into such horrible representatives of my sex. My mother was a strong woman who taught me to value all people and she demanded and earned respect, and my dad, born in the 1930s, taught his sons to respect women and his daughters to be courageous, strong, and independent. My sisters are each a person that I like to think if they had encountered a man like Mr. Weinstein who tried this absolute nonsense with them, he would have been hobbled far earlier in his life by a few swift kicks to his behind by one of my sisters. But, the position men have created for women in this society makes it very hard for women to do this, and men bear the shame of this being allowed to go on for as long as it has. My parents were not perfect by any means, but I consider myself so fortunate to have learned respect from them. I wish all people had been similarly raised and I hope for a day soon when women can be treated with respect and evaluated for their brains, talent, and effort, just like many men enjoy. we men have to make that happen, with the help/leadership of women.
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@Thomas I respect your views and upbringing. We must also be mindful that not everyone who has intercourse is a good candidate for parenthood, and legislate accordingly.
7
Thomas,
Genuine question here:
As gay woman, I find myself cringing when it’s a homosexual who has committed some terrible sexual crime. I know my partner does this too. As though it somehow reflects upon us all & validates old injustices of comparisons to being a pervert.
When Mrs Obama left the WH, she said she cried as they flew away. “That was so hard” she’d said. With the burden lifted, she was weeping from the relief of that effort. Because they had both been acutely aware that as the administration of the first black president, the bar they had to clear in both their personal & professional lives was so very much higher. They felt they couldn’t slip because it would reflect upon the black community as a whole.
Muslim friends seem to take terrorist atrocities with a heavier heart than non Muslims. Black friends were relieved when it turned out to be the Duchess of Sussex’s white family that turned out to be the, shall we say “uncouth”, side of the family.
Usually, the greatest privilege of the white man is that his crimes are his. The actions of one man. Even his family can wash their hands of him, though it may take time. Your comment heavily implies that, as a man, you almost feel some of the blame for these men’s behaviour. Have I misinterpreted? Is this something you feel often about the sexual crimes of men? Or is this an unusual occurrence? Do other men feel similarly, even though we know intellectually, it is no reflection upon our communities?
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@Thomas
Assault and power are more nuanced. While I think you believe your strong sisters would never have succumbed to the likes of men like Harvey Weinstein I suggest you ask them. Then really listen when they tell you what it’s like to be a woman in this world. Then you will truly understand the dynamics of what is going on here. Not just a matter of being a strong woman.
10
Thinks he's the victim? Like Donald Trump thinks he's always the victim?
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Both men have absolute power in their worlds.
Hopefully it's "had power" for both.
198
When I see Harvey hobbling with his walker I wonder if he’s angling for yet another Oscar.
120
If he really needed a walker he wouldn’t be using the cheapest one made. That’s the model seniors living on social security only use. Pretty sure Harvey baby could afford a better one.
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@Norman
Physical therapists around the world are cringing watching Weinstein use his walker. This is not the correct way to use a walker. It’s a prop.
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@Merlin Balke
That occurred to me also. Really Harvey, get a better walker. His many cell phones probably cost more than that walker
6
Memo
To: Harvey Weinstein
From: Bruce Weinstein (no relation)
Re: Ethics
Actions have consequences. Even the things you've admitted to doing violate the basic principles of ethics.
Your beloved parents, Miriam and Max, for whom you named the film company you and your brother founded, surely taught you these principles, just as mine did. You learned them in Hebrew school, just as I did. Your great movies were steeped in them.
What happened?
The last line of this article states, "He thinks he's going to get through this and make a comeback." Maybe. But if a comeback is to be, it must begin with accepting the consequences of your actions, which will almost certainly mean going to prison.
Perhaps for the remainder of your life you can speak to your fellow prisoners and help them avoid making the mistakes you did when they're released.
Be a force for good, Harvey. Do what you can to turn your abominable actions into something positive for the world. That's the only comeback worth pursuing.
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@Bruce Weinstein There will be no comeback for Harvey Weinstein nor for Bruce Weinstein. Too bad so sad.
6
@Bruce Weinstein
I don’t think his place is to speak to other prisoners. That just gives him a captive audience to feed his ego. Let him slink away and be forgotten in his little cell where he can truly be self sufficient. Now that would be justice.
6
@Bruce Weinstein
A comeback? This guy is not making a comeback. This much is clear.
4
People in power should look at Weinstein's fall from power and privilege and do some hard thinking about themselves and their actions.
135
@sjs that's the problem with people like Weinstein (and Trump etc)....they are incapable of doing the hard self-reflection needed to become normal. The narcissism is innate.
19