Hollywood Should Never Lecture America Again

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Daily Caller

The horrific allegations of sexual harassment and assault leveled against Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein have become one of the biggest and most shocking stories of the year.

Weinstein was one of the most powerful and influential film producers in the business. He was a big-time donor to the Democratic Party and liberal causes. He hobnobbed with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and other movers and shakers.

His downfall is one of the biggest humiliations for the entertainment industry. It makes sense that pretty much every celebrity  and politician is now trying to scurry away from the scandal as fast as they can, all claiming they had no idea Harvey was such a creep.

But by all accounts, it appears Weinstein’s predatory nature was well-known in Hollywood. They even made light of it in the public eye.

Critically-acclaimed TV show 30 Rock included a joke about one of the characters denying to have sex with the film producer. Gwyneth Paltrow, one of the many female actresses now accusing Weinstein of harassment, laughedabout being “coerced” by the Hollywood titan with David Letterman all the way back in 1998.

And, in the most damning moment, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane cracked at the 2013 Academy Award nominations while revealing the nominations for best supporting actress, “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.” (RELATED: Oscars Host Jokes About Actresses Faking Attraction To Harvey Weinstein)

The room full of Hollywood elites roared with laughter.

It’s pretty hard to imagine that few of these entertainment figures knew about Weinstein’s atrocious behavior, especially with the dozens of women coming forward to share their horror stories about the producer.

Yet, it only became a problem when it reached the pages of The New York Times last week. In the past, Weinstein could expect newspaper editors, stars like Matt Damon and other powerful folks to go to bat for him to protect his reputation.

Now that protection is all gone and Hollywood has disowned him.

In spite of the industry rushing to repudiate Weinstein, the moral stain of allowing him to prey on young women for years can’t be wiped away with one press statement calling the movie mogul repulsive.

Hollywood enabled Weinstein, celebrated him and laughed about his harassment for years. It’s likely that his predatory behavior is normal for the business, as Corey Feldman and Elijah Wood have alleged.

This likelihood undermines entertainment elites’ greatest aspiration: lecturing the rest of the country on moral and political issues.

Recent awards shows have replaced the jokes about Weinstein’s harassment with screeds about the evils of President Trump. Nearly every speech includes a dig at Trump and the Americans who voted for him, with Hollywood stars taking the mantle of moral righteousness against amoral policies.

Many of these stars now spending their time trying to claim they knew nothing about the producer’s abuse, like Ben Affleck, have used their public statements to condemn Trump and conservative proposals. They always argue from the position that celebrities somehow know right and wrong better than the average American.

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Save your lectures, Hollywood...