Anger Grows Over Reports of Sex Abuse by Producer Harvey Weinstein

Anger Grows Over Reports of Sex Abuse by Producer Harvey Weinstein

The organization that awards Oscars for best movies is deciding what to do with Harvey Weinstein. The movie producer has been accused of sexual abuse from many women, including well-known Hollywood actors.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences runs the Academy Awards, or Oscars. In a statement, it said the accusations¹ against Weinstein are “abhorrent³." It said the meeting this weekend will decide what action it will take.

The New York Times newspaper and The New Yorker magazine reported many accusations of sexual abuse against Weinstein. He produced Oscars-winning movies such as “Shakespeare in Love,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Good Will Hunting.”

Among those accusing Weinstein of sexual abuse were movie stars including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette.

Jolie told the New York Times that in the late 1990s, during the release of the movie, “Playing by Heart,” Weinstein made unwanted advances on her in a hotel room. Jolie said she rejected the advances.

“I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did,” Jolie told the Times.

The Times reported that Weinstein or his representatives had settled with eight women .

After the Times story, Weinstein was dismissed by the board of his production company, the Weinstein Company.

In the New Yorker, two actresses, Asia Argento and Lucia Evans, accused Weinstein of raping⁴ them. A third actress made the same accusation², but chose not to be identified.

A spokeswoman for Weinstein said he believes all his relationships with women were “consensual,” meaning they were carried out with permission.

The spokeswoman said Weinstein has begun getting professional help and “is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.”

Other powerful men also accused of sexual abuse

The accusations against Weinstein are far from the first against powerful men.

At Fox News, former chairman Roger Ailes and popular TV host Bill O’Reilly were forced to step down after reports of unwanted sexual advances by Fox employees.

Bill Cosby, a longtime television and movie star, has been charged with dozens of acts of sexual assault, dating back decades.

Former President Bill Clinton sexual relationship with a White House intern⁵ in the 1990s led to congressional moves to remove him from office, though they were unsuccessful.

The accusations against Weinstein brought him criticism from actors who worked on his movies, and even from politicians he had backed financially.

Here is what actor Ben Affleck said: “I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate⁶, sexually harass⁷ and manipulate many women over decades.” He said some of the recent charges of assault “made me sick.”

Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who received financial help from Weinstein for her campaigns, said she was “shocked” and angered by the reports.

And former President Barack Obama, who also benefited from Weinstein’s political support, said, “Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein.”

Why did it take so long?

Some wonder why it took so long for people to come forward with reports of sexual advances and attacks from years ago.

Caroline Heldman is a politics professor at Occidental College in California. She has worked with women who say they were victims of sexual attacks by Bill Cosby.

Heldman said, “It's difficult to report sexual harassment⁸ and sexual assault because oftentimes the victim will not be believed. We live in a culture that doesn't take these crimes seriously for the most part, and we tend to blame the victim.”

Some people who report sexual attacks do so “at great personal cost,” including loss of work, Heldman said.

Heldman believes all the news reports about Harvey Weinstein might encourage other victims of sexual violence to come forward. And she believes this worries other powerful people in the entertainment industry.

“Hollywood is full of Harvey Weinsteins,” she said.

Jeremy Zimmer heads the United Talent Agency, which represents performers and writers in movies, theater, television and video games. The trade magazine Variety reported that Zimmer recently sent a message to UTA employees sharply criticizing Weinstein and saying sexual harassment will not be accepted at UTA.

He urged victims of unwanted sexual actions to come forward, promising⁹ their reports will be taken seriously.

“Fear and silence is never the answer…you will be heard,” he wrote.

I’m Caty Weaver¹⁰.

And I'm Bruce Alpert.

Words in This Story

abhorrent - adj. deserving strong disapproval¹¹

advances - n. efforts to start a sexual relationship

assault - n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically¹²

decades - n. multiple periods of 10 years

intimidate - v. to make someone afraid

manipulate - v. to deal with or control someone, often in an unfair or selfish way

disgust - v. to cause (someone) to feel very annoyed and angry

harassment - n. aggressive pressure to do something unwanted

tend - v. used to describe what often happens or what someone often does or is likely to do

1 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

2 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

3 abhorrent   

adj.可恶的，可恨的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• He is so abhorrent,saying such bullshit to confuse people.他这样乱说，妖言惑众，真是太可恶了。
• The idea of killing animals for food is abhorrent to many people.许多人想到杀生取食就感到憎恶。

4 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

5 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

6 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

7 harass   

vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰

参考例句：

• Our mission is to harass the landing of the main Japaness expeditionary force.我们的任务是骚乱日本远征军主力的登陆。
• They received the order to harass the enemy's rear.他们接到骚扰敌人后方的命令。

8 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

9 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

10 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

11 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。