There have been a slew of articles and op-eds pointing out that the fact that Asia Argento being accused is actually a GOOD thing for the #metoo movement.
Basically, it doesn’t matter if a criminal is accused by someone who also turns out to be a criminal, as long as the crime is exposed. In fact, this is the way it usually happens.
Timex
3069
Crimes committed against criminals certainly are still crimes.
But it’s hypocritical to say, “hey, be gentle with her, wait until everything comes out.”
There’s a picture of her in bed with a minor. She’s a peodphile, like Roy Moore. There’s no reason to cut her any slack.
Banzai
3070
Agreed. Hypocrisy exists and sucks and has nothing to do with whether someone committed a crime and should face justice.
ShivaX
3071
There is a stigma in American society about an older woman with a younger man. Which is shitty, but it’s something you can’t ignore.
Maybe stigma is the wrong word, but basically it’s usually considered great for the young guy.
Yeah, the occasional female-teacher-has-sex-with-male-student story is generally treated dismissively or as a lucky break for the student. Compared to how male-teacher-female-student stories are treated as sexual assault.
It’s yet another showing by our good friend toxic masculinity.
Having read a few stories on this accusation, I don’t see that being the case here. Most are pointing out the parallels with Weinstein (she dangled promises of jobs, he kept in contact after the assault, he feared being black-listed, etc.), and almost every one of the articles takes pains to point out that the victim was younger than the age-of-consent.
ShivaX
3074
The facts when it’s an older woman an a younger man tend to be irrelevant.
Unless she’s like really ugly or something. I wish I was joking.
It’s interesting that one of the things Argento has claimed in her defense is that it’s not at all uncommon in Italy (where she is from) for 17 and 18 year old girls to be in sexual relationships with men in their 30’s, and that she herself was in such relationships when she was younger. While that cultural difference may indeed be true (and icky), it isn’t really relevant given that her actions occurred here in America with an American teenage actor.
The simple fact is, it’s irrelevant whether Argento initiated/coerced the contact or Bennet threw himself at her, she knew what she was doing was wrong, possibly illegal, and yet she did it anyway. It is entirely possible for Asia Argento to be both victim and perpetrator in regards to the #MeToo movement, and it shouldn’t lessen the power of the movement in any way.
ShivaX
3076
Age of consent in a lot of the country is 16 or 17. Asia probably wasn’t living in Montana or Texas at the time though, it was almost assuredly California which is 18.
I don’t think the age thing should be the focus here, and I think calling her a pedophile is a bit strong. The problem is she used her power to take advantage of someone sexually against their will, just like Weinstein did to her. The underage thing is PART of the problem, but would the situation really be that much more tolerable if the kid were a few months older?
My “first” was such a situation. I was 14, at a point in my development where I thought it was awesome yet awkward. Kinda messed up my perspective on relationships for a time. That’s also why I think this:
… is an entirely valid take. If that’s one of the formative aspects of your own sexuality, I’d imagine the odds are good you carry that forward and it can manifest in unexpected and maladaptive ways. Not that it excuses what happened one bit, but perhaps it can inform others if they ever have friends or family who go through a similar experience.
Nesrie
3079
It’s not just too strong, it’s a complete misuse of the word. It defies the entire definition to call someone who is attracted to and/or slept with a 17 year old a pedophile. Heck, I am not even sure Roy Moore fits that terminology because being attracted to fully developed teens does not make someone a pedophile. He dipped down to 14 which is probably still a developed body, going just a bit lower in age though… then he he starts to that territory.
Sure. I agree it’s not the correct use of the word, but it’s how the word gets thrown around these days. Obviously the further you get from legal definitions of consent, the ickier and more deviant you can identify that behavior. What Roy Moore did is significantly worse, whatever you want to call it.
Nesrie
3081
True. The main reason I draw the line here is the age of consent is a social construct. We decided as a society that there is an age that people can make more reasonable decisions than not and be held responsible to them. It’s not even consistent between the states and certainly not countries so it’s largely not an agreed upon thing at all.
For individuals to be attracted to prepubescent bodies, there maybe something exceedingly wrong with an individual who has that kind of attraction that goes well beyond societal agreed upon norms and into physical and mental issues, and one we just don’t seem to have a “fix” for. I really don’t think it’s appropriate to mix those terms, even if it’s a lot more habitual now.
I agree. Our age of consent laws are fucked up and a lot of decent people end up having their lives completely ruined over very arbitrary infractions that don’t harm anybody. It’s terrible to lump those people in with sick fucks who prey on actual children.
Scuzz
3083
Well, anytime someone uses their position to effect the lives of someone then I think you cross a line, maybe not pedophilia in this case but surely some legal line has been crossed. If this kid feared for his professional future then she abused him, whether he was 13 or 17.
I do have a problem when you get an age gap like this that involves basically a high school kid or younger. A college kid and a high schooler, no real problem. But if you are 35 and you are chasing a high schooler you have a problem.
Nesrie
3084
There’s a giant difference, a canyon between screwing a 13 year old and a 17 year old. I think you need to stare at the sentence long and hard when you write something like that. Huge. Now can the 17 year old be taken advantage of, absolutely. Many of the MeToo scenarios are about power and abuse and taking advantage which is why they can become so controversial but I cannot believe someone can say with a straight face there is no difference between having sex with physically mature teen and a prepubescent child…
Scuzz
3085
My point is at 13 it is obvious abuse, and while 17 sounds “okay” she abused him as well by threatening his future career.
The other thing not mentioned by anyone I have seen is the emotional (not just physical) well being of someone that young.
Society deems you have a problem because, understandably, we want to protect young and developing people from being preyed on by adults who may use their authority to manipulate those who are young and naive. Biologically, I’m not sure there is anything unusual about being sexually attracted to a fully developed young person. It’s the maturity difference that makes it less desirable in practice for a 35 year old to chase a high schooler, but maturity and age are not always correlated. Basically there’s a lot of gray area, and it doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person if you are an older person who is attracted to a 17 year old. There’s a huge difference physically and mentally between a 17 year old and a 14 year old.
That’s my point that the age thing is a part of the power discrepancy in this instance, but it really shouldn’t be the focal point of what’s wrong with what Argento did. There are many things that she used to manipulate this kid, and the age difference is not the crux of the problem.
