The Spoils Of Celebrity: Roman Polanski

Who would have thought so many people were fine with adults having sex with children?

That is the only conclusion I can make after seeing the outpouring of support for director Roman Polanski, who was arrested in Switzerland on September 26  on an outstanding warrant concerning a 1977 case involving drugs, alcohol, and sex with a 13 year old girl. Polanski was 44 at the time, and fled the United States in 1978 when he felt a plea agreement would be rejected, forcing him to serve a harsher sentence.

Polanski has never denied committing the crime, but maintained the sex was consensual. Grand jury testimony  from the victim, Samantha Geimer, paints a decidedly less romantic version of the events than what Polanski has claimed.

Despite the facts not being in dispute, people are offering all kinds of excuses for Polanski: He’s an old man who has suffered enough in his life (his parents were victims of the Holocaust, his girlfriend Sharon Tate was killed by Charles Manson, he’s been forced to work outside of the Hollywood system since 1978). He reached a settlement with Geimer, and she doesn’t want to relive the past. Geimer’s parents were irresponsible. There was judicial misconduct in the case. Dick Cheney and Osama bin Laden are still free, the government should be going after them instead!

All of these statements might be true, but they don’t change the fact that Polanski admitted to a crime and then refused to face the consequences. The prosecution may well decide to uphold the original plea agreement or give him a reduced or suspended sentence, but he should return and accept responsibility. That people are so willing to grant him a pass that surely would not be extended to the average person shows a particularly warped vision of celebrity worship.

As they say, if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime!