Hollywood actress Rose McGowan has publicly accused Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne of “grooming” and of raping her when she was just 15. Given her call-outs of left-wing figureheads, how will liberals respond to this?
It's not easy to say what to do with a public rape accusation. Unless there's an actual court case with evidence presented, at the very start it feels like a “he-said, she-said” scenario. As time goes on, often more evidence or testimonial is provided that allows folks to come up with their own ideas of what actually went on. This, of course, is assuming that the statute of limitations has run out. If it has not, then it may end up in court like the Harvey Weinstein situation.
Now, Rose McGowan is certainly no stranger to these sorts of scenarios. She was one of the first actresses to be open about the terrible things that Weinstein has now been put in jail over, saying in 2017 that the movie mogul had sexually assaulted her in the late 1990s.
The outspoken figurehead of the #MeToo movement has now accused Alexander Payne, the director of the 2004 film Sideways, of grooming and raping her back in the late 1980s, when she was 15 and he was about 27. Her Twitter condemnations this week were searing and explicit.
It goes without saying that these are serious accusations, but there is an issue. They come decades after the fact. It’s very much possible that McGowan, now 46, is telling the truth, but the time gap will inevitably sow doubt in some people’s minds. We have also yet to hear from Payne, who is now 59 and married to his second wife.
The one thing that I have found to be most interesting about McGowan is that she is a true believer. Despite the fact that she is a Democrat, she has been more than willing to call out associations within her own party to Weinstein. She also brings up breaches in ethics on the political left as well when it comes to sex.
As I discussed back in April, she broke with party lines on just such ideas. Last night, she called out Bill Clinton and Kamala Harris in an instant. McGowan prioritizes #MeToo and sexual accountability above political parties. Though I don't agree with everything she says, there has to be at least some admiration for her being willing to put ethics above partisanship. It shows she at least has more character than, say, Alyssa Milano.
Now, the real question is how the political left is going to react. On one hand, McGowan is pointing out obvious problems with the Democratic vice Presidential nominee that could hurt the election of the Biden-Harris ticket. Harris having taken money from Weinstein is obviously not a good look. It wouldn't surprise me if some people within the Democratic Party see McGowan as a pariah. When it comes to politics, true believers and idealists can often seem like more trouble than they're worth to party insiders. On the flip side, there are many people within the Democratic party from journalists to senators who say that victims must be believed.
Also on rt.com ‘We need revolution, we’re having it’: Americans are rising up against ‘oppressive cult’ they live under, Rose McGowan tells RTThis is where the dilemma comes in. What direction will the liberals go? Will the political left take her accusations seriously? Or is McGowan too much of a troublemaker for them to give any credit to? The one prediction that I have here is that people within the left-leaning mainstream media are likely going to try and bury this because McGowan has, in their eyes, “gone rogue” at a time when all that matters is the defeat of Trump in November, whatever the cost. However, if they do try and bury the story, or simply ignore it, then they will come across as hypocrites. If you do indeed believe all victims, you make yourself 100 percent obligated to stand up against the victimizer.
After the first few days of coverage, the brave McGowan will likely have to stand alone with her accusation. Then again, do you really want people who are going to put partisan politics above ethical behavior at your side?
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.