# Polanski...seriously **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 21, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615 "2003-10-21T00:55:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/41 "2003-10-21T14:47:01Z")
> [@](#): > > You like his films, you consider him a genius? Fine with me. He should be the greatest filmmaker of all time to die in prison. The crime didn’t carry a life sentence, did it? If you are suggesting he should be killed in prison, that is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/42 "2003-10-21T14:47:44Z")
> [@](#): > > **Marley23** : So, it’s okay for a 40-year-old to take advantage of a 23-year-old with severe cognitive deficits? It’s okay for a 20-year-old to ply another 20-year-old with booze to have sex with him/her? And yet for what he did, **spooje** should die in prison? Where did I say either of the first two things was okay? Am I allowed to say that’s a complete and total strawman? Consider it said. Nor did I say **spooje** should die in prison, as a matter of fact. In the future, try responding to things I actually say. I made no comment on **spooje** ’s situation, but if I had, I would’ve said the following: “Legally, I’m pretty sure he would be okay if he didn’t know the girl’s age, as I think there are exceptions in the law for that kind of thing. Furthermore, I don’t think he did anything wrong.” But thanks for the complete mischaracterization based on precisely zippo. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/43 "2003-10-21T14:50:07Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s okay for a 20-year-old to ply another 20-year-old with booze to have sex with him/her? Sorry, I should’ve kept going. No, it’s not, **Derleth**. In fact, it’s _against the law_. People who are drunk can’t legally consent to sex, thus, that’s also rape. I’m not sure if there’s a similar situation in place for people who have severe cognitive defects, but since I never said or implied such a thing was okay, I think I’m good there. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/44 "2003-10-21T15:00:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*The crime didn’t carry a life sentence, did it? > > If you are suggesting he should be killed in prison, that is ridiculous. \*\* I don’t know what guidelines there would be for sentencing, but for charges that include rape, endangering the welfare (i.e. suppling drugs to a minor), evading arrest, etc., I think it conceivable that the sum years of the sentence could exceed the sum years of remaining life expectancy. Do you disagree that strongly? The mere suggestion that I’d advocate prison violence is disdainful. ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/45 "2003-10-21T15:22:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamlet \* > \*\*Just wanted to add that you should also boycott, [Victor Salva](http://www.vachss.com/mission/disney.html) too. Scum. \*\* Actually, Salva went to prison for his crimes, and now he’s registered in California as a sex offender. What else do you want? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/46 "2003-10-21T16:23:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El\_Kabong \* > \*\*Excellent point, because, as we all know, in France one is free to rape as many children as one wishes :rolleyes: > \*\* Are you fucking _slow_? First of all, don’t misquote me, twist my intentions, or try to put words in my mouth. Secondly, are you trying to say that child rape was legal in California in the 1960s? Because if you’re actually trying to say something else then that statement doesn’t make any fucking sense. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Obvious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@Mr.Obvious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Obvious)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/47 "2003-10-21T16:41:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimbo \* > \*\*From the [Original Chinatown Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=217910&perpage=50&highlight=Chinatown&pagenumber=2) Unfortunate for Polanski? Fuck the child raping bastard. > > While you keep on saying that his personnel life and choices should be ignored when talking about the mans work you seem to be doing the same thing except in reverse. You’re obviously a big fan of the man and this seems to be tainting how you are looking at this despicable situation. > > This was a 40+ man with power and influence with a 13 year old girl trying to be a model. He drugged her and then fucked her up the ass. The girl was by her own admission too scared to get him to stop. He’s a piece of shit. You should admit that. > > You can still love his movies and talk all you want about them but you seem to be putting your fingers in your ears and singing LALALALALALALA when it comes to what the sick bastard did to that child. > > I can still like listening to Bing Crosby while knowing he was a bit of a fucker to his kids. I can still appreciate the skill and majesty of “Triumph of the Will” while knowing what lay behind was some of the worst elements of humanity. > > Polanski IMNSHO is a sick child raping bastard. He may have made some movies that I would class as some of my favourites but he’s still a perverted cunt. \*\* Bullseye. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/48 "2003-10-21T17:52:23Z")
YOu can say that Polanski is a talented individual, and still enjoy his films, while at the same time, acknowledging that he’s a murdering scumbag. And sadly, I see some of what **Doghouse** mentioned-some of the same people who booed Kazan (another talented asshole), gave Polanski a standing ovation. If you’re going to separate the man from his work, at least be consistant. Same goes if you’re going to boycott someone’s work because of his personal life. Whether or not Samantha consented, Polanski was STILL the adult in the situation. He should have known better. I deeply and truly feel for what happened to Sharon Tate. I feel for him in that regard. Nevertheless, the man’s a scumsucking rapist. And finally, a question-why was he never extradicted? Why did France just let him stay there, despite his conviction? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/49 "2003-10-21T18:13:27Z")
There is no hell, only France? ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/50 "2003-10-21T18:56:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waverly \* > \*\*Last time I checked, no state in the union, and that includes Louisiana, makes room for consent coming from an intoxicated minor. \*\* What the fuck does Louisiana have to do with anything? Polanski didn’t rape her in Louisiana. Am I being whooshed or are you making some ass-backward swipe at the South? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Marley23_ > \*\*Sorry, I gotta come back to this. I listen to music made by drug addicts, drunks, wife-beaters, people who had promiscuous sex… didn’t Leadbelly kill a guy? I disapprove of all those things, but I emphatically reject the notion that they have an effect on my “personal integrity.” That’s the kind of thing Tipper Gore would say. \*\* I agree totally. ---
**Author:** ![Greyson3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/258eb7/32.png) [@Greyson3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greyson3)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/51 "2003-10-21T18:56:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > Perhaps it is because you have not seen _The Pianist_ that you are lacking an insight into Polanski that some of the rest of us share now. The movie is about terrible pain and survival and there is much of Polanski’s heart in it. I cannot imagine that an evil man could have made that film. \*\* That’s an interesting sentiment, and I suspect it lies at the heart of the OP’s problem. Exactly what makes you feel that way? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/52 "2003-10-21T19:06:22Z")
> [@](#): > > First of all, don’t misquote me, twist my intentions, or try to put words in my mouth. Uh, I didn’t. I quoted you, accurately, as stating that for all you know, Polanski has carried out other such offenses while in France. To my knowledge, such is not the case, and your statement seems to imply that if such had happened, for some reason the French authorities would not take action. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong here. Obviously, I’m arguing with emotion rather than reason, so I’ll say no more in regards to the OP. > [@](#): > > And finally, a question-why was he never extradicted? Why did France just let him stay there, despite his conviction? Polanski is a naturalized French citizen (dating, I believe, from his childhood). France is not obligated to honor, and normally does not honor, extradition requests for its citizens from the US. He apparently could be extradited should he, for example, travel to certain other EU countries such as the UK. Reference: [http://www.usextradition.com/france\_n.htm](http://www.usextradition.com/france_n.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/53 "2003-10-21T19:47:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lisa-go-Blind \* > Am I being whooshed or are you making some ass-backward swipe at the South? I don’t know if you are being whooshed, but you appear to be making too much of it. Unless my geography skills are rustier than I thought, Louisiana is just one state in the South. It also happens to be a state where you couldn’t legally get a blow job until just a few years ago. In reality, I believe I meant to name Georgia, where the law is still on the books, but if you like to get offended over flippant comments, be my guest. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/54 "2003-10-21T19:57:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waverly \* > \*\*The mere suggestion that I’d advocate prison violence is disdainful. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waverly \* > **You like his films, you consider him a genius? Fine with me. He should be the greatest filmmaker of all time to die in prison.** ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/55 "2003-10-21T19:58:10Z")
Yeah, you could have meant that he should get a life sentance. But it’s more than a bit ambiguous, dontcha think? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/56 "2003-10-21T19:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > **Indygrrl** : To those who keep calling it statutory rape, read the transcript on the Smoking Gun. If that doesn’t convince you that she was raped, then nothing will. You might be convinced of that based on a portion of the girl’s testimony, but the courts, with access to all the evidence, were not. Polanski pled guilty to one count of [unlawful sexual intercourse](http://www.teenparents.org/usi.html). All other charges were dropped. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/57 "2003-10-21T20:15:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cheddarsnax \* > \*\*Yeah, you could have meant that he should get a life sentance. But it’s more than a bit ambiguous, dontcha think? \*\* No. I don’t. Why go inserting phases that don’t exist when the point has already been clarified? For extra credit, try the following thought experiment: you hear a 70 year old man has died, do you think A) “huh.” _or_ B) “Redrum! Redrum!” Don’t answer. Consider it an exercise in personal development. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/58 "2003-10-21T20:33:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > \*\*You might be convinced of that based on a portion of the girl’s testimony, but the courts, with access to all the evidence, were not. Polanski pled guilty to one count of [unlawful sexual intercourse](http://www.teenparents.org/usi.html). All other charges were dropped. \*\* I’ll just pipe in here that it is quite common for the State to allow a person to plead guilty to a lesser charge. The fact he pled guilty to a lesser offense does not necessarily mean, nor even imply, that the intercourse was non-consensual. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/59 "2003-10-21T21:02:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El\_Kabong \* > \*\*Uh, I didn’t. I quoted you, accurately, as stating that for all you know, Polanski has carried out other such offenses while in France. \*\* This is true. > [@](#): > > **To my knowledge, such is not the case** And your knowledge on this matter is better than mine why? \*\* > [@](#): > > your statement seems to imply that if such had happened, for some reason the French authorities would not take action. \*\* This is where you twist my words. You’re trying to make me look like I’m taking an underhanded stab at the French, but you’re wrong again. I’ve been to France, I think it’s a beautiful country with wonderfully pleasant people, but are you meaning to tell me that you believe no crime goes unpunished in _any_ country? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615/60 "2003-10-21T21:32:09Z")
**Marley23** : I did not intentionally mischaracterize your posts. I’m sorry if you thought I did. I was guilty of not understanding the laws (all of the things mentioned in my post _are_, in fact, unlawful, a fact I was unaware of). I’m sorry. What I said was in response to your post here: > [@](#): > > Even on the face of it, regardless of the supposed maturity of the kid, I’m going to insist it’s not OK for a 43-year-old to have sex with a 13-year-old. A rather absolutist view, _ne pas_? By characterizing statutory rape as a crime based solely upon age, as opposed to being based upon relative ability to give consent irrespective of age, you equate actually consensual acts to much worse acts. Rape is a _very_ strong crime, as it should be. It is the most degrading of the violent crimes, when it is violent, and it deserves capital punishment. But expanding the definition of rape to include nonviolent status offenses makes the law much more difficult. We must subdivide rape into two specific categories, violent rape and statutory rape. Violent rape is _real_ rape, as defined by common usage of the term, whereas _statutory_ rape can be proven _simply on a technicality_ (one day of discrepency is, in theory, all it takes). But the stigma in both cases is very real, regardless of how consensual the act was. So, it comes down to one question: Do you think status offenses are as bad as violent offenses? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polanski-seriously/208615.md?page=4)