# Roman Polanski/Should personal lives of "entertainers" affect our view of their work?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roman-polanski-should-personal-lives-of-entertainers-affect-our-view-of-their-work/230053>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [February 19, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roman-polanski-should-personal-lives-of-entertainers-affect-our-view-of-their-work/230053 "2004-02-19T18:59:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roman-polanski-should-personal-lives-of-entertainers-affect-our-view-of-their-work/230053/81 "2004-02-25T05:00:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> originally posted by Walloon  
> But I have advocated that, given the great leeway allowed in sentencing, the judicial system put great weight upon the victim’s statement in this particular case.

Had he hung around to be sentenced I wouldn’t necessarily be against giving the victim’s statement great weight. Of course, there’s a good chance her feelings were different then, considering that according to your link, she sued him in 1988. I wonder how much her desire to put this all past her has affected her opinion. After all, if Polanski comes back and is pardoned, the story will die down eventually, just as it will if he comes back and is incarcerated. Even now, I wouldn’t mind the judicial system giving great weight to her opinion- but I think her opinion is outweighed by the fact that he fled. I don’t see the flight as much different from escaping from prison after being sentenced, and just as I wouldn’t want to reward someone for escaping, I don’t believe it’s right to reward Polanski for fleeing. And that’s what it would be, if he returns to the US and is pardoned, a reward.

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**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roman-polanski-should-personal-lives-of-entertainers-affect-our-view-of-their-work/230053/82 "2004-02-25T16:49:13Z")

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**Walloon** ,

You are correct, and I misspoke. Allow me to correct myself. Where I wrote, \*" I certainly would not want to live in a society where **punishments are meted out** based on how we \*feel _about convicted criminals. Would you?_"

Replace “punishments are meted out” with **“guilt is determined”**.

I don’t see how Ms. Geimer’s feelings today are relevant to Polanski’s guilt for the crime, and his guilt for fleeing.

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> [@Blalron](#):
>
> Ok, so lets say Polanski returns to the U.S, turns himself into the authorities for whatever punishment they will give him, and apologies profusesly for what he did back in 1977?
> 
> Would you still boycott all his films?

It may influence my opinion, but I cannot say with certainty. It clearly would not make my opinion of him any worse. It is as much a reasoned position (being against those who commit crimes) as it is an emotional one (hating child rapists). I don’t know if I could ever look past raping a child. His film career in that respect is irrelevant.

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