Case Analysis: Harvey Weinstein

1881 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender equality in business

Semiotics Final: Harvey Weinstein

The subject that I have chosen for this essay is Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein is a former movie producer for Miramax and concert promoter who has been accused of rape, sexual assault, and sexually harassment by 83 women in total. Women that he raped and tried to force to have sex with include actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Lisa Rose, and Rose McGowan, just to name a few. Weinstein will go on trial soon in response to some of these rape allegations (Rutenberg and Eber 1-2). The Weinstein case brings up the issues of gender inequality and sexism, ideas, and cultural frameworks that have existed and continued to survive since the beginning of time. The actions of Weinstein have been able to perpetuate over the years, …show more content…

Anyone interested in a Hollywood career and who crossed his path career wise knew that getting into Weinstein’s good graces meant a possible lucrative career. Weinstein’s Miramax movie production symbol was a sign of success and making it big in the film world. Weinstein’s films, such as “Shakespeare in Love” “Gangs of New York” and “Good Will Hunting” were all hits. Weinstein seemed to have a knack for producing movies that attracted movie goers and that made much money. This skill helped elevate his social status in …show more content…

This is evident in an article by (Moniuszko and Kelly 1) that discusses how Weinstein treated Rosanna Arquette after she refused his sexual advances, which is evident in the passage, “She says the producer told her she was making a big mistake by rejecting him and claims he has made things very difficult for (her) for years” (Moniuszko and Kelly 1).
The connotative meaning is that any reports of rape on his part can be “fixed” and “handled” with manipulation. Payoffs were also something that Weinstein did to keep women quiet about their sexual assault and harassment claims. Zelda Perkins, an assistant for the movie producer, was subjected to sexual harassment almost every day from Weinstein. Perkins and another female worker that he assaulted were paid over $300,000 in exchange for keeping quiet and not reporting him to police (Moniuszko and Kelly

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of What Bill Cosby Taught Me About Sexual Violence And Flying Article

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    He also never heard those words from Bill Cosby either (Laymon 2016). As we all know Bill Cosby was sexually violent and abusive and everyone has heard stories of parents, teachers and preachers sexually harming innocent children. Even throughout the essay Laymon has given examples of authority figures abusing their power to sexually abuse women. The purpose of this paragraph in this article is to prove that anyone could sexually assault someone. Being a sexual predator is not based on somebody’s race or gender, but in all reality it could be anyone and that is the point that Kiese Laymon is trying to

    Read More

  • Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt By Jean Kiilbourne

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The world is becoming more aware of the gender hierarchy occurring in our society. Men are consistently leaders and placed in positions of power while women are seen as inferior. Jean Kilbourne, author of “Two ways a Woman Can Get Hurt”, investigates this ideology as she looks throughout media and advertisements and highlights their sexually explicit commercials that degrade woman. In comparison, Allan G. Johnson, writer of Why Do We Make So Much of Gender?, discusses how the world’s view of gender has changed over time and how it has affected the world. Kilbourne and Johnson outline the presence of a gender hierarchy but do not accurately interpret why it happens. The underlying presence driving patriarchy is hidden deep in men’s resistance

    Read More

  • Women Can Dump Jerks Without Help Of Lawyers, By Judy Garvis

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    This was a man who at the time was in the position of being elected associate justice of the Supreme Court. Anita Hill, who had worked for him as his personal assistant testified about these comments made by Clarence Thomas, "pornographic materials depicting individuals with large penises or large breasts involved in various sex acts. On several occasions Thomas told me graphically of his own sexual prowess (Smolowe)". This. Is. Not. Harmless. Garvis clearly did not take Hill 's words seriously and gave her own two cents about it, "Maybe he talked dirty to Anita Hill. Maybe He didn’t. Something obviously went on between the two of them that was sexually charged". What we are doing now is brushing off this man 's actions because a woman 's opinion is not valued enough because the attention was unwanted so there was no so called "sexual

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Sex, Lies, And Consent By Tom Dougherty

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    He states that firstly, since each person is an essential part of the sexual encounter, one is deceived about the sexual encounter by deception of the other person. Also, that the deception concerns “deal breakers”. Deal breakers, in this context, is more than hiding a certain personal feature about yourself but instead takes into account deception as a whole, where if the other person were made aware of everything and all things concealed were revealed, that person would refrain from engaging in the sexual encounter. Dougherty argues that when someone is deceived into sex, the deception vitiates the victim’s sexual consent. (720). Moreover, since it is seriously wrong to have someone without their consent, deceiving someone into sex is seriously wrong, as well. Dougherty’s argument then is understood as

    Read More

  • Why We Still Need Feminism By Casey Cavanaugh Summary

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article, “Why We Still Need Feminism”, written by Casey Cavanaugh (2014), describes how women are treated and why feminism is looked at in such a negative light. She focuses on how the feminism movement doesn’t only concentrate on women and what concerns them, she also talks about how the movement can positively impact all humans. Cavanaugh explains how the treatment of women can go on for generations and how many women are simply dealing with the ill-treatment (Cavanaugh, 2014). The writer gives a few examples of how women are treated and the different ways that it can be changed for the better.

    Read More

  • Women in Film as Portrayed in the Movie, Double Indemnity

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    American commercial cinema currently fuels many aspects of society. In the twenty-first century it has become available, active force in the perception of gender relations in the United States. In the earlier part of this century filmmakers, as well as the public, did not necessarily view the female“media image” as an infrastructure of sex inequality. Today, contemporary audiences and critics have become preoccupied with the role the cinema plays in shaping social values, institutions, and attitudes. American cinema has become narrowly focused on images of violent women, female sexuality, the portrayal of the “weaker sex” and subversively portraying women negatively in film. “Double Indemnity can be read in two ways. It is either a misogynist film about a terrifying, destroying woman, or it is a film that liberates the female character from the restrictive and oppressed melodramatic situation that render her helpless” (Kolker 124). There are arguably two extreme portrayals of the character of Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity; neither one is an accurate or fare portrayal.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Quentin Tarantino's Films

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Quentin Tarantino has proven time and time again to be one of the most confusing directors to understand when attempting to unravel the personal ideologies in his films. Each of his films deals with race, sexuality, and gender to some extent, and it is often difficult to know whether or not Tarantino is making a commentary on these things or if he truly believes much of the problematic discourse found in his films. Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 are a testament to this understanding of Tarantino’s films, as they appear to be extremely feminist films at surface level yet, upon deeper inspection, have some very problematic qualities. Looking at Kill Bill Vol.’s 1 and 2 through both a feminist and anti feminist lens can allow the audience to better

    Read More

  • The Bro Code

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Bro Code breaks down the establishment and encouragement of sexism into four “steps” that society uses to form sexist men (Keith). These steps are: “1. Train Men to Womanize, 2. Immerse Men in Porn, 3. Make Rape Jokes 4. Obey the Masculinity Cops”(Keith). Thomas Keith begins by addressing the fact that he grew up in this “bro culture” and that men today are continually taught to have the same mentality that Keith had when he was younger. However, he claims that “bro culture” has changed and has become a more “dangerous sexist” (Keith). Our culture continually promotes this behavior through music, television and media, all which tell men that in order to be successful and true men they must be rich, strong and surrounded by women.

    Read More

  • Media Coverage on Occupy Wall Street

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... goal as feminists is to end gender-based violence, we must look at how dominant news outlets shape messages of sexual assault.

    Read More

  • Harvey Weinstein Responsible For Sexually Inappropriate Behavior

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?” Hollywood actress Ashley Judd recalled thinking when invited to movie producer Harvey Weinstein’s Beverly Hills hotel room for a business meeting. Upon entering the room, Judd was met by a bathrobe-wearing Weinstein who asked if he could massage her or let her watch him shower. Judd’s story was featured in The New York Times’ bombshell article earlier this month, which revealed that Weinstein was responsible for sexually inappropriate behavior that had resulted in his settlement of least eight legal sexual harassment cases spanning the past three decades. Weinstein, initially threatening to sue the Times for libel, was fired from his own company on Sunday,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Feminist Theory: From Margin To Center By Bell Hooks

    1987 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, the stigma of openly sexual women was not eliminated therefore marking down women's sexual freedom because of the stigma they carry in society.In conclusion, chapter by chapter hooks highlights how feminist theory repeatedly excluded non-white and working class women by ignoring white supremacy as a racial problem and by disregarding the highly psychological impact of class in their political and social status all while, in the case of black women, facing three classes of oppression in a racist, sexist and capitalist state. Throughout the book the author defines feminism, the meaning of sisterhood, what feminism is to men in addition to brushing upon power, work, violence and education. Although I found some elements of this book problematic hooks' critiques of feminist theory and the movement are well-presented, piercingly direct and remain relevant.

    Read More

  • Misrepresentation Of Women Essay

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    On a daily basis people are exposed to some sort of misrepresentation of gender; in the things individuals watch, and often the things that are purchased. Women are often the main target of this misrepresentation. “Women still experience actual prejudice and discrimination in terms of unequal treatment, unequal pay, and unequal value in real life, then so too do these themes continue to occur in media portraits.”(Byerly, Carolyn, Ross 35) The media has become so perverted, in especially the way it represents women, that a females can be handled and controlled by men, the individual man may not personally feel this way, but that is how men are characterized in American media. Some may say it doesn’t matter because media isn’t real life, but people are influenced by everything around them, surroundings that are part of daily routine start to change an individual’s perspective.

    Read More

  • Metoo Movement Research Paper

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    My Tracking Topic is the #MeToo Movement, a feminist movement that has been gaining a great popularity as a result of the women celebrities calling out rich, powerful men in the entertainment industry. I believe that the author that would most likely appreciate this movement would be Vaclav Havel, the Czech dissident who wrote about themes such as “Living in the Truth versus Living within a Lie” and the “Power of the Powerless”. The #MeToo Movement perfectly encapsulates what it means to “Live in the Truth” instead of “Living within a Lie”, as it is considerably easier to live within a lie. This is because these women have broken out of society’s power and money-driven hierarchy in order to expose famous, rich men in a position of authority

    Read More

  • Feminist Lens Essay On Frankenstein

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    Feminist theory is one of the most present-day sociological theories where by the status of woman and men are analyzes is society, where the main purpose is to use the acquired knowledge to improve lives for woman. Not only does the feminist theory revolves solely around woman but also include race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality and age with respects to gender. The use of the feminist lens allows us to examine Victor’s several unethical decisions to a higher degree by developing a deeper understanding of gender equality. Victor becomes an exceedingly guilty hearted man from the aspiring student he was growing up as a result of the unethical decisions he makes growing up. He wrongs

    Read More

  • What Is Anita Hill's View Of Sexual Violence Against Women

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women face myriad forms of violence today and throughout history. Both Anita Hill and Nafissa Diallo were forced to experience this violence in the form of sexual harassment and rape. Their cases did not follow the same pattern any other criminal case would, it turned into a circus of “he said, she said” for both women. Because of their intersectional identities as women of color etc., their evidence did not hold up against the evidence of the powerful men who wronged them. Sexual violence against women has long been an issue dominated by male opinions and decisions, and these examples only prove how ideologies surrounding sexual violence from far in the past are still in place today, disempowering women.

    Read More

More about Case Analysis: Harvey Weinstein

Open Document