Harvey Weinstein and Bill O’Reilly: Two Sick Individuals

Fall sunrise over irrigation canal full of water from Sierra mountains

Two individuals have dominated the shocking daily newscasts: Harvey Weinstein, who has finally been exposed as a sexual predator using his powerful movie company to obtain young women for his personal abuse (and is a supporter of left-wing causes), and Bill O’Reilly, who has been known to be a sexual predator using his position in a “news” media organization to foist himself on fellow-workers ( and who is a right-wing ideologue.)  Weinstein is out of his company, which is near collapse, but O’Reilly still has significant mojo and appears on Glenn Beck’s radio show as a regular Friday guest.  O’Reilly was ousted from Fox in April, despite a four-year contract signed in February immediately after he reached a $32 million sexual abuse settlement . . . it seems the sudden loss of advertiser support when the situation was widely publicized doomed O’Reilly at Fox but he still has rabid supporters.  Weinstein, a noted liberal, has no supporters and nothing but treatment at an asylum to look forward to.

Yet Fox News officially accused liberals of hypocrisy in their treatment of Weinstein.  Many, many people have spoken out about Weinstein since the news broke, some of whom were aware of his behavior and now say they feel guilty for not doing enough to stop it.  Women who were subjected to and even cooperated with Weinstein’s demands to further their careers or simply out of fear have also spoken out and it was agonizing to read.  Virtually none of the women mistreated by O’Reilly have publicly said anything; whether there is a difference in their reactions based on their political leanings is hard to say.

Bottom line: no one ideology, left or right, has a corner on the sexual predator market.  It’s time to end this kind of sick behavior once and for all with clear rules and chaperones if necessary.  After all, lawyers have learned never to meet alone with Don the Con.