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	<title>Screen Machine &#187; A humanist approach to the Polanski situation (and what this has to do with revenge films)</title>
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	<description>Long live the new flesh</description>
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		<title>A humanist approach to the Polanski situation (and what this has to do with revenge films)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
What I am about to say is not a defence of Polanski. I will, however, say that there is a good moral argument for why Polanski should not go to jail. My argument may be considered a feminist stance. But mostly, it is a humanist stance. But first, let&#8217;s make some definitive statements:

In 1977 Roman Polanski raped a 13-year-old girl.
There is no moral justification for this act.
Roman Polanski&#8217;s artistic achievements do not exonerate Polanski.

All that said, I am unwilling to join the crowds calling for Polanski&#8217;s blood. Why is this?
I have used the word &#8220;humanist&#8221; in describe my moral approach. I use this word in opposition to religious concepts of morality: the idea of imposing generalised moral codes onto a situation (good/evil, crime/punishment). The humanist approach disregards such abstract, Platonic ideas of what is the right thing to do; it first looks at a situation in its specificity, considers the people involved, and considers the way that the people involved in a situation may live in a way that maximises happiness and minimises suffering.
So I suggest that we consider the people involved in the situation:
THE VICTIM
What is remarkable from the Polanski arrest discourse is the absence of the victim. Certainly, Polanski-supporters of the Harvey Weinstein variety certainly haven&#8217;t given a second thought to her. More disturbing though is how people on the other side of the debate are more concerned with addressing the idiotic arguments of celebrities than they are in giving voice to the victim&#8217;s concerns, or if they&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.screenmachine.tv/2009/10/16/a-humanist-approach-to-the-polanski-situation-and-what-this-has-to-do-with-revenge-films/</link>
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