Sean Connery is not a legend

[KissWithAFist]

Some will consider this bad taste - it’s the day he died I know. But this is a man who condoned hitting women. And though he qualified his endorsement by saying you shouldn’t hit a woman like you would a man, I think it’s enormously damaging that someone in his position - who so many people look up to - can make comments like this.

I’m sad for his family as I would be sad for any family who have lost a loved one. But I don’t think he should be remembered as a “legend”.

Anyway, here is a link to Sean Connery in his own words.....

@eaglejulesk

Oh for goodness sake - get over yourselves! Unless any of you know Sean Connery personally then you aren't qualified to judge him. Whether or not you think he is a legend doesn't matter, but I can tell you now, he is more of a legend than any of you are ever likely to be.

@eaglejulesk are you missing something here? the fact is society made him a legend. We're allowed to disagree. I do.

For those who believe domestic violence is wrong, the other thread isn't full of apologists.
And those excusing the behaviour of this thug by virtue of "the times" sadly grew up gaskighted by their own situation. Because my grandfathers (20 years older than him) and the other male relatives in my family (in their seventies and eighties) would never have used their hands on a woman.

SC was given the chance to put the record straight in that interview, as his behaviour was well documented. He chose instead to confirm he thought he was right. And later said he would have liked to kill the interviewer. And he wasn't joking.

The loving his Scotland so much he'd do anything except live and pay taxes there just makes him a joke.

Yup, He was a bona fide arsehole. So much internalised misogyny on here. Sad really. All this, of his time crap is SO insulting to the many millions of men who have never physically abused someone weaker than them, or indeed, anyone at all.

That interview is horrific!! First time I've seen it. He was an actor who made loads of money... Not sure why people care all that much. Elderly, very rich people, die all the time.

I think at the time he said ' sometimes a woman needs a slap' I only knew of it because I saw Charlie hunnam do an impression of it on a talk show I think.

I think it’s extremely relevant to point out his stance on domestic abuse on the day he died.

But you didn’t. You posted a 1997 clip from Barbara Walters that quizzed him about something he said over twenty years earlier in a 1965 interview for playboy. He said “it’s not that bad to slap a woman depending on the circumstances.” In many of the Bond movies, the writers have him slap the woman.

While that was his stance in 1965, it most certainly wasn’t his stance “on the day he died” in 2020. We know this because there is an interview from 2006 where he said
”I don't believe that any level of abuse of women is ever justified under any circumstances."

www.heraldscotland.com/news/12430892.i-dont-believe-that-any-level-of-abuse-of-women-is-ever-justified-under-any-circumstances-connery-speaks-for-the-first-time-after-cancelling-his-high-profile-appearance-at-holyroods-festival-of-politics-by-paul-hutcheon/

I didn't like Sean Connery and I especially hate his James Bond portrayals. My DF was older than SC and violence towards women wasn't acceptable for his generation at all. But to compare SC to Jimmy Savile is laughable. Men who behave despicably are regularly compared to Savile on here. Why? It's like comparing all despicable abusive women to Rose West or Myra Hindley.

Not a good man but I'm cynical about this post being on the day he died - but not before.
Alas too many people don't care about domestic violence and it's victims unless there's some sensationalism to be had out of it

@C8H10N4O2

In his generation it was acceptable to hit men, women and children on occasion

No it wasn't. DF was that generation, he had utter contempt for men who hit women and that was a normal attitude amongst his peers. It happened, just as it does regularly in "enlightened" 2020 but they were contemptuous of men who did it.

Yes it was. You can’t judge all society based on your DF alone. He was not the norm. Violence against women even in the 1980s was culturally not taken seriously. Not even by the police: “Domestic violence and stray dogs ...... rubbish work for police officers.” said in 1984 by Sir Kenneth Newman Metropolitan Police Commissioner

@DeeCeeCherry

Not a good man but I'm cynical about this post being on the day he died - but not before. Alas too many people don't care about domestic violence and it's victims unless there's some sensationalism to be had out of it

People have spoken about the fact that he not only condoned hitting women but did it himself for decades. Just because it's the first time you've come across it doesn't mean it isn't true.

[quote PlanDeRaccordement]I think it’s extremely relevant to point out his stance on domestic abuse on the day he died.

But you didn’t. You posted a 1997 clip from Barbara Walters that quizzed him about something he said over twenty years earlier in a 1965 interview for playboy. He said “it’s not that bad to slap a woman depending on the circumstances.” In many of the Bond movies, the writers have him slap the woman.

While that was his stance in 1965, it most certainly wasn’t his stance “on the day he died” in 2020. We know this because there is an interview from 2006 where he said
”I don't believe that any level of abuse of women is ever justified under any circumstances."

www.heraldscotland.com/news/12430892.i-dont-believe-that-any-level-of-abuse-of-women-is-ever-justified-under-any-circumstances-connery-speaks-for-the-first-time-after-cancelling-his-high-profile-appearance-at-holyroods-festival-of-politics-by-paul-hutcheon/[/quote]
Don't you get it?
He never saw what he did as abuse.
It was his right as a man.
That backtracking interview wasn't, not really. And in recent years interviewers were warned off from making any mention of his thoughts on hitting women.

How do people not know this about him?

@TheSeedsOfADream
Yes he did see slapping as abuse. Go read the 2006 interview. He was specifically addressing the earlier slapping opinion he had by saying he now believes ANY abuse in ANY circumstances is not acceptable.
Don’t you get it? He changed his mind. He woke up and realised it was wrong.
Yes a bit later than the rest of the country, after all slapping your wife was perfectly legal until the 1976 Domestic violence & matrimonial proceedings act. Before that only “aggravated assault” as in getting the shit punched out of you was illegal.

I agree, and yes his first wife said he was Abusive, yes he said things to confirm that may well have been true, at least on occasion, but he also reversed that and was married to his second wife for 45 years who said he was not remotely.

I don’t think crucifying a dead man in these circumstances is appropriate. His second wife was with him for a very long time, and they had a very happy marriage by all accounts.

"his first wife said he was abusive"

I'll help you to give over with the victim blaming, shall I?

"He was abusive to his first wife" covers it.

The interview referred to in the Scottish newspaper was a statement he gave in response to his refusing to do the actual interview because the journalist had told him he wasn't getting a free pass over the violence. It was a wishy-washy statement saying nothing to refute or apologise for his own murky past as an abuser.

His second wife is gushing about her "gorgeous man".
Apparently he cheated on her with the late Lynsey de Paul.
I couldn't put up with that.

The 2006 interview is not an apology at all. In fact - as can be seen by screenshot from the 2006 article - he apparently “told friends” that hitting a women was unacceptable. I have not seen anything where he directly apologised for condoning violence.

So I stand by position, he was not a legend, he was a misogynist who believed he could slap women. And I think it’s very sad that many on here are trying to minimise his words and actions. It is very, very damaging for women particularly those who are currently in abusive relationships.

"but he also reversed that and was married to his second wife for 45 years who said he was not remotely."

All that shows though is that he wasn't abusive to her.

Maybe she knew her place so wasn't deserving of a slap?

Maybe she knew her place so wasn't deserving of a slap?

I don’t think so, from what we know she’s no shrinking violet. The last thing that woman seems to know is “her place”.

Because only shrinking violets get abused

I'll tell that to my best friend, an extreme extrovert, life and soul of the party, never took any bullshit from anyone, a real formidable woman - who came running to my house a number of years ago, her chest badly blistered from her boyfriend who poured his fresh black coffee over her because she wanted to go and see her dad. Turns out he'd been abusive for the year he lived together and she covered it up. She had to be treated at a burns unit, but hey she wasn't a shrinking violet so it doesn't count.

What the ACTUAL FUCK is with the violence minimisation and bullshit myths on MN? Has there been a mass exodus from the DM or something?

He made the 007 franchise he bought it to life and for many he is the greatest James Bond a very very successful brand so it’s that sense he is a legend. He was a very good actor and coming from such humble roots he was inspirational to some

As a person to admire on a personal level no

But many many artists are flawed some are extremely nasty people. Are we to say Miles Davis wasn’t legendary in the music field or Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, David Bowie are not legendary in music/entertainment. All hugely talented all hugely influential

We are people so wanting to believe that artists they admire for their art or like/love their art are also people you want to admire as a whole person or that they need to be good people

The list is endless of artists who cruel and the pandering/indulging of their lifestyle allows this but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be called out

I think folks are being offensive to his current wife. There is nothing to indicate she is an abused woman who was too scared to leave him or was so abused she knew her place.

Really that’s just awful, to write that because you’re so desperate to make him out to be a life long abuser.

I apologise if I have offended or upset anyone by my remark about his 2nd wife "knowing her place".

For whatever reason, even though SC thought it OK to slap women, he didn't slap her.

It was wrong of me to try to suggest why that might be.

I remember the talk about his interview in the early 90s where he stood by his words. Men laughed. Women weren't laughing. I know there is more to all of us than the worst things we do and say but a man of his fame and standing saying what he said was harmful. It played into that "equality means it's fine for us to hit you" bullshit I have heard from far too many men. And maybe he did seek to distance himself from it later on but we all know how what he said contributed to a dangerous narrative.

For whatever reason, even though SC thought it OK to slap women, he didn't slap her

Let me fix that for you

“ For whatever reason, even though SC thought it OK to slap women nearly fifty years ago, he changed his position on that and , he didn't ever slap her from what we know”

"Let me fix that for you"

No, thank you.

Not necessary.