Terry Gilliam: misogynist

[ACatWhoBinds]

In an interview with The Independent to promote his new film, Gilliam decided to talk about women as he was “so bored of talking about the film”.
He had some real gems.
Isn’t it a bigger problem that men are refusing to take responsibility for abusing women, and abusing their power? “No. When you have power, you don’t take responsibility for abusing others. You enjoy the power. That’s the way it works in reality.”
“There are many victims in Harvey’s life,” he adds, “and I feel sympathy for them, but then, Hollywood is full of very ambitious people who are adults and they make choices. We all make choices, and I could tell you who did make the choice and who didn’t”
Yeah, definitely the woman’s fault for choosing to be assaulted. Yikes
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/terry-gilliam-interview-harvey-weinstein-victims-metoo-race-a9269136.html

Pretty much all these irrelevant aging men are.

@AnyFucker I know, I was disappointed but not surprised. It’ll taint Monty Python for me now

I think you need to read that in the bigger context of the article.

I think he knew he had a young, woke, Independent journalist on the hook and reeled her in. He makes some very good points and she has no insight. I don’t agree with what he’s saying on everything but I agree with a lot of the rest.

ACatWhoBinds . Don't let it spoil Python. For every Terry Gilliam there's also a very lovely Michael Palin....

There were a lot of wry smiles and eye glints.

I think he was being a dick but partially for shits and giggles.

Some examples of what I agree with:

“I really feel there were a lot of people, decent people, or mildly irritating people, who were getting hammered. That’s wrong. I don’t like mob mentality. These were ambitious adults.”

I don’t agree that ambition should expect sexual assault. I do agree with disliking mob mentality. Mob mentality is what leads to JK Rowling being abused on Twitter. Mob mentality means that your thinking isn’t clear and everyone is awful no matter what and there is no clarity possible. I can’t condemn mob mentality when it’s TRAs and equally condone it when it’s about #MeToo. It would be hypocritical.

Next:

“It’s been so simplified is what I don’t like. When I announce that I’m a black lesbian in transition, people take offence at that. Why?” Because you’re not. “Why am I not? How are you saying that I’m not?” Are you? “You’ve judged me and decided that I was making a joke.” You can’t identify as black, though.

Does anyone think she’d sit there and tell a trans woman that they aren’t a woman? Of course not. He’s pointing out the hypocrisy on this issue. And then:

OK, since I don’t find men sexually attractive, I’ve got to be a lesbian. What else can I be? I like girls. These are just logical steps.” They don’t seem logical.

Of course it isn’t logical! But it’s logical when Alex Drummond says it, but not Terry Gilliam?!

So I think there’s more in what he says, and as a result I’m not going to jump on just one of his comments and never watch Python again. Because that’s part of mob mentality.

Getting outraged over Terry Gilliam pointing out absurdity where he sees it is so bloody unproductive, isn't it?

He's saying some adult women in Hollywood deliberately exploit their body for more money and fame. Do you think that doesn't happen? Are there varying degrees of agency, or are all women helpless victims?

Like notbadconsidering I read it as not being entirely serious. I got the impression he would have enjoyed arguing something different on another day. I like his films so I hope this is the right interpretation!

That's a really interesting article. Thanks for sharing. I don't agree with everything he said, but he did make some very astute observations and points.

I've never seen the logic in constantly talking about men 'needing to do better' and telling them to take responsibility. Why should men change? If they gain a lot from their power and privilege, why on earth would anyone in their right mind want to give it up?!

And he's hit the nail on the head that if all white men are the cause of the world's problems as SJW theology says it is, then it's very tempting for certain kinds of white men to think they can avoid being lumped under that category by claiming to be anything other than a white man. While still chasing women because ultimately they are heterosexual so they have to come up with a convoluted ideology to justify to their fellow SJW mates why they really aren't white men and therefore absolved of their white guilt.

“I’m talking about being a man accused of all the wrong in the world because I’m white-skinned. So I better not be a man. I better not be white. OK, since I don’t find men sexually attractive, I’ve got to be a lesbian. What else can I be? I like girls. These are just logical steps.”

Don’t be silly he loves women and has often had strong women characters in his films

Yep he likes us as long we we don’t create too much fuss and keep quiet when a man tells us how it is

It is deeply frustrating to argue with Gilliam. He is both the devil and his advocate. I try to say that it’s not that white men are to blame for everything, but that they are born with certain privileges that, too often, they exploit. He interrupts.

“It’s been so simplified is what I don’t like. When I announce that I’m a black lesbian in transition, people take offence at that. Why?”

Because you’re not.

“Why am I not? How are you saying that I’m not?”

----

“I’m into diversity more than anybody,” he says, “but diversity in the way you think about the world, which means you can hate what I just said. That’s fine! No problem. I mean, you can believe whatever you want to believe, but fundamentalism always ends up being, ‘You have to attack other people who are not like you,’ and that’s what makes me crazy.

Yeah, definitely the woman’s fault for choosing to be assaulted.

I don't think that's what he meant. I think his point (which an older woman actress made as well, can't recall who) is that some of those who claim to be Weinstein victims are not remotely victims in the same way as others.

I don't think he thinks that makes Weinstein any better (or that those who enabled him can't also be victims) just that the picture of sexual exploitation and abuse of power in hollywood is nowhere near as simple as some describe.

I think he is taking the piss and trying to make people think in the interview, rather than making points explicitly.

The journalist seems to think Catholics are offended by Life of Brian. Erm, no. I know lots of Catholics who think it is hilarious!

He's just another entitled man whinging about how hard it is to be an entitled man post MeToo.

He ought to be more original than that. Another disappointnent.

I agree with AF

He is twisting words to make his point seem more intelligent and sadly because he is who he is many don’t want to accept he is just another entitled man telling women well you are to blame too

But the message is clear the MeToo movement has gone too far

I do too - tedious bloke harrumphing about how unfair it is that men are being held to account for their behavior is my takeaway. Nothing insightful or even unusual about it.

"I might as well be a lesbian then"

How about you fuck off

I don't think he thinks that makes Weinstein any better (or that those who enabled him can't also be victims) just that the picture of sexual exploitation and abuse of power in hollywood is nowhere near as simple as some describe.

I think that's very much his point and it frustrated me about Metoo as well, and IMO is why it will totally fail to reform Hollywood.

The reason Hollywood is so able to be home to such terrible exploitation is that it is full of people - not men, people - who want something very badly and are willing to go very far to get it. Including trading sex for what they want - which they practically do outright in some films, anyway.

When you have those people on both sides, making these deals and trades and compromises, willing to walk over others and even in a lot of cases their own mental and physical health, the whole system is quickly toxic for everyone. People who would rather not do any of it have little choice but to be exploited by the exploiters because there are others who have no qualms waiting to take their place. The only people who can get out of it have something else to offer, generally something worth money. Or they are really lucky.

And for anyone who thinks no one would make that kind of deal, look what people do on reality tv, or do to their bodies in professional sports, or even actresses (I don't know f any actors do it) who make cash "dating" the extreme rich for a night or a week.

I don't even think its all about the money for many of them, fame makes people do some crazy things. And when it's such a small industry with so many wanting in, the least principled will do well.

How about you fuck off

He's ridiculing that logic though, not agreeing with it.

Oh dear! I think some have forgotten what Gilliam is... He's a long practised social obsever, commentator, piss taker, parodier, surrealist...

He has, as he often does, made people stop and think... and if he is an entitled rich white man defending himself and others, well, they aren't a universal evil!

He hasn't made me think. He has bored me.

Oh dear! I think some have forgotten what Gilliam is... He's a long practised social obsever, commentator, piss taker, parodier, surrealist...

More and more progressives (don't know what else to call this group) remind me of Biblical literalists. Layers of meaning don't exist, thought experiments, metaphors, allegories, paradoxes, koans, or absurdities. People mean just what they seem to say on the surface.

That's par for the course with anything a 'celeb' says, isn't it? They will be boring to many.

I am well aware of who he and because who he is he is being excused of putting forward an intelligent argument

That we have already heard over and over again usually spouted by some privileged white man unsurprisingly

Can imagine the likes of Farage, Ferrari and Morgan coming out with the same trash just not be as clever with twisting words and it be trashed rightly so