Academic and Work Pursuits, Polanski and Commie Debates

[tcpip]

Received my results for the first two units of my MBA, Financial Management and Management Perspectives; I passed both with Distinction grades. This was an enormous relief, especially for the Financial Management exam, which I thought was extremely difficult at the time. It also means that, assuming I complete Marketing and Information Systems, I will have a Graduate Certificate in Management (Technology Systems) by the end of next month. Then on to the Graduate Diploma. On a related angle, I have been given the necessary task of trying to make some sense of the internal wiki, external website and some of our marketing material. It doesn't make sense to pitch with generic marketing speak to scientists, for some well-known reasons, which have recently become evident at the Australian Synchrotron.

The events of Roman Polanksi's extradition for sexual assault have been long discussed. If you have the stomach for it, you can read the testimony of the young Samantha Geimer on the events themselves. When some members of the entertainment industry tried to defend Polanksi on the grounds of his international cultural reputation, most people responded to this with appropriate outrage. An unexpected angle however has come from the Sparticist League who have defended Polanski because Samantha was sexually experienced and had tried quaaludes previous. You can read the Sparticist League's position in the Communist Party of Great Britian newspaper in issue 794 and my response in 795.

Comments

[droog64.livejournal.com]

There's no question that what Polanski did was wrong, but there aren't many people who've been through what he's been through. I feel sorry for him.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That part is true as well; it can be confusing to have strong emotions of sympathy and loathing for the same person. I have little doubt that the Sharon Tate/Manson events contributed significantly to a disturbed state in Polanksi's mind.

[droog64.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the living-through-the-Holocaust bit. And it's a long time ago and the girl says she's over it and has a family and the judge tried to shaft him the way he shafted her.

I just think some charity might be warranted. Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Sure, I don't have a problem with that. As I mentioned both in my letter and here - and a result of what comes to an almost-anarchist approach to criminal law - if she says "let it go", then the rest of us should respect those wishes (indeed, there may be a word for not respecting them).

Mind you, he could certainly do with more than a few sessions at the psychoanalyst.

[droog64.livejournal.com]

Couldn't we all?

[tzunder.livejournal.com]

It is possible to have pity/sorrow/sympathy/empathy with many people, even those who have done wrong. But that's not the same as them facing up to it and making their defence. The process after that is when mitigation and other such issues are relevant.

[(Anonymous)]

I feel sorry for what Polanski has been through in his life, but it in no way explains nor excuses his behaviour in my opinion. Many people experience some pretty awful life experiences and not all of them go on to do bad things. A large number of child sex perpetrators have abuse histories themselves- does that mean we should excuse pedophilia? Because a lot of people who have been abused actually go the other way and out of an awareness of what they have been through are able to empathise with other people and become more committed to doing acts of good in the world. What Polanski did to that little girl shows what a complete lack of empathy he had for her and for the effects his abuse whould have on her life. I think that anyone who is happy to prioritise the temporary physical gratification of their sexual urges over the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of a child deserves to face the consequences...