We've seen it skyrocket with Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, we've become accustomed to the media detailing the awful things our idols have done as the number of allegations of sexual assault continues to increase dramatically.
The responses to said accusations are becoming more and more inventive as each male celebrity figures out a way with which to spin the fact that they took advantage of someone in a sexual manner.
As much as it hates me to say, Kevin Spacey is the best example of this more recent trend. Spacey was convicted of assault. In his statement, he stated more or less that he didn’t remember but if he did do that he was sorry. Then he ended this uninspiring and frankly blasé remark but coming out as gay. As if that’s relevant.
I’m sorry, but celebrities, we don’t care about your sexual orientation. This is 2017, thank goodness, and your sexuality is something Hollywood embraces -- not shuns or mocks. We especially don’t care when you're using your sexuality to direct the conversation away from you assaulting someone.
Kevin Spacey should not have been so vague and ambivalent about whether or not an assault occurred.
The assault occurred.
This we can infer based on him making an ambivalent comment, and this we will continue to infer based on his redirection of the manner. A pivot, so to speak.
Pivoting the conversation is a political term and Spacey, given his "House of Cards" background, appears to be an unofficial expert on the matter. One pivots the conversation to in control of the focus, the narrative of the discussion. Spacey wants Hollywood to focus on his sexuality, abusing the power that his status grants him to indirectly support minimizing a person to their sexual orientation.
Spacey wants to avoid being monikered as a sexual assaulter when that is exactly what he is. His lack of addressing the issue at hand only permits more and more voices to come through and for speculation to increase.
In fact, since the original allegation, three additional men have claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Mr. Spacey. His nonchalance, his futile attempt to change the conversation has failed him dramatically. Not only have the allegations increased, but Netflix has completely cut ties with Spacey amid the news.
So, what do we do with this information?
What should it mean to us if so many famous men become the subject of sexual assault allegations?
It should mean that Hollywood, and the American people, can no longer stand for the blatant assaults occurring behind the scenes of our favorite films.
It should also say mountains that we are picking apart these men for their wrongdoings, but we ignore our Presidents series of assault charges and allegations.
The future of "House of Cards" is up in the air, but Spacey most certainly has had the most classic political downfall.