Episode 87: The Criminal Cases of Harvey Weinstein

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 Ian: Hey everyone, you're listening to “Coffee with Gringos.” I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige: And I'm Paige Sutherland.

Ian: Today, we're going to be talking about a topical subject going on right now, current event. It's something a little bit dark, so bear with us. We're going to be talking about the Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein, and his current criminal cases that are going on. So, Paige, for those of our listeners who aren't aware of the Harvey Weinstein cases, can you give us a little overview of what's been going on? What's happening?

Paige: Yeah, of course. I mean, as most people know, Harvey Weinstein—famous Hollywood producer—really, when allegations came out about him from a lot of actresses and people in the business. It started this whole “#metoo” movement of just women coming forward and talking about sexual assault, sexual misconduct, in the workplace. And it was global—it's happened in South America, everywhere. It's really touched all continents. And with Harvey, immediately he was kicked out of the movie business. Like, his career was basically over, but he obviously has a lot of money, so he hired a lot of lawyers and was able to not really get punished but then his victims took them to court. So, it's not just lawsuits, it's not just money, he actually was charged criminally. And I think for the movement and for a lot of the victims—because there's over eighty, ninety women who have accused him of sexual misconduct—it was a very powerful move that he's gonna get punished. Because a lot of rich people can do what they want, they pay a fine and life moves on. And recently, he was charged and convicted by a jury in New York City, and he is in jail, actually, right now. And I think for the movement and for the victims, this was monumental because in a lot of countries and in the US, rich, powerful people can do illegal things and they never get punished. So, I think this was really powerful to show that, hey if you're gonna do these illegal things for decades, you are gonna face the consequences.

Ian: You make a good point about if you're someone of status, if you're someone with money, if you're someone with fame, with a lot of power, especially, in a place like Hollywood, there's been a lot of cases before this that have been dismissed or you, kind of, get away with these kinds of things. And so, people for years and years have been saying enough is enough—this can't keep going on. And, yeah, I mean it's about time that somebody gets some real accountability for the things they've done. I mean, the things that he did are just deplorable—horrible things. You know, someone who obviously has treated women so poorly and it's not even a thing just with women. Of course, it's horrible but just with human beings, in general. And so, you know, it's good to see that someone, he's probably a guy with, you know, “I have my own company, I have all this power in Hollywood. If these women want to be successful actresses, if they want a real career, then I have this power that I can exploit.” And obviously, that's super wrong, and so it's good that a message is being sent out to, maybe, other people doing this or other people who think that they can get away with it, that this isn't going to fly anymore. You can't treat people like this, you can't treat women like this. So, while, obviously, it's a horrible thing to happen, I think there's a silver lining to it and that we're seeing that social and that sort of accountable change happening.

Paige: Exactly. I mean, I think when you read more about the story, I think what's so depressing is how long this was happening. I mean, he was doing this for decades. Women were going to the police and reporting it and police weren't doing anything—cases were getting dismissed, he was settling things under the table, because he had millions of dollars. I mean, he was one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. And so, I think it was kind of scary when you heard all these women come forward and this was from twenty years ago, thirty years ago, and all the details and you're like, oh, how did this guy not get caught or not face any consequences?

Ian: It's crazy to think—it's been kind of normal. I mean, we even saw in the last recent few years with the Bill Cosby case. (It) was another really big one where, you know, here's this guy who, in the United States on TV, he was, like, called “America's dad,” right? So, you know, he had the sitcom, had the perfect family, was this squeaky-clean image, this guy and the whole time you know he was drugging and raping women. And, it was even, you know, people even came out and said that they had heard rumors of him doing it, you know, even ten or fifteen years ago, but everybody kept quiet. Nobody said anything—they didn't want to upset Hollywood, they didn't want to blacklist themselves from being hired for movies or for roles. And so, he was just able to perpetuate these horrible acts, because people didn't want to speak up. They’re worried about the repercussions and so it's good to see now that it's like a “better late than never” kind of a situation. So now that you've seen, you know, people like Bill Cosby, like Harvey, they're being held accountable and, you know, it's showing women, especially, you know, you don't have to be ashamed that this happened. You can talk about it and there are gonna be people that support you and, hopefully, now there's more of, there's less of this stigma with it. And more people, you know, take a woman's word for it because, you know, for years and years and even now sometimes, a woman will come out and say something happened and people say, “Maybe she's making up a story and maybe she just wants attention.” And, you know, really, you don't want to discourage that—those kinds of, that kind of reporting. You don't want people to feel uncomfortable and when something bad happens, they should be able to say what happened and feel like they can be helped and protected. So again, while it's something bad that happened, I think in the end, hopefully, it's gonna turn out to be a good societal change. And just a quick reminder, if you are interested in taking private classes with Dynamic English, go ahead and check out our website at dynamicenglish.cl and there you can sign up for private classes in your apartment, in your house, in your office. You can even now take classes online. Sitting on your couch, you can log on and practice English. It's very easy. So, if you're interested, check us out also on social media through Facebook or Instagram.

Paige: Absolutely. I mean, I think here in Chile, there has been such a powerful feminist movement. I mean, you had the performance that was in November, “Las Tesis” about basically that enough is enough. Women are sick of being told, “Oh, it’s the way you dressed. Oh, it's where you were. Oh, you put yourself in that situation.” And the performance was all about that it's not my fault, like, I should be able to live my life and not be sexually assaulted, not be victimized. And that performance went global. I mean, it was then performed in, like, almost every continent, I think. So, it's really powerful how this message has really spread. I think what makes me most angry is, I was reading an article this morning about Harvey and he's coming out of the courthouse and he's wearing this walker. And like, here was this guy who before this movement was like, strutting powerful king, king on top of his castle and then, like, now he’s, like, this decrepit old man. He’s, like, kind of like a performance of “feel bad for me.” Right?

Ian: Yeah, honestly, it seems, like, very inauthentic. It seems like, you know, this is all a ploy to get people to feel bad for him, feel sorry for him. Look, you know, he's the sick, crippled man when, you know, come on man…

Paige: And that's what kills me is you see this all the time, in the US, probably in other countries, of just people never owning up to their actions. I mean, here's a guy, there's so much evidence, there was over eighty or ninety women that are accusing you, witnesses, everything, like, you're guilty. Like, it's so obvious and yet, he's still spending millions on a defense, fighting, denying it to the end. I mean, he got convicted but he's gonna appeal it, and he's gonna continue to appeal it. And he has a lot of money, he'll probably not face that much jail time, who knows. But it's just, like, really man? Just, you did it—like, just say sorry and face the consequences. This other thing I read too that upset me is his lawyer, who is a female, which is obviously a strategy by his defense, right? That he's a feminist, to have a female lawyer. When he was convicted, they actually handcuffed him and immediately brought him in jail, which is great. But the lawyer said, “Oh, well, you know, this is wrong. They shouldn't do this, but Harvey's gonna take it like a man.” And it's like, what does that mean? Like, this rapist, like is, like, really a tough guy and uh, “take it like a man.” Like, what?

Ian: Yeah, she could have chosen better words than that.

Paige: Right? I just feel like you're, like, perpetuating the problem. The whole problem is that he's machista, like sexist, rapist but, like, you're saying that, like, he's a good, strong man?

Ian: A good strong man walking in his walker, right?  I mean, it just comes across as so phony. And it's more like a, you know, it almost seems like a kid who got in trouble and now is trying to be, you know, come across as, “I’m sorry” and apologetic and it's like, man, it's way too late for that—way too late for that. And what you've done is horrible. You can't take that back. And like I said earlier, yeah, it's good to see people, like, being held accountable for these things that, obviously, need accountability.

Paige: No, I think this was a big moment for the movement because, unfortunately, in a lot of countries and definitely in the US, there is a culture of this was okay, because it was the way it always was, you know. You can talk about women, their bodies, their clothes, touch them at work, do certain things and it's the culture—it’s just the way it is. “Oh, he's just an old guy or he's this…” And I think now that you see people are going to jail and being held accountable, it's like, okay, I'm gonna think twice before I put that woman in the situation or say that comment that's probably very offensive.

Ian: There's more cases coming, right? In different states for him. So, I think he just got sentenced in New York but I believe there's still a pending case in California. So, we're going to stay close to the case, see what else happens to Harvey. But like we just talked about, you know, it's good to see now that people are being held accountable for these actions and hopefully, this will set a precedent for everything in the future—let’s hope. Also, again if you get lost, go online and check out that transcript and audio guide. Thanks a lot for tuning in and listening.

Ian: And we'll see you next time.

Paige: “Coffee with Gringos” was brought to you by Dynamic English, where you can learn English simply by using it. If you’re interested in taking classes or just want to learn more, go to our website at dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening.

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang:

 1.     topical (adjective): current, relevant

a.     There are many subjects of topical interest in the news today.

2.     to bear with someone (phrasal verb): to be patient with someone.

a.     This is a long story so bear with me…

3.     allegation (noun): a claim that someone has done something wrong or illegal, usually without proof.

a.     The women made allegations about what Harvey did to them in Hollywood.

4.     charged (adjective): to be accused of a crime.

a.     He was charged with severe prison time.

5.     convicted (adjective): declared guilty of a crime by a judge and jury.

a.     He was convicted of sexual assault in New York.

6.     jury (noun): group of people who are chosen to make the decision (verdict) of a legal case.

a.     The jury returned to the court with guilty verdicts in the case of Harvey.

7.     monumental (adjective): very important.

a.     This has been a monumental case for sexual assault victims.  

8.     to dismiss (verb): to ignore, to treat something as unimportant.

a.     They dismissed everything the woman said because they didn’t believe her story.

9.     deplorable (adjective): horrible, unforgivable

a.     He did deplorable things to those women and should be held accountable.

10.  to exploit (verb): to take advantage of someone or something in a negative or selfish way.

a.     Hollywood producers exploit actors in order to get what they want.  

11.  not going to fly (idiom): something isn’t going to be acceptable anymore; not be okay.

a.     Treating women like objects is not going to fly anymore in the workplace.

12.  silver lining (noun): a positive advantage that comes from a negative situation.

a.     The silver lining of quarantine is being able to spend more time with family.

13.  under the table (idiom): secretly

a.     He was paying women under the table to not report his actions to the police.

14.  sitcom (noun, abbreviation): short for “situational-comedy.” A funny TV program with relatable characters and situations.  

a.     “Friends” is one of the most famous sitcoms of all time.

15.  squeaky-clean (compound adjective): very clean, completely clean.

a.     Look at the kitchen! It’s squeaky-clean.

16.  to blacklist (verb): to exclude or refuse to accept someone for a certain job or position.

a.     The women listened to his orders since they didn’t want him to blacklist them from working in Hollywood again.

17.  to perpetuate (verb): to continue, to preserve

a.     They were able to perpetuate their terrible actions for over twenty years.

18.  repercussion (noun): consequence or result.

a.     There were many repercussions for their actions.

19.  stigma (noun): something considered unacceptable or shameful.

a.     Telling the truth about the crimes was considered a stigma for many years.

20.  to take someone’s word for it (phrasal verb): to believe what someone says.

a.     The jury took the woman’s word for it due to her sad story.

21.  walker (noun): a device used to help support injured or disabled people to be able to walk.

a.     Harvey has been seen using a walker when leaving the courthouse.

22.  to strut (verb): to walk in an arrogant or conceited way.

a.     The celebrities strut around Hollywood like they own it.

23.  decrepit (adjective): weak, old.

a.     Did you see that decrepit old man crossing the street?

24.  inauthentic (adjective): false, not true.

a.     Using a walker in court seemed very inauthentic.

25.  ploy (noun): clever plan or action used to take advantage of something.

a.     The president has a ploy to use the citizens to get his power.

26.  crippled (adjective): disabled; unable to walk or move normally.

a.     Her grandfather is crippled so it’s not easy for him to leave the house.

27.  to own up to one’s actions (phrasal verb): to take responsibility for something.

a.     He needs to just own up to his actions and admit his guilt.

28.  convicted (adjective): declared guilty of a crime by a judge and jury.

a.     He was convicted of sexual assault in New York.

29.  to appeal (verb): to apply to change a court’s decision.

a.     Harvey is going to appeal the charges of the court.

30.  handcuffed (adjective): to secure someone’s hands so that they cannot move them or use them.

a.     The criminals were handcuffed and brought to the police station.

31.  phony (adjective): fake, not real.

a.     His regret seemed so phony to the jury.

32.  sentenced (adjective): to be given a punishment for a crime.

a.     It’s possible that he will be sentenced to many years in prison.

33.  precedent (noun): example, guide, standard

Hopefully, this case sets a precedent regarding sexual assault cases