Harvey Weinstein wants your sympathy.
A news report released toda y revealed that the disgraced movie producer and convicted sex offender is suffering from a form of genital gangrene.
But if the release of this information is supposed to invoke sympathy, Weinstein better come back in another lifetime to find it, because we’re all fresh out of it in this one.
While Harvey Weinstein is, arguably, the most infamous person to have a reckoning in the wake of the #MeToo movement, his behavior must not be downplayed.
Over a period of at least thirty years, Weinstein used his position at both Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company to commit various criminal acts, including sexual abuse, sexual assault, and rape.
And while “the casting couch ” certainly existed long before Weinstein came to power in Hollywood — and by no means was Weinstein the first film producer to take advantage of aspiring starlets — he certainly helped normalize the current culture of fear of retribution in Hollywood.
To this day, aspiring actors and actresses fear the repercussions of speaking out against a predatory producer or director — and it was Weinstein who perfectly finessed this culture of fear to his advantage.
Though, ultimately, Harvey Weinstein would only be convicted of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual acts in the first degree, more than 80 women — from Lupita Nyong’o to Cate Blanchett — had accused him of sexual abuse, sexual assault, or outright rape.
To put it bluntly: Weinstein used his penis as a lethal weapon, insidiously invading the minds of women all over New York and Hollywood, and instilling fear and shame into their already-fragile minds.
One of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, Jessica Mann, first intimated that there might be something wrong when she saw his penis as he was assaulting her (gross…). Mann testified that it looked like he had “burns in his nether regions,” which led to much chittering in the blog-osphere about Weinstein’s “deformed penis.”
As it turns out, though, Weinstein’s deformed penis is a result of Fournier’s gangrene. The disease occurs when bacteria enters through a cut or scratch on the genitals and makes its way through the bloodstream. The disease mostly affects older men with diabetes — and Harvey Weinstein is both.
Considered a rare and necrotic infection, Fournier’s gangrene is lethal if left untreated.
I’m not sure what Harvey Weinstein was trying to provoke with this information — sympathy? An early release? Or was he implying that he got it from one of his victims? — but whatever it was, he can save it.
His predatory behavior helped provide a breeding ground for inequality and traumatized countless women. He was a corrupt man who abused his power for his own gain. And his subsequent behavior demonstrates how weak and pathetic he truly is.
Harvey Weinstein getting genital gangrene while sitting in prison after getting convicted of rape is the Hollywood ending we all deserve.