Hollywood displays its high regard for itself

Roman Polanski was arrested, surprisingly, in Switzerland on an old charge that he had fled from justice after having admitted to statutory rape - which his victim characterized as forcible rape. His hubris after attorneys recently attempted to get the old charges dropped probably led to his arrest. And it wasn't like the hubris was of recent origin. From a 1979 interview:

If I had killed somebody, it wouldn’t have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But… [having sex], you see, and the young girls. Judges want to [have sex with] young girls. Juries want to [have sex with] young girls. Everyone wants to [have sex with] young girls!

The resulting brouhaha says something about the mindset of the denizens of Hollywood, and other well-known media elites. Including those with apparent conflicts of interest. And those with sophisticated elite European outlooks. Some seem to think that art and artists deserve special status.

Meanwhile, even the French Public has started to re-think their support for Polanski. A few non-supporters from the arts and film industries have appeared, and many feminist bloggers on the Left have not jumped on the "release Polansky" bandwagon. This is the second time in recent months some of them have shown some independence from the larger elite Left on feminist issues. Maybe the "no enemies on the Left" juggernaut is starting to break down a little. Though at least one of these feminists still can't refrain from attacking conservatives (this time, for muscling in on the territory she believes belongs to "her side" by being against rape). The more prominent, more in-touch-with-reality feminist Susan Estrich has also refused to go along with the crowd.

Ace on how the public may view supporters of Polanski:

Among the signatories of the petition demanding the freeing of a rapist is Wes Anderson, director of Rushmore.

Why is that significant?

He just completed a children's film called The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

So, when you're deciding whether or not to bring your kids to see that movie, bear in mind, Wes Anderson wouldn't mind if one of his director-buddies raped your kids. Maybe that will take some of the magic out of the film.

The Anchoress on Polanski and the Pope