I don't know what happened at Mia Farrow's Connecticut house on Aug. 4, 1992. But as the national spotlight tragically focuses on anti-Asian sentiment, I have long wondered why no one addresses the fact that people are quick to believe to Farrow's white, telegenic children while dismissing abuse claims by her Asian and/or differently abled kids. Something is clearly amiss -- sadly, several of them aren't even around to speak for themselves -- yet I don't see prestige networks like HBO shelling out millions of dollars to examine their claims.
UPDATE: People who choose to believe the Farrows have long said that their side of the story was never fully heard because Woody Allen is a rich and powerful man, so he controlled the narrative. These days, Woody's one biological child, Ronan Farrow, is a rich and powerful man. (In 2018, HBO signed him for a documentary deal following his reporting on Harvey Weinstein, and the network curiously spent millions of dollars to produce a one-sided docuseries highlighting his point of view.) Might he have anything to do with a major news outlet reneging on an article about "Allen v. Farrow" featuring Woody's most knowledgeable defender? Decide for yourself HERE.
"How is this crazy story of me being brainwashed and coached more believable than what I’m saying about being sexually assaulted by my father?" -- Dylan Farrow in 2018.
In a New York Times piece about the HBO docuseries "Allen v. Farrow," Alexis Soloski answered the question like this:
"Because that story reinforces norms of power and control. Because it supports an idea of women as conniving and untrustworthy. Because making women wrong ... is what our culture loves to do."
It's hard to argue with her reasoning given our history -- see also: Trump vs. Clinton -- and it should be said that everyone's default should be to believe people who say they were victims of abuse. But each accusation still needs to be evaluated on its own merits, so let me see if I can help Dylan understand why everyone isn't just rushing to believe her mother.
Early on, the thing that struck many as not ringing true is that a man who was living under an intense spotlight for an exceedingly inappropriate relationship would then suddenly commit -- for the one and only time in his life, by all accounts -- an act of incest and pedophilia. Although false sex-abuse accusations are rare, ones leveled at the height of a custody battle are "highly suspicious" in the opinion of a former child-protection worker and current trauma therapist. (And do you want to know what's even more rare than a false accusation? A pedophile who only acts on his impulses once.) Add to the equation that the child-disputing couple’s breakup involved an affair with the woman’s adult daughter and it was clear this case had no precedent.
While questionable mud was slung in both directions, it's what we do know to be true that has led people who have critically examined the case to find it “more believable” (that Dylan Farrow was brainwashed and coached) because it is more than a bit coincidental that the allegation surfaced a mere 72 hours after her mother begged a psychologist who had been helping the family to "find a way" to stop the Soon-Yi affair -- even talking about marrying(!) "satanic" and "evil" (Mia's words) Woody if necessary to bring it to an end. The doctor said there was absolutely nothing that could be done -- as the public winced but ultimately shrugged because Woody and his girlfriend's adopted daughter were consenting adults -- and then suddenly a whole new offense that the entire world would have to be outraged about fell into Mia’s lap. (It’s the QAnon playbook.) The doctor said Mia went from being hysterical to strangely calm once she “learned” her daughter had been sexually assaulted.
It also hasn’t gone unnoticed by objective observers that details have been added to the abuse incident that do not check out. (Read about the case of the magical disappearing electric troy train HERE, which also calls the filmmakers’ credibility into further question.)
Does this mean Mia brainwashed her daughter? Of course not. But what I have outlined might go a long way toward answering Dylan’s question.
Bravo to Arcade Publishing (an imprint of Sky Horse Publishing) for releasing Woody Allen's long overdue memoir, "Apropos of Nothing."(I ordered my copy but it quickly went out of stock everywhere.) The book reportedly tackles all subjects, including Mia Farrow's dubious allegations that he molested daughter Dylan one time -- and one time only(?!!) -- in the immediate aftermath of Farrow's discovery that he was having an unseemly sexual affair with her adopted daughter.
To which crimes are you referring, Ronan? Two separate investigations -- not to mention common sense -- cleared your father of any wrongdoing. And one strongly suggested your mother was culpable.
Jeannette Seaver, an editor who acquired the book, said that Arcade decided to publish the book not only on the merits of the material, but also on principle, to take a stand against Mr. Allen’s critics.
“In this strange time, when truth is too often dismissed as ‘fake news,’ we as publishers prefer to give voice to a respected artist, rather than bow to those determined to silence him,” she said in a statement. “We firmly believe in upholding the right to freedom of speech in the world of publishing and, as a result, we’re pleased to support not only this terrific book but also -- and even more importantly -- this democratic principle."
The timing couldn't be any more perfect during this pandemic-induced period of self-isolation -- can't wait to dig in!
Description:
In this candid and often hilarious memoir, the celebrated director, comedian, writer, and actor offers a comprehensive, personal look at his tumultuous life. Beginning with his Brooklyn childhood and his stint as a writer for the Sid Caesar variety show in the early days of television, working alongside comedy greats, Allen tells of his difficult early days doing standup before he achieved recognition and success. With his unique storytelling pizzazz, he recounts his departure into moviemaking, with such slapstick comedies as "Take the Money and Run," and revisits his entire, sixty-year-long, and enormously productive career as a writer and director, from his classics "Annie Hall," "Manhattan" and "Hannah and Her Sisters" to his most recent films, including "Midnight in Paris." Along the way, he discusses his marriages, his romances and famous friendships, his jazz playing, and his books and plays. We learn about his demons, his mistakes, his successes, and those he loved, worked with, and learned from in equal measure.
This is a hugely entertaining, deeply honest, rich and brilliant self-portrait of a celebrated artist who is ranked among the greatest filmmakers of our time.
Note to publisher: Congrats on nabbing the memoir of the year. But please fix your promotional materials that refer to his 1986 film as "Annie and Her Sisters." Yikes!
Longtime Woody Allen defender (and onetime collaborator) Bob Weide had this (above) to say about Ronan Farrow leading the charge to get his father's memoir canceled.
How ironic that he and sister Dylan think the director's fame, power and money have b(r)ought him undue control over the narrative and now this.
Here's my take: Don’t buy the book. Organize protests against buying the book. That’s how rational people voice their disagreement -- not suppressing its publication. (I'm in GOOD COMPANY here.)
If we're being honest, shouldn’t Woody Allen have been canceled for the declining quality of his films instead of a dubious allegation by a woman he publicly humiliated -- who was accustomed to being the humiliator?
How would you feel if you unearthed this quote from a prominent friend of Woody Allen‘s, citing his artistic merit, as a defense in the face of child molestation charges? “[He’s] a loyal friend, important to me, a distinguished director, important to the motion picture industry, and a brave and brilliant man, important to all people.” Would you be outraged? Would you issue a Tweet, calling out the friend as a rape enabler? Think about it. What would you do? The quote actually has nothing to do with your father. It appears in the probation report of Roman Polanski, written after the director had been charged with statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl. The statement was submitted by the director’s friend and colleague, Mia Farrow. Now read it again.
Polanski was convicted of drugging and then anally raping a 13-year-old girl.
Hate Woody Allen. Don’t see his movies anymore. He’s definitely a sleaze. (Starting a relationship with your girlfriend's adult daughter is unseemly at best.) But a DEEP DIVE convinces many that Mia Farrow is a bigger one to use her child to exact revenge. God knows it didn't go as quickly as planned. But here we are 28 years later and he is toxic because well-meaning but uninformed millennials are finally falling for her vindictive tricks.
For the uninitiated, the molestation allegation suddenly came up 72 hours after Mia begged a therapist to DO SOMETHING about Allen's affair with Soon-Yi and the therapist said nothing could be done. (The timing wouldn't pass muster in a fictional account.) After initially not supporting his sister’s claims, Ronan began trolling his father and writing essays against him, despite two investigations (one by the New York Department of Social Services and another by the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of Yale-New Haven Hospital) that concluded Dylan hadn’t been assaulted, and was likely coached into saying she was.
But #MeToo supporters don't seem interested in knowing the inconvenient details about this case -- they're too busy patting themselves on the back for telling Dylan they "believe" her. While believing people who say they have been abused is good, blind acceptance is not.
For me, #MeToo is about stopping men from abusing their power and creating new norms about what is and isn't acceptable -- not about settling 30-old-year scores.
If you're still unpersuaded, ask yourself this: Have you ever heard of a child molester acting on his urges just once? (Ditto for other predators -- Cosby, Weinstein, Spacey, et al.)
Speaking of hypocrisy: Hachette Books canceled Allen’s memoir over a three-decade-old claim that two investigations found to be untrue, but it will publish a memoir by Calum McSwiggan, the vlogger who did inextricable damage to LGBTQ people by allegedlyfaking a hate crime? (And he was actually convicted in a court of law.) Brave.
Hats off to Bob Weide who continues to fight the wood fight.
It's easy to forget this since Mia Farrow's allegations against Woody Allen were ages ago. But believe me, everyone who was paying close attention at the time reacted just as they did to the Jussie Smollett story that just unraveled. READ UP -- it's all still out there.
LGBTQ Nation: No, Dolly did NOT slam anybody -- but you might as well pop the corks on the Champagne bottles for Trump's re-election if we're going to keep this stupidity up ... (no link included because this clickbait trash deserves no traffic)
I wholeheartedly support the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. But each case needs to be judged on its own merits. I've yet to meet a person who has taken the time to thoroughly examine the Woody Allen allegations who is still convinced of his guilt -- and it appears I'm not alone.
Ronan Farrow -- who thinks trying to "discredit" his sister for running around repeating disproved allegations her mother fed her as a child is somehow beyond the pale -- wasted no time in trying to discredit the person who is in better position to know what happened than anyone. Even putting the molestation claims aside, how can Ronan so casually dismiss his brother's harrowing recollections of being physically and psychologically abused by their mother? That's what's beyond the pale here.
Says the 4-year-old with no memory of the events, and the adult who obviously cannot look at the facts impartially, despite devoting his life to a profession that requires him to be able to. #BelieveMoses #TrainInVain
