Woody Allen’s ex-partner, Mia Farrow, and estranged son, Ronan Farrow, have revived accusations that he raped his seven-year-old adopted daughter, Dyan Fallow, some 21 years ago. After having read Robert B. Weide’s analysis of the case, I think the accusations (not charges, because prosecutors never filed charges) are unproved.
Grace Olmstead, writing for the American Conservative, thinks he probably is guilty because this is the kind of thing that an atheistic nihilist would be likely to do. She compared him to Dostoyevsky’s fictional Svidrigailov from Crime and Punishment who raped a mute 15=year-old girl because, as another Dostoyevsky character said, if God does not exist, all is permitted. Other writers suspend judgment on Allen’s guilt, but say his philosophy is a justification for child abuse.
What do these writers say about the child abuse perpetrated by priests of the Roman Catholic Church, who were then protected by the church? Were they atheists and nihilists? I don’t think so. I don’t think you can tell much about what people would do by the creeds to which they pay lip service.
LINKS
The Woody Allen Allegations: Not So Fast by Robert B. Weide for The Daily Beast.
Defending the Case Against Woody Allen by Grace Olmstead for the American Conservative.
Woody Allen, Nihilist by Damon Linker for This Week. Hat tip to Rod Dreher.
UN Report Blasts Catholic Church for Systematic Child Abuse Coverup, an interview of Kirsten Sandberg, chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, on the Real News Network.
I know that there are celebrities who’ve gotten away with sexual abuse of children for years. I also know from personal acquaintance that innocent people can be falsely accused as a byproduct of martial or child custody disputes. Based on what I’ve read, I think that Allen’s guilt has not been established, and that he is entitled to a presumption of innocence.
Tags: Atheism, Child abuse, Dylan Farrow, Nihilism, Sexual Abuse, Woody Allen
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