Why is Kevin Spacey More Condemned Than Others?

I am pissed at Kevin Spacey. It's true that I've never been a massive fan of his, though American Beauty stands up to the test of time. House of Cards helped launch Netflix into the original programming arena and earned him multiple Emmy nominations. Even the allegations that Anthony Rapp leveled at Spacey can take that away. That story that Rapp told about Spacey coming on to him is why I have such vehement anger at the Oscar winner. But a friend asked me a question that needs to be examined: Why is Kevin Spacey getting the wrong end of publicity surrounding sexual abuse and sexual harassment that has engulfed Hollywood over the last month?

Some have suggested that it's because he's a gay man. It is a fair point, in Trump's America, anyone who isn't a straight, white man is due to be judged harshly. Yet, I think blaming politics for it seems a cheap and easy way to deflect from the situation at hand. If we blame everything on Trump and his band of bigots, then we never look inside of ourselves to see what is really going on, we never discover the real problem.

While the Harvey Weinsteins and James Tobacks are disgusting and vile human beings, their victims were of legal age (so far). Anthony Rapp was 14 years old when Kevin Spacey tried to seduce him. And despite what some people might say to me, being drunk is not an excuse for hitting on a minor. Neither is the fact that he was at an adult party. Here's why, Spacey was 26 years old and if he can't handle his liquor without feeling some type of way about a 14-year-old, then he does not need to be drinking. And don't come at me with, well we all get horny when we're drinking. That might be true, though I am sure some of my friends will argue that point for me, even in an inebriated state you can tell the difference between a grown man and a teenage boy. This isn't a TV show; it's real life.

Here's something that is hard for me to write but it is at least part of the reason I think people are being so brutal on Spacey. He botched his statement but let people into a part of his life that many had gossiped about for years but never were invited into for real. Instead of just apologizing or saying "I don't remember but....", he said all of that and then said, "btw I'm gay." I have covered entertainment news for quite some time, and I will promise you that if you want to add fire to a story, start talking about your personal life. Want to know why the Ben Affleck story is a non-starter? Because we all know he's a creepy perv, and he dropped out of sight. Why does the Harvey Weinstein scandal stay in the headlines? Because he's a creepy perv that the American public knew almost nothing about, but now we are learning more about him.

The eyes are rolling at that analysis but think about this. Brett Ratner was just accused of harassing women, and Warner Brothers acted very quickly to get rid of the contract that they had with him. He was kicked off the studio's lot and going into hiding. The headlines about him are still out there today but dimming, why? Because he left visibility, he said nothing about his personal life. By inviting people into that corner of his life, Spacey has also attracted scrutiny into everything about him.

Should one feel bad that production on House of Cards has been indefinitely suspended? Maybe for the rest of the cast and the crew. Should we feel sorry for Spacey that his movie about Gore Vidal is in limbo with production partner Netflix? Sure but then why not feel sorry for Harvey Weinstein, who lost his company and the respect of the movie industry as a whole? The answer is because he committed a crime, and he is deserving of the punishment. So is Spacey, there are at least five more people who have come forward with similar stories about him using his celebrity status to harass men sexually, though most of those seemed to be over the age 18.

A mix of the story coming out of the most significant upheaval Hollywood has ever seen, the public's sentiments on sexual abuse/harassment is an issue that seems to be a unifying issue, and good old celebrity scandal is why things seem harsh for Kevin Spacey. But look at some of the other people who are being accused of the same thing, and you'll see that it's not just an arbitrary punishment system. Everyone is getting the same treatment. Equality for all.