Four of the twenty world news stories on the NZ Herald’s website, as of Friday 3rd May, are related to the wider Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal – Operation Yewtree. Something is wrong in Britain; at least with British entertainment and male entertainers.
Something was certainly wrong up until recently, the 1990s. One wonders why. Was it because the offenders retired – having lost the access, power, privileged position and status they relied upon to commit and conceal their crimes? The opportunity wasn’t there? Or was it because times were changing from their black and white TV, black and white minstrel show, whites-only BBC bar, Britain of the 1950s and 60s – where they could do as they please to girls (and also boys) of any age and be confident of receiving professional and social immunity? Or is it still going on unabated and we are only seeing the older offenders first? With the break-through of the Savile case and the numerous victims, the silent grip that had existed was released.
Who next?
The revelations that prominent British broadcasters have historic sex abuse allegations pending are unfolding and multiplying by the day. It feels as though the wave of police arrests and charges haven’t peaked yet. The story will no doubt be tackled in a challenging mini-series. Since none of the alleged so far had any serious artistic clout in the higher realms the series will probably be made and will be BAFTA material. They wouldn’t treat darlings like Roman Polanski the way they will treat these local working class pervs. They will get a kicking in the treatment as the disingenuous creeps they are. Long time coming. But that will be some way off; as for now the sensitivity around the Leverson media hacking inquiry has kept the usually feral tabloids and the rest of the British media in check, and perhaps this self-censorship has kept the collective magnitude of the offending off the radar until recently.
Beloved and beknighted, royal favourites, charity circuit schmoozers and award recipients that they may be today – tomorrow they are Scotland Yard’s public enemy No. 1 serial paedophile menace and a photo next to the pre-Savile tip of the iceberg, Gary Glitter. Video libraries worth of fond childhood memories are at stake. Their past performances are looked at in a different light. Awkward questions about two little boys, two little toys, the extra leg, and why the Abo’s were detained in the first place come to mind in one particular case.
The wilted, poisoned blossom of youth lies one upon another now on an altar of celebrity – the veil of mass media collective silence torn away. Forced to acknowledge the despoiled and the despoiler, we wonder how this could be. Like a contagion striking down otherwise decent and respected white men of a particular vintage we ask: is this a disease? Is it a disease made possible by that veil in the first place? An immunity of celebrity, reinforced by the media. The barrier the victim must overcome is that every person in any position to stop the offending or get justice for the victim has, via the media, a natural positively prejudiced inclination toward the perpertrator. The reactions from most are, ‘He’s a nice guy, he could never do that’, and we must not think that. Basically it is protecting a memory with a comforting lie at the expense of the truth and the victim. It must be incredibly difficult to get help in these social circumstances. On top of the physical abuse the victim then endures a form of bullying as no-one wants to be the first to start wrecking the career of a wealthy family entertainment icon and the pressure is to shut them up rather than let them speak out. Not that it’s just a British disease, for example after accusations about the lead actor, the Aussie TV shitcom, ‘Hey, Dad’, it would have been more appropriately called ‘Hey, Dad don’t’. NZ has suppression rules so I can’t even mention what ever happened to … and …
If it is a disease then TVNZ’s Man in Europe, Garth Bray, may have single-handedly examined and diagnosed one of the freshest cases. Our Ken Barlow – Bill Roache – the dull grey man appearing in the dull grey Coronation Street since it began in dull grey 1960 has had his chat down at the cop shop and is awaiting a court date. He’s not even the first from the dreadful Coro St. caught in the Savile sweep either. Bray deserves some credit here because he must have created enough rapport in what was just a promo i/v for some bullshit tour for Roache to open up and share what he really thinks.
What an insight into the predator/abuser it was: the rejection and transference of blame from abuser to victim. Roache said the girls ‘trap’ them. And when Bray asked whether Roache – who has famously slept around on his wives – was involved in anything like the Savile scandal he started his reply: ‘I don’t know…’. Mmm, hmm. Probably not the best answer. And then he mumbled and screwed his face up and looked as though he was arguing the case in his head about whether it could be or not, but sided for not really… but after considering it. Probably not the best answer. Then he went on to say that he believes in kharma and reincarnation and that the victims of abuse bring it on themselves… in part. Which was probably another answer that was not the best. And that accused should have anonymity… Terrible answers, wrong answers – but truthful answers, real answers. This is the mind of the abuser and Bray did us all a favour when he coaxed it out of the shadows.
I always enjoyed classic British comedy, sexual innuendo being a signature piece of the formula that made so many series so amusing. But with recent revelations, one is inclined to be distracted while watching these series, one is inclined to wonder are these characters paedophiles, rapists or perverts? It begins to erode the charm these series once had. It’s easy to imagine all that sexual innuendo and smutty comedy emanating as a toned down product from all the perversion familiar behind the scenes.
With many entertainers of that era now dead, how many have avoided justice? Even after death if revelations should come to light, it’ll have an incredibly damaging effect on so much loved programming and indeed business for the modern industry. The current set of revelations is damaging enough. As a viewer it’s all very disillusioning.
But I suppose it’s not all that unusual, the entertainment industry is easy to associate with privilege, sex and drugs. Should any perverted behaviour arise it should come as no surprise.
The Bill Roache interview on the news – I thought what a nut. Coronation Street – to think my parents have been following that rubbish for fifty years. Two perverts are all the more reason to turn that rubbish off. How many more perverts are yet to be outed?
Unbelieveably, One News LEAD story was the Bill Roache sex scandal. Are we really THAT superficial now, that we care more about celebrity scandal (not even NZ celebrity!) than genuine issues? The Feed the Children bill is being debated for fuck sake. It is just a little bit frightening.
That’s right Selwyn, drop ’em all from the gallows before they get a trial.
Hahaha ! My God ! We’re witnessing a surreal thing here . A parallel Universe of reality ! It’s just soooooooooooo fucked up ! Of course what’s ‘really ‘ happening is that lids are being prized off cans of worms . roger douglas ? ruth richardson ? I hope you’re shitting bricks right now you greedy , evil [ ugly slang for female genitalia ] . The truth will out ! ( From Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, 1596: ) The cold sweat ? The sudden urgency of the bowls ? The fear of the phone call ? Who’s that knocking ? You might ask ; what’s the connection between an aging Coronation Street lothario and a sack of swindlers ? Use your imagination if you dare . To me , it suggests fear . It’s the fear of being found out . It’s a scent like no other to the inquiring mind . Tim Selwyn ! Brilliant . You’re a brave bastard and you have my respect .
What’s going to happen when they start investigating every famous rock band and rock star from the 1960s and 1970s for having sex with under age girls. I’m sure bands like the Beatles and Rolling Stones etc didn’t ask girls for ID when they went back stage. According to Albert Goldman, author of The Lives of John Lennon, it was pretty much like a conveyor belt for the Beatles while they were touring. There was a reason the mantra of the rock era was ‘sex,drugs& rock and roll.
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