$30,000 and an Apple Computer

Writing in the New York Times Candace Bushnell goes where no one else has dared to go. The author of Sex and the City asks questions no one else has dared to ask about Harvey Weinstein. The rest of us are blinded by outrage, so we have missed points that a clearer, less emotional head now asks.

First question: when is enough enough?

As a highly successful man, Harvey Weinstein was able to marry twice, each time to a beautiful woman. As a highly successful man, Harvey Weinstein was no doubt capable of having a couple of gorgeous and grateful mistresses who didn’t mind putting up with his sexual peccadillos and the fact that he was married. As a highly successful man, Harvey Weinstein probably had a few Russian hookers on the side — we’re not all puritans here, we know it happens.

Nevertheless, as a woman, I have to ask: Wasn’t a beautiful wife, three mistresses and maybe six Russian hookers enough?

Second question: what is the relevance of Weinstein’s aesthetically repulsive appearance? Call it the up close and personal question:

Indeed, Harvey’s visage, unlike the symmetrical Hollywood beauties with whom he would later surround himself, wasn’t easy on the eyes. One smaller black shark eye sat noticeably lower than the other, larger one. His flesh was so pockmarked, it appeared as if chewed by a wild beast.

Third question: I know you will find it impossible to believe but one of Bushnell’s liberated friends had no problem pretending to find Weinstein irresistibly attractive… as a career move:

However, a lack of pulchritude never stops rich, powerful men from getting consensual sex, which is what happened when he met one of my girlfriends.

She was thrilled when Harvey arrived banging on her door at two in the morning. She thought it meant Harvey was crazy about her. All through dinner he’d only paid attention to her and told her how smart she was. She was very beautiful and it was very important to her that people thought she was smart as well. She fell under Harvey’s sway. She allowed that while he was “ugly” she found Harvey bizarrely “sexy.” I wrote all about her battles in Four Blondes and Trading Up, and the one thing that drew her toward him was that she honestly believed he wanted her to succeed. He was going to help her. He bought her her first Apple computer (she was broke, of course) and she was thrilled when he gave her $30,000 to write a screenplay.

And yes, I know that the word “pulchritude” normally refers only to female beauty, but, hey, don’t be so judgmental. It merely shows that you be extra cautious when using a Thesaurus. But now we know the price for a roll on the memory foam… which is always worth knowing. For a woman who did not want to be a movie star, the going price was $30,000 and an Apple computer.

Fourth and most salient question: why harass women who don’t want you when you can have all the women you want:

Which gets back to the point of why Harvey’s behavior towards masses of women is so astoundingly egregious: Why harass all those women who don’t want to have sex with you when there are women who do, for whatever bizarre and personal and perhaps desperate reason.

Who are consenting?

Whom, one assumes, are occasionally saying, yes?

What the fuck more do you want, Harvey?

As it happens, the last question answers itself. It appears that Harvey could not accept that any woman would not want him. If you subject this idea to interpretation, it can only mean that he could not understand why any woman would really want him. And you thought that he was delusional....

I hope that this clarifies the issue.