Michael Moore walks back from rape comment, but still can’t spare a dime

posted at 10:18 am on December 23, 2010 by SusanAnne Hiller
[ Culture ]   

Michael Moore apparently does have the capacity to know right from wrong with this clarification for his recent comments about the Julian Assange rape case being a “bunch of hooey” and Tommy Christopher has the wrap of the story:

A week after Countdown host Keith Olbermann and guest Michael Moore sparked a Twitter protest over their dismissive treatment of rape allegations against Wikileaks founderJulian Assange, Moore made an appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show in which he failed to address the protest directly, but made their imprint obvious in his transformed rhetoric on rape accusations. In a crowning irony, the man whose zeal for transparency-God Julian Assange started this protest finally made direct acknowledgement of it…in a private Twitter message to #MooreAndMe creator Sady Doyle.

Moore’s clarification on The Rachel Maddow Show went like this:

Every woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted or raped has to be, must be, taken seriously. Those charges have to be investigated to the fullest extent possible. For too long, and too many women have been abused in our society, because they were not listened to, and they just got shoved aside… The older people here remember how it used to be. It’s not that much better now, it got a little better, because of the women’s movement made that happen.

His statements must be cleansing to his soul and address Doyle, but the timing does appear that they are also in response to the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network’s (RAINN) statement and other mainstream outrage:

Yana Walton of the Women’s Media Center told The Daily Caller that progressive activists such as Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann, in their treatment and coverage of the charges against Assange, have made light of rape allegations and put blame on the alleged victims.

“When sexual violence and rape is such a huge part of women’s lives internationally I don’t think it is ever helpful to legitimize it. Rape is rape is rape is rape, and should be prosecuted as such,” Walton said.

It is not, however, just the left that has caused harm to women with the coverage of this case, Walton says. According to Walton, it is anti-female to care about rape only when there are other factors at play — in this case, the leakage of highly sensitive documents.

“Rape should be taken seriously regardless of the situation. And to sort of pick and chose when you deploy gender and care for women and sexual violence against women is doing just as much of a disservice to women,” Walton said.

For Moore, I’m sure this was hard as it took him a week to make it right and walk back his insensitive comments.  As cleansing this is to the soul, Moore needs to do, er, more.  He has no problem donating his cash to politicians and alleged rapists, so I’m going to take it one step further and ask him to really show some compassion for victims of sexual abuse by donating the same amount he gave Assange for bail–$20,000–to RAINN.  RAINN was co-founded by singer and rape survivor Tori Amos and Moore could truly show his Hollywood pals, some of whom are survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and women everywhere that he really is sorry.  As for Keith Olbermann, well you could toss in a few bucks, too.

I know the people at RAINN.  They work tirelessly to provide counseling to rape and sexual abuse victims–especially with the new online hotline–which I helped raise the primary funding for along with their team a couple of years ago.  I have friends who are surviviors and I’m sure you do too.  Moore has the opportunity to really make a difference now and walk the talk.  With money tight for so many donors in this brutal economy, donations to charities are down, but with Moore’s movies grossing over $187 million, I’m sure he doesn’t need the money as one of his favorite political organizations, MoveOn, tells us.  So, Mr. Moore just how compassionate to rape victims are you?  Will you click and donate?  Donations are tax-deductible, if that helps.

Blowback