As big of a pig as this guy is, every victim of his assaults that accepted money to remain quiet, are just as bad

Consequences can’t be imposed on the perps if the victims are willing to be paid off. I can see some obscure, new to Hollywood actress deciding that nothing good can come of reporting the assault, but when you’re a relatively big name and the abuse is an ‘open secret’, there’s just no excuse. People talk about how ‘powerful’ this guy was. A big part of the reason a pig like him can be so powerful is because the people surrounding him are willing to be dollar-worshiping doormats and enablers. Sadists and sociopaths will always exist no matter how they are raised and no matter how healthy society’s attitudes are. It’s the responsibility of ‘normal’ people to not be ruled by apathy and greed and to actually care about others and to NOT enable these bastards. Just think how different things would be if it was normal for anyone who knew about this ‘open secret’ to openly deride this creep BY NAME to the public and refuse to work with him.

It took a recording for his victims to come forward. They only did it once it was "safe". Any one of his victims could have been the one to do it even at the cost of losing everything they had, but the fact that they weren't willing to risk it, and prioritized their careers and their wealth over getting the man behind bars, means they have no place to call him out for the scumbag he is. They're just as guilty.

Of course they were scared, but you don't need power and influence to knock down the king. Consider how easy it was for his victims to come out once one decided to come clean. Like a domino effect, they are now all coming out to speak out against his crimes. All it could have taken is that same effect to happen earlier for him to stop reigning terror against these women, but due to their cowardice, and their focus on their money and wealth and rich bitch lifestyle, they swept it under the rug and pretended it wasn't there. They enabled him to cast his sexual assaults against women for two decades. All because they were "scared". Cowardice shouldn't be defended. These women could have done something and chose not to. They are undeserving of sympathy or respect.

<< Nobody has any business in getting to decide how a victim must respond to being victimized. Ever. >>

Your post is very insightful.

The thing I hate about people decreeing what hoops a victim "should" jump through afterwards is, It drags the person into what can be years of investigation and litigation and scrutiny that they never signed on for. Someone attacked them, which is hard enough to deal with...and now they're expected to just automatically drop everything without question and go through all the cr@p that can come with seeking revenge? Of course it would be ideal for society if everyone were capable of doing that, but there are also people out there who might have their hands full just dealing with holding it together after incidents like that.

It's the same mentality that expects a woman to have to carry a child to term that's the result of a rape. She didn't sign on for that, and shouldn't be burdened with it if she's not interested. Those people can go have a rapist's baby if they think it sounds so great.

Not to mention that re: Weinstein, some of these women did tell others at Miramax, or costars, about what was done to them...and were discouraged from taking it further. So now, those women were supposed to take on all those people, too? Without support? They're just actresses in their teens and twenties, for god's sake, not Joan of Arc.
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No. It's not just theirs alone to deal with. When we live in a society that preaches and indoctrinates our boys that they're supposed to leave girls alone and not harass them and not rape them, but then will aid and abed those very same predators as long as they hold power, then NOTHING will ever be accomplished. You're fighting a lost cause. This isn't just a battle that victims have to fight, it's a battle SOCIETY has to fight. And there's no possible way that society can do that by preaching to the choir while sweeping REAL GENUINE RAPE AND ABUSE under the rug because the predator has sway over your career. What you're really saying then, is that for all the virtue signalling in Hollywood, you want the men of greater society to behave one way, but as long as those same men have enough power and influence, you're willing to ignore your own values. And that's the worst message of all. Because then it teaches boys that rape is bad, unless you can buy off your victims. Sexual assault is bad, unless you can guarantee them a rich and lavish lifestyle. That's the worst kind of hypocrisy imaginable. That, more than anything else, is what contributes to the rape culture that these false moralists profess. And that's why it should NEVER EVER be tolerated no matter who it is. Nothing will ever change so long as the victim never comes forward. And you know what? That's fine, but at least have the decency to stop bitching about rape culture when your silence perpetuates it. This is a two way street. Society as a whole is either in this together, or not at all.

I have one little problem with you statement:

"Nobody has any business in getting to decide how a victim must respond to being victimized. "

I don't know man. On the big picture, I agree with you. But... Sorry if a person had some domestic abuse and in the end the person who was abusing becomes a threat to let's say your children. Sorry I would have a hard time to accept the fact that as a victim you decided to not do anything about it.

What I agreecwith you though is that in this situation, your reasoning is legit... Partially. In a way, they were the "only" people affected by his abuses. On the other hand, them staying silence gave him the opportunity to do the same to other women.

So yeah... I kinda have a problem with your statement, even though it is actually true in most cases.

I am. That includes the victims.