Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis issued an apology on Saturday in response to criticism over their character letters in support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
The three women were members of the Church of Scientology, as is Masterson. All three women said they were initially hesitant to speak to law enforcement because they said church teachings discouraged reporting to police. The women eventually left the church.
Cults are bad, people. Religion is bad because it’s a normalized / accepted cult. Eff this guy.
I noticed that Topher Grace didn’t get mentioned for writing a letter to the judge. I’ve never thought he’s a great actor (he was pretty good in Traffic), but I like him a bit more now.
I am so tired of this dynamic, both in high profile cases and in my own local community. If people gave even a tenth of the support they give to accused predators, to the actual people they have hurt, the world would be a completely different place. I don’t understand the instinct here to shame and ostracize survivors but lionize the people accused of rape and abuse. I’m exhausted.
Edit: I want to add: People do deserve support while they work on changing, but this isn’t that. They were trying to help his case and rehabilitate his character, not help him take accountability and make amends. That’s what makes it so awful. You can support someone you love in taking responsibility for their their actions, without downplaying the seriousness of it or shielding them from what they did. This is the latter. People always say they’re doing the former, but there is a massive distinction.
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I am so tired of this dynamic, both in high profile cases and in my own local community. If people gave even a tenth of the support they give to accused predators, to the actual people they have hurt, the world would be a completely different place. I don’t understand the instinct here to shame and ostracize survivors but lionize the people accused of rape and abuse. I’m exhausted.
Edit: I want to add: People do deserve support while they work on changing, but this isn’t that. They were trying to help his case and rehabilitate his character, not help him take accountability and make amends. That’s what makes it so awful. You can support someone you love in taking responsibility for their their actions, without downplaying the seriousness of it or shielding them from what they did. This is the latter. People always say they’re doing the former, but there is a massive distinction.