Case Analysis: Harvey Weinstein

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Semiotics Final: Harvey Weinstein

The subject that I have chosen for this essay is Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein is a former movie producer for Miramax and concert promoter who has been accused of rape, sexual assault, and sexually harassment by 83 women in total. Women that he raped and tried to force to have sex with include actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Lisa Rose, and Rose McGowan, just to name a few. Weinstein will go on trial soon in response to some of these rape allegations (Rutenberg and Eber 1-2). The Weinstein case brings up the issues of gender inequality and sexism, ideas, and cultural frameworks that have existed and continued to survive since the beginning of time. The actions of Weinstein have been able to perpetuate over the years, …show more content…

Anyone interested in a Hollywood career and who crossed his path career wise knew that getting into Weinstein’s good graces meant a possible lucrative career. Weinstein’s Miramax movie production symbol was a sign of success and making it big in the film world. Weinstein’s films, such as “Shakespeare in Love” “Gangs of New York” and “Good Will Hunting” were all hits. Weinstein seemed to have a knack for producing movies that attracted movie goers and that made much money. This skill helped elevate his social status in …show more content…

This is evident in an article by (Moniuszko and Kelly 1) that discusses how Weinstein treated Rosanna Arquette after she refused his sexual advances, which is evident in the passage, “She says the producer told her she was making a big mistake by rejecting him and claims he has made things very difficult for (her) for years” (Moniuszko and Kelly 1).
The connotative meaning is that any reports of rape on his part can be “fixed” and “handled” with manipulation. Payoffs were also something that Weinstein did to keep women quiet about their sexual assault and harassment claims. Zelda Perkins, an assistant for the movie producer, was subjected to sexual harassment almost every day from Weinstein. Perkins and another female worker that he assaulted were paid over $300,000 in exchange for keeping quiet and not reporting him to police (Moniuszko and Kelly

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