Petersen in his The Donna Reed Show days
Paul Petersen, 72, the former child star who has installed himself as a one-man-driven support group (A Minor Consideration) for others who have found themselves beaten up by Hollywood, has issued a very problematic screed on the heels of the sex scandals that are plaguing Hollywood.
It is important to read some of his words for what they are — pure, unbridled homophobia.
Under the guise of advocating for children and speaking out against pedophilia and sexual assault — which no sane person favors — he implies in several passages that he thinks it is gay men who are the scourge.
Never mind that Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K. and the majority of the men being hauled to the carpet over alleged sexual impropriety did so against women — to Petersen, this is a problem, first and foremost if not exclusively, with “alternate lifestyles.”
Read his post after the jump, and think twice before siding with anyone attempting to bury a gay public figure unless the evidence is there (Kevin Spacey is indefensible), because they may have this same agenda ...
Reposted from Facebook, as written by Paul Petersen — highlights in blue are mine to underscore the right-wing, illogical and/or homophobic aspects of this rant:
It is time to face facts. Sinister forces are at work in Hollywood led by a collection of Gatekeepers whose alternate lifestyles blind them to the damage they are doing to children who understandably want to participate in the entertainment business.
We have gone beyond a “trend” into a dangerous reality where “like” only hires “like.” If you remember the Glass Ceiling days of the 50’s when it was conclusively shown that men had a witting or unwitting tendency to favor other men when it came to employment in the corporate world, thus shutting out qualified women from moving up the ladder of success, then you will understand how this system of like-mindedness works.
Contrary to the delightful diversity of kids who come in all shapes and sizes, children are being driven into Hollywood’s version of the cookie cutter by soulless power brokers who do not like children, do not have any of their own, and don’t care a whit for the future they are fabricating. Too many people in Tinsel Town think and act with their crotch. We’re faced with an endless procession of androgynous boys and size zero girls who may as well be boys with breasts.
What’s happened? Ask Corey Feldman. What must he think as Roman Polanski remains an employable commodity despite a conviction for his conduct with a thirteen year old girl? I don’t care how long ago his flight to escape imprisonment happened.
What permits Disney to employ a convicted sex offender after his release from prison to direct a movie that featured children?
What was Barbara Walters thinking when she dismissed Corey’s allegations when she surely knew of Hollywood’s dirty laundry and vast predation on kids who are seen as prey items? What do we really think of Woody Allen? How can a 13 year old actress be named among Hollywood’s sexist females?
What combination of dark forces can keep the lid on aggressive sexual misconduct by Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein? Is it political correctness or something darker that leads to a vocal uniformity of political opinion and outright discrimination against anyone who professes a more conservative view?
If people who share a dark secret excessively populate the world of managers, casting agents and producers…and use these Gatekeepers to advance only those children who have already been compromised…what message does that send to the juvenile talent pool?
Bad behavior and evil intent have been excused for so long Hollywood no longer knows the difference between Right and Wrong despite overwhelming evidence that the permissive society they’re fostering in education, sports and popular entertainment has already produced a hate-filled culture.
I have long argued with the creative community in Hollywood that they are emphatically not protected by the 1st Amendment…not in a collaborative enterprise where you actually go out and hire real people to act out your fantasy. If a businessman went out and hired a minor to disrobe, wantonly twerk and spout foul language while filming it with his cell phone he would be sent to jail for the miscreant he is. Hollywood pretends it’s exempt from other people’s judgment, especially when it comes to children.
The factory managers who control the talent conveyor deserve our condemnation when they fail to police their own, be they gay or straight, liberal or conservative, religious or not. Children are vulnerable, especially as they arrive at their puberty.
Human nature is unique in that procreation is not always the aim of sexual congress, especially for pedophiles. In that regard, boys are actually a better target than girls.
Isn’t it almost always an adult that introduces the young into the world of sex? What was it really like, that first time? The powerful always take advantage of the powerless. By dangling the keys to the kingdom in front of Hollywood Hopefuls the movers and shakers in this Industry have much to answer for.
Only one thing keeps me from demanding draconian penalties for those adults who tip over into the dark side of sexual predation of the youngsters who surround the entertainment community, and that is the reality of sexual awareness of the very young themselves who live within the influence of ever-declining definitions of what that threshold of permitted behavior actually is, and with whom you can explore emergent sexuality. Here’s the rub:
Tens of thousands of youngsters, perhaps millions if truth be told, already know where they stand when it comes to using the physical tools they were given. They already know what they are willing to do to get ahead or escape their reality. They’ve already decided their preference and identified media role models by the time they finish grade school.
Pedophiles depend on this…and on an absence of supervision...so they seek out positions with kids where they are granted special privileges. And so our ambitious juvenile finally passes through the gauntlet and lands that long-sought after job and goes to work that first day in an exclusive, highly insulated environment filled with people who have gone through the same process…the writers, choreographers, make-up people, costumers, directors, and last but not least, actors (gasp).
Woe to the performer who comes out from behind the mask. In Hollywood it’s just not done.
Till now.
COMMENTS