An Open Letter from Dylan Farrow- Page 5

[larrystyles]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:12pm

Honestly my age probably has something to do with it. I was very young when these initial allegations came about and am just going on what Dylan is saying now. (And like I said I always believe victims before I believe their accused rapists.)

Do you have any links that have an objective view on what happened initially? Anything I've read is pro-Dylan or pro-Allen.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:18pm

I lived through the witch hunts of the '80s. I know the devastation caused by "just going on what" an accuser says, because to investigate or use critical thinking to analyze was to be seen as a collaborator. "Oh, so I suppose you're IN FAVOR of child abuse?" was something that got tossed around a lot.

I really recommend you read the Daily Beast article for a sense of the context of these allegations. And you might want to take note of Mia Farrow's long-time defense of her dear friend Roman Polanski after all these years.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:22pm

you might want to take note of Mia Farrow's long-time defense of her dear friend Roman Polanski after all these years.

Why? What conclusion am I to draw?

(I'm genuinely asking - this is a tough thing to get my head around, and it's hard to sort out my own feelings on the matter.)

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:26pm

Larry was furious at Cate Blanchett and EVERYONE who has continued to work with Woody Allen despite these allegations which were investigated at the time they were made and found to be untrue. This sets up the accusers, the various Farrows, as the righteously aggrieved, silenced and betrayed by the de facto support of Woody Allen by everybody he has since worked with.

Meanwhile, Ms. Farrow continues to support her dear friend Mr. Polanski who was in fact convicted of the abuse charges filed against him and then fled the country.

So, you see?

Updated On: 2/2/14 at 10:26 PM

[larrystyles]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:28pm

In my defense I did say that I side eyed Mia's support of Polanski and I still question it. Especially since I think she even went as far as testifying for him in court.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:32pm

Ah, I do see - that point was aimed at larrystyles comment. I thought you were referring to the broader scenario.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:41pm

On twitter today somebody posted "Isn't it weird that Mia Farrow is still friends with Roman Polanski?" and Mia replied, "I'm not".

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:48pm

But, she was.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:48pm

Larry, in one of the infamous 80's cases of the sexual abuse of children in a day care center in California, many "victims" remembered sexual abuse, even had reactions and showed symptoms of the crimes that were claimed. Many people were fired, lost their careers over this. It was found out it was all false, created by the child Pyschologists who planted the false memories. A child being told over and over something happened begins to believe is it history. I went to college with one of these "Child Pyschologists" who were responsible for this debacle. I do not necessarily believe Dylan is lying, but I do question if it in fact happened and who the abuser actually is (ex: I think Bassinger releasing Baldwin's angry voicemail cause much more pyschological damage on their child then the voicemail itself). Anyway, we will never know the entire story. I am not a Allen fan BTW.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:54pm

For me, the overarching theme is that this was a brood of orphans and a few biological children with various fathers (some of whom were conceived while the fathers were married to other women) who did not exactly grow up in a '50s sitcom environment. In one interview quote I read, when Mia was floating the idea that Frank Sinatra may have been Ronan's father she said, "It's like we never really broke up". This is a family where divorce seems to have been portrayed as something that's as meaningless as marriage. In other words, I see it as a dysfunctional world with very blurry boundaries.

I also see the Mia tweeting and all that as the sort of snarky high school break-up stuff that has much bigger implications when she starts throwing around words like pedophile.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:55pm

I've seen a lot of people speculate that the Daily Beast article prompted Dylan to speak up, but from reading that article it seemed to be prompted by Mia and Ronan's actions and comments during and after the Golden Globes.

The only real facts we have are that when the allegations were first brought up there was no physical or medical evidence found to confirm that they were true. Ultimately this is a very long game of he said/she said in which we will never see a winner. This is a circle with no end.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 10:56pm

Whether or not Mia Farrow is still friendly with Roman Polanski is immaterial. Whether or not anyone is still friendly with, works with or admires Woody Allen is immaterial.

The fact that sexual abuse victims are sometimes revictimized is immaterial. The fact that sexual abuse claimants are not always reliable or even that some of them lie - yes, it does happen - is also immaterial.

All that is material is whether Woody Allen sexually abused Dylan Farrow.

And there is no shame in saying "I don't know, I wasn't there and I am not going to assume he did it or that he did not." In fact it is the only intelligent way to feel about this.

Updated On: 2/2/14 at 10:56 PM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:02pm

It's immaterial to Dylan. Absolutely agree.

But, it's a point about Mia Farrow's character and some very complicated relationships, which is part of the discussion in this thread.

ETA - and, in a way, it's related to Dylan's letter because she calls out people for supporting Woody Allen, when one could argue that her mother did the very same.

Updated On: 2/2/14 at 11:02 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:05pm

Even if there were "very blurry boundaries" and we accept events as you've outlined them, FindingNamo, I still think it's a big leap to the absolute physcotic level of vindictiveness it would take to make up these allegations

From here on in, I'm taking henrik's advice - there is no shame in saying "I don't know, I wasn't there and I am not going to assume he did it or that he did not." In fact it is the only intelligent way to feel about this.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:10pm

Alana Newhouse argues, on the Tablet magazine website, that Mia Farrow should never have left this "toxic family psychodrama" to be tried in the court of public opinion.



Tabletmag.com: Who Is Responsible for Dylan Farrow’s Pain? It’s not, as she argues, the public.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:20pm

Everything revolves around that little word 'if'.None of us were there,we are giving an emotional response after reading articles in the press and forming our own opinion which we have every right to do.No matter WHO 'wins' this press frenzy,the general public will not be 100% satisfied either way.The timing of this is perfect for maximum exposure with 'Bullets' about to open-----something smells not right.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:24pm

Newhouse's piece is very compelling, the most compelling thing I've read on the subject.

[tazber]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:34pm

It does seem as if Mia has been on a renewed public crusade to humiliate Woody recently.

First she comes out with the Ronan/Sinatra thing in an interview. Then Ronan, who honestly had never really been much a player in this tawdry game, seems to be taking pot shots at Woody every chance he gets.

Now Dylan's letter.

Again, I'm not passing judgement because I don't know what happened, but strictly from a casual observer's POV it does seem like Mia is manipulating her children to assist her in a renewed crusade against Woody.

I don't think this will affect Blanchette's Oscar chances (and it shouldn't - she was brilliant and deserves the Oscar) nor do I think this will have much affect on Bullets Over Broadway.

If anything it will make various organizations perhaps think twice before honoring Woody in the future.

Which I'm sure is no great loss to Woody who doesn't attend his own fetes anyway.

Updated On: 2/2/14 at 11:34 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:39pm

It is hard for me to figure out why Mia Farrow would sign off on her images being used in the Golden Globes montage and then call the Lifetime Achievement Award a slap in the face to abuse survivors.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:49pm

Th Newhouse piece is the key to understanding everything.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:49pm

PJ, that article sums up beautifully what I think a number of people have been trying to find the words to express.

Thank you for linking it.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/2/14 at 11:58pm

Edit, Ya know what, never mind. This is beyond me. I'll quit while I'm behind.

Updated On: 2/3/14 at 11:58 PM

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/3/14 at 12:28am

Alana Newhouse argues, on the Tablet magazine website, that Mia Farrow should never have left this "toxic family psychodrama" to be tried in the court of public opinion.

This is a much more eloquent way of saying what I attempted to in the other, now-deleted thread. I do not shame or blame Dylan in any way. Nor do I have a "side" in all of this. I'm not an Allen fan and actually found Annie Hall to be boring.

We are discussing this because of Mia and Ronan's I'll advised tweets. Numerous articles have been written because of Mia and Ronan's tweets. Dylan Farrow wrote that letter because of Mia and Ronan's tweets. If they had kept silent then this thread wouldn't exist and most of us would be blissfully unaware of what transpired 20 years ago.

Dylan has right to her pain but she also has the right to have it in private. Family drama has no place in the tabloids. I still feel that Mia and Ronan showed a lack of class by tweeting during the Golden Globes. Go to her. Be there for her. Don't throw her to the press like a pig to slaughter. Even if they meant well it has become a circus of family pain that shouldn't be reported on.

Call me "disgusting" if you wish but this is how I feel about it. This is not for the court of public opinion.

In a less traumatic and heartbreaking example a singer I enjoy recently broke up with his gf who immediately ran to twitter. Now people are taking sides and I just have to shake my head. Private lives are for private. I hate that those lines are so skewed.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/3/14 at 12:39am

Welcome to contemporary American culture, where citizens are encouraged to pick one team out of two, and declare themselves Team Whomever as if these are fictional characters and not flesh and blood human beings.

#TeamNoneOfOurBusiness

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/3/14 at 12:43am

Love you, Namo