Moses Farrow -- Ultimately, On Why We Need Due Process Versus "Believe!"
Farrow writes of Mia Farrow's accusation of child molestation against Woody Allen -- that so many have just assumed is true (not being willing to even consider that Dylan Farrow might have been coached by her mother).
Farrow tweeted about his 4,500-word blog post, "I've written this piece about my family, my childhood and the truth about my mother... and I wanted to share it with you. #truthislouder." An excerpt:
To those who have become convinced of my father's guilt, I ask you to consider this: In this time of #MeToo, when so many movie heavyweights have faced dozens of accusations, my father has been accused of wrongdoing only once, by an enraged ex-partner during contentious custody negotiations. During almost 60 years in the public eye, not one other person has come forward to accuse him of even behaving badly on a date, or acting inappropriately in any professional situation, let alone molesting a child. As a trained professional, I know that child molestation is a compulsive sickness and deviation that demands repetition. Dylan was alone with Woody in his apartment countless times over the years without a hint of impropriety, yet some would have you believe that at the age of 56, he suddenly decided to become a child molester in a house full of hostile people ordered to watch him like a hawk.To the actors who have worked with my father and have voiced regret for doing so: You have rushed to join the chorus of condemnation based on a discredited accusation for fear of not being on the "right" side of a major social movement. But rather than accept the hysteria of Twitter mobs, mindlessly repeating a story examined and discredited 25 years ago, please consider what I have to say. After all, I was there - in the house, in the room - and I know both my father and mother and what each is capable of a whole lot better than you.
To my sister Dylan: Like you, I believe in the power of speaking out. I have broken my silence about the abuse inflicted by our mother. My healing began only after getting away from her. And what she has done to you is unbearable. I wish you peace, and the wisdom to understand that devoting your life to helping our mother destroy our father's reputation is unlikely to bring you closure in any kind of lasting way.
Finally, to my mother: One thing you always said you appreciated about me was my ability to listen. I listened to you for years and held your truth above all others. You once said to me, "It's not healthy to hold onto anger." Yet here we are, 26 years later. I'm guessing your next step will be to launch a campaign to discredit me for speaking out. I know it comes with the territory. And it's a burden I am willing to bear.
But, after all this time, enough is enough. You and I both know the truth. And it's time for this retribution to end.
My tweet to him:
Very much appreciate this. So sorry for what you went through, but appreciate the person you've worked to become, who wrote that blog post.
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) May 23, 2018
When will the Mommy Dearest movie come out, describing Mia Farrow's treatment of her children?
Oh that's right, never.
jerry at May 24, 2018 8:15 AM
You have rushed to join the chorus of condemnation based on a discredited accusation for fear of not being on the "right" side of a major social movement.
That really does explain a lot. "Believing" a politically correct accuser doesn't even require actually believing that the accusation is true.
Ken R at May 24, 2018 11:53 AM
And now the latest in the ranks of the accused, Morgan Freeman.
Patrick at May 24, 2018 1:33 PM
Due process is a legal, criminal proceedure, constitutional concept that does not apply to the court of public opinion.
Moses Farrow has an opinion about Woody Allen. Ronan Farrow his biological son has a different one.
Mia Farrow based on most reports seems to be a psychotic bitch.
Woody Allen could be the innocent victim here, but he could be just as twisted as the rest of them.
I would steer as far clear of all these people as I could.
Isab at May 24, 2018 3:22 PM
Isab: Due process is a legal, criminal proceedure, constitutional concept that does not apply to the court of public opinion.
I get that. I also hear that same line of argumentation from people who shut down speakers claiming that the First Amendment only means that the government can't prosecute you for what you say.
What I'm asking (rhetorically) is, weren't the values we have in the Constitution the same values that we had as a society.
Wasn't free speech instituted because we believe in the value of discourse?
And don't we believe in due process because we believe that a person should never be condemned without evidence against them?
I'm reminded of some feminist tweets on Twitter, when confronted with the number of false rape allegations, simply respond that they couldn't care less if innocent men have to serve prison time due to false accusations.
Patrick at May 24, 2018 3:59 PM
“And don't we believe in due process because we believe that a person should never be condemned without evidence against them?”
Condemned has a social meaning as well as a legal meaning.
Scapegoating has been with us for the entire hsitory of human kind.
The only think the constitution applies to are the courts of law, not people’s opinion of you.
Allowing speakers to be shouted down is rude. Bad manners, and uncivilized. But it shouldn't rise to the level of a crime unless you start applying your fists.
Claiming someone is a rapist is also legally protected. Where that protection ends is when you swear out a legal complaint, go into court, and start lying. Then it becomes perjury, as well as other process crimes.
Isab at May 24, 2018 5:21 PM
Moses Farrow has an opinion about Woody Allen. Ronan Farrow his biological son has a different one.
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Um, you DO know that Mia Farrow admitted that Ronan could very easily be the son of Frank Sinatra, right?
Granted, some don't believe that.
https://www.eonline.com/news/642284/nancy-sinatra-opens-up-about-frank-sinatra-sister-mia-farrow-and-ronan-farrow-paternity-rumor
But I've never heard Mia say it was a joke. Even if it is, it's a pretty twisted joke. If it isn't a joke...well, it just goes to show that she was a big liar at least once, since she would have committed paternity fraud.
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Woody Allen could be the innocent victim here, but he could be just as twisted as the rest of them.
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I'm pretty sure he's innocent of abusing any minors. However, Moses had every right to be outraged - as he was - back when he said, as a teen: "Everybody knows not to sleep with your son's sister." At the very least, Woody could have quietly and officially split with Mia before letting her know of his affair - accidentally or otherwise. (Of course, Soon-Yi was also pretty dumb to have any nude pictures taken - she should have known how that could affect her siblings.)
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I would steer as far clear of all these people as I could.
Isab at May 24, 2018 3:22 PM
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So would I.
lenona at May 25, 2018 2:02 PM
Woody Allen May or may not be guilty, but human nature is very odd.
My mother was abusive. My sister and I have very different experiences concerning the abuse.
My sister, the sweet-natured, light blonde, freckle-faced girl was adored by my mother. The only abuse my sister remembers is when mother warned her that if she didn’t get off the counter, she would fall and then pushed her off the counter.
I inherited some of my mother’s (very slight) African genes. I had light brown frizzy hair. My skin would tan to a dark mahogany.
As teenagers, we both wore a size 7. My mom was always on my case about dieting. While my sister had a 26 inch waist and 34 inch hips, my waist was 21 and hips were 36. She went so far as to grab grapes out of my hands and chain the cabinets to try to prevent me from eating more than she seemed appropriate.
Mom hit me, tried to run over me, withheld money, and time from me. She would take my sister out for donuts on a weekly basis as well as special little trips. She told me that she would Never do that for me because she didn’t like me - and she never did.
I don’t care how many people my mom did not abuse, my sister could testify about how well my mom treated her. That doesn’t mean that she didn’t abuse me.
Who knows what triggers people to target one person and not another? There are probably as many reasons as there are people.
Jen at May 25, 2018 8:44 PM
Socially we need to treat this like other crimes. Where are the articles telling people to believe victims of theft? There aren't any because generally we DO believe victims of theft. Do accusers of theft sometimes lie? Absolutely, and at the same rates as accusers of rape. Why the difference between these crimes?
The reason people write these "believe" articles is because very often people -don't- believe rape accusations in a way that would be bizarre for other crimes.
YEs, legally due process needs to happen but socially it doesn't and people tend to believe people when they say they are victims of crimes. Except rape.
NicoleK at May 25, 2018 10:37 PM
Jen, I am so sorry to hear that. That sucks.
NicoleK at May 25, 2018 10:39 PM
”Yes, legally due process needs to happen but socially it doesn't and people tend to believe people when they say they are victims of crimes. Except rape.”
Very few inanimate objects present themselves as intending to be picked up…
Radwaste at May 26, 2018 4:28 AM
People falsely claim to be robbed all the time. It is called insurance fraud NicoleK. People write the "believe" articles because they are working towards superior rights for women. They don't want equality, they want superiority. And since rape is a mostly male crime this is a good way to get power over men.
Ben at May 26, 2018 8:10 AM
And yet even women who don't have a reputation for telling malicious lies often get automatically disbelieved when they make a rape claim, whereas only those who DO have a reputation for dishonesty or crime get automatically suspected of insurance fraud. (Socially speaking, at least.)
Also, 50 years ago, it used to be common to think that rape should only legally count as rape depending on WHO the accuser was. If a married, respected woman got raped (preferably outdoors) by a neighbor, she at least had a chance in court - especially if she could show some bruises, which she might not even have if he had a knife or a gun. But a divorced woman was considered just a step or two away from a hooker and therefore would likely never get a jury's sympathy, even with bruises to show. (Also, whenever the accused was male, white and rich and the accuser wasn't rich, it came to the same thing - she would be out of luck and likely be accused of being a golddigger. Never mind that rich men and women are well-known to have hair-trigger tempers whenever they hear "no" in any context, since they're not used to hearing it.)
lenona at May 29, 2018 9:38 AM
People falsely claim to be victims of EVERY crime and at roughly the same rates.
What I am saying is if someone says they are robbed, usually people believe them.
NicoleK at May 30, 2018 11:33 PM
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