The Weinstein Message.

Following on from the Weinstein revelations the skies of Britain are full of people (mostly women, of course, although not in the case of those involved with Kevin Spacey) flying in to level accusations of sexual abuse against all manner of notable figures. Politicians are coming in for special attention and it is rumoured that Westminster is shaking from the accumulated trembling of a lot of worried men.

This is awful, but it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. What surprises me is that so many people should be holding up their hands in shock and horror. Hasn’t it always been apparent that powerful institutions from the Hollywood film studios to the seats of government are but shiny surfaces covering filth-laden cesspits? I always thought so, and the casting couch tradition has never been much of a secret.

But what about the back story? Shouldn’t we be looking at what appears to be a reasonably reliable truism: that a high proportion of people holding positions of power and prestige in most walks of public life got there by having a high level of psychopathic tendencies in their nature? Psychopaths don’t ask nicely and accept refusal graciously. They take. What’s more, they feel entitled to take and feel little or no remorse in consequence. Isn’t that central to the nature of a psychopath?

And so it seems to me that this problem is not going to go away. It might get swept under the carpet by a few protocols and complaints procedures, but you can only sweep so much dirt so far. The root of the problem appears to be that societies the world over allow psychopaths to rise to the top because societies are easily dominated by bullies. Until we change that there will continue to be victims.