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Why Do People Let Abuse and Character Assassination Happen? What Creates Complicity?


Why do people let abuse and character assassination happen? George Clooney 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5008429/Matt-Damon-KNEW-Harvey-Weinstein-harassed-Gwyneth-Paltrow.html 

In this article Clooney says Weinstein, "... bragged about bedding stars. Clooney says that at the time he ."..didn't believe Weinstein because to do so would believe the worst of ...actresses who were friends of mine." 

Read that again. Clooney was friends with and worked closely with Harvey who was telling horrible lies about women who were friends of his.and Clooney did-- exactly NOTHING about Weinstein's slanderous comments.
He didn't stop Harvey from telling him the stories. He didn't call Harvey on it and say, "Hey I don't believe you!" He didn't say, "I know these women, and I respect them and know they wouldn't be having affairs so I suggest you never say they are to anyone ever again." Nor did he do something else that requires integrity, Clooney didn’t tell his women friends about Harvey’s lies so those women could choose how they wanted to protect themselves against Harvey’s character assassination of them. His slander victims were not given the opportunity to defend themselves. 

Clooney, a powerful man in his own right, and a buddy of Weinstein did not consider the harm of the slandering of his friends. He didn't consider how that harm to their reputation could affect them in the future. There is no doubt that having a huge producer brag to people that he bedded you doesn’t make it safe for you to NOT do so with the next powerful man in your career. Those women needed Clooney to be a true friend to them to be a stand up guy.

People, if someone is spreading lies about someone you care for be a stand up person. If someone is defaming anyone’s character with lies and deceit stand up!!!! It is oh so easy to not want to risk having a socially awkward conversation and call them on it, or lose membership in the group. But any group that contains a lying monster needs to rethink their membership! It's clear women were abused, it's clear women and in some cases men were x'ed out of Harvey’s “Group” and possibly their careers. But any group member who doesn’t defend a victim is an enabler of the attacker.

Here is why group members don’t speak out from another post I wrote:

Ever, wonder why no one spoke up about Weinstein during his years of abuse? For many years I spoke on sexual harassment and the group’s response to it. (In fact, the group’s response to abuse, affairs and romantic relationships was my first research paper in my doctoral program) People around the abuser may know about the abuse to the victim or victims and let it continue. Think about the people around Bill Cosby. There are many reasons they may need to believe the abuser is innocent, as believing the truth. That the abuser has abused and is in fact evil creates too much cognitive dissonance. They would have to admit they know and are working with someone evil. Many prefer to keep the mask on the monster and continue their lives as they are. Especially if they are receiving "goodies"of any kind from the attacker. The research shows many abusers, set up situations that prime the group to be complicit. They will hire them, wine and dine them and talk dirt about their victims before they even attack them.

So Clooney may even think he is innocent of wrong doing. Observers of abuse and attacks, can say, hey I would be tattling if I told on the attacker or abuser, or its romance and  not their business. Seeing an attack on someone's physical body and or an attack on their character or integrity and not doing anything is an act of complicity. If it was not clear for Clooney back then it should be for every one going forward. 


Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.