Harvey Weinstein

After reviewing the New York Times article Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades, from a conflict theory perspective the feminist theory should be applied to the case of Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein’s habitual and constant coercion of women over his career exemplifies what a sexual deviant is. “He knew how to make small movies box office success and used it as private leverage.”(NYTIMES) Weinstein used coercive bargaining to obtain his goals and would rarely take no for an answer. He created an environment that was toxic to women and reaffirmed his own power and goals. He showed zero empathy or remorse for his actions, even after having to payout settlement after settlement throughout his career. According to Brownmiller “the use of coercion to achieve sexual conquest represented an exaggeration of prevailing norms rather than a departure from them” (Brownmiller, 1975). While Brownmiller focused primarily on rape it still applies to sexual deviancy, which is the case for Weinstein. For over thirty years Weinstein exhibited his power over aspiring actresses who just wanted to be successes. Women around him felt powerless. He used sex and intimate acts to further dominate and

Through coercion and fear of reprisal he exerted his force and will over young women hoping to advance their careers. He never showed any empathy or remorse for his acts even after settling out of court on numerous occasions. In this case it was also the fault of the victims for not coming forward. It is understood that in this kind of hostile environment that the ramifications of speaking out towards an established public figure would be detrimental to ones career; however, it could have prevented several other women from having to undergo the same