When people write about their struggles with drug addiction, a serious illness or a family member’s death, they’re typically universally praised for their bravery. Readers express sympathy and admiration, acknowledging how difficult it must have been to share such a haunting story.
Well, apparently that kindness doesn’t apply if you’ve survived a pedophilic Academy Award winner rather than a plane crash or cancer.
Enter Dylan Farrow, adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. In 1993, during the famous couple’s long public battle for custody of their three children, Mia alleged that Woody had sexually molested Dylan, then just 7 years old. The judge eventually found the charges inconclusive. The “Annie Hall” director has strongly denied the accusations and Mia and Dylan have largely remained silent — until now.
In an article published on Feb. 1 in the New York Times, Dylan, now 28, penned an open letter offering further details about the case and her experiences since then, largely as a reaction to her adopted father’s recent Golden Globes lifetime achievement award.
Millions of people have read the highly personal letter. The topic even reached the 21st century epitome of popularity: Dylan’s name trended on Twitter. While many people have supported her decision and praised her bravery, others have jumped to defend Allen. They’ve belittled Dylan as being too young to understand what sexual assault was when the events supposedly occurred and accused Mia of planting ideas in her daughter’s naive brain to win the custody battle.
The assumption seems to be that Allen “deserves” to be presumed innocent, a point I won’t argue with much, as it’s a wonderful cornerstone on our justice system. Why then, isn’t Dylan being given the same courtesy? Surely one person in this classic tale of he-said-she-said must be lying. I’m sickened by the idea that many people automatically assume it must be Dylan who’s being dishonest — delusional and vindictive even.
Apparently many of Allen’s defenders are delusional themselves, assuming that someone with so much talent mustn’t have committed sexual assault and, instead, must be the poor innocent victim of a complex scheme to defame his good name. But what of Dylan’s good name? Well, the public scrutiny and skepticism from two decades ago led her to change that; she’s now living under a different name, which she hasn’t publicly revealed.
Dylan may not have directed Diane Keaton, acted alongside Anjelica Huston nor written a dozen Broadway shows, but she deserves the benefit of the doubt just as much as the man legally considered her father. With his international fame and undeniable cinematic successes, it may be easy to view Woody as a triumphant hero. But his Academic Awards, no matter how shiny and glimmering, shouldn’t build a protective more-innocent-than-thou bubble around him.
Just look to James Brown, Mike Tyson, Vanilla Ice and Marilyn Manson. All have faced sexual assault charges. Then there’s CeeLo Green, John Travolta, R. Kelly and Kobe Bryant, all of whom have been accused of sexual assault and all of whom, perhaps somewhat debatably, have tremendous talent.
I realize that an accusation doesn’t equate to absolute truth, but money and talent shouldn’t create an automatic air of innocence either. Adolf Hitler’s painting talents as a youth are irrelevant. Perhaps Ted Bundy had a flair for poetry and Al Capone was undefeated in Scrabble. But it wouldn’t matter with them and it shouldn’t matter with Woody Allen.
I imagine that Dylan Farrow has many talents. She displays a knack for strong writing in her open letter. Her name may not have even a fraction of the international recognition as her adopted father’s, but she deserves to have her voice truly heard — not brushed aside as an annoyance, a faceless pesky character trying to get in the way of a director’s successes.
Sadly, Dylan’s case isn’t terribly original. People claiming to be victims of sexual assault are often dismissed as being conniving or confused. Judges, juries and outsiders all leap to skepticism, part of what feminism has dubbed “rape culture.” In the public’s eye, the roles are flipped; the accused are called victims of outlandish schemes.
But if I ever run across Dylan, who now resides in Florida with her husband, I’ll thank her for incredible courage. To speak out against a man who’s so often praised by celebrities and admirers alike is an act of extreme bravery. She wrote knowing that some readers wouldn’t believe her but felt it was worth that high risk — worth it to set an example for the millions of sexual assault victims who don’t feel comfortable speaking out, realistically afraid of being doubted instead of supported. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 60 percent of sexual assaults are never reported to the police and 97 percent of rapists never spend a day in jail. Yet, according to various FBI reports between the early 90s and today, only 2 to 8 percent of rape reports are later proven false.
I’m not suggesting that Woody Allen’s Oscars, Golden Globes, Writers Guild or plethora of other awards should be revoked. But bashing his adopted daughter may lead sexual assault victims who hear of the public’s reaction to Dylan’s open letter to not report their abuse — which is incredibly dangerous. Besides, I for one wouldn’t exactly be shocked if Allen — who married Soon-Yi Previn, a woman 37 years his junior and Mia Farrow’s adoptive daughter —isn’t as innocent as many celebrities seem to believe he is.
