Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 20 noveMber 2017

France wrestles with the line between seduction, harassment

By THOMAS ADAMSON without throwing out its the oppression of women.
Associated Press Don Juan national identity. Even before the hashtag
PARIS (AP) — France is in a “France is a country of men #MeToo went viral, a crud-
bind over where seduction who love women,” Guillau- er French version — #bal-
ends and sexual harass- me Bigot, who has written ancetonporc (“squeal on
ment begins. about the Weinstein fallout your pig”) — appeared
Since the allegations of in France, told The Associ- online, prompting a deluge
rape and sexual harass- ated Press. “Seduction is a of anonymous accounts
ment emerged against Hol- profound part of our na- from women denouncing
lywood film producer Har- tional identity ... the culture alleged abusers with un-
vey Weinstein, the country of the ‘French lover’ and precedented openness.
synonymous with love has the ‘French kiss’ is in dan- It seemed to signal that
been stumbling as it ad- ger because of political France would lead the
dresses the issue of sexual correctness.” way in the fight against ha-
harassment and violence Yet many women in France rassment, since the posts A Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017 file photo of an activist holding a
against women. reject his viewpoint, favor- numbered in the hundreds banner reading: “For him impunity, for her a life sentence”
Some have wondered if ing instead the thoughts of thousands and spoke during a protest in Paris.
France can address men’s of French feminist writer of ubiquitous sexism and (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
behavior toward women Simone de Beauvoir on predation in France’s cul- bodiment. Others chosen set at 15. For decades, the
tural, political and business to represent her include French have seen it as a
worlds. But so far it appears siren Catherine Deneuve point of honor to separate
the Don Juanists have pre- and supermodel Laetitia the public and private lives
vailed. Casta. of French politicians and
Although the accused French Culture Minister artists. Some say this has
include a former French Francoise Nyssen, mean- protected men such as for-
minister, the former presi- while, has provoked ire by mer President Francois Mit-
dent of the Young Social- defending director Roman terrand, who had a mistress
ists party, a former TV news Polanski amid calls to can- and secret love child, and
editor and the founder of a cel a screening of his mov- Dominique Strauss-Kahn,
startup school, most have ies at a French cultural insti- the former International
denied the allegations. tute. Monetary Fund chief ac-
More significantly, no pow- Nyssen urged the French cused by a New York hotel
erful figures in France have “to not condemn the work” maid of sexual assault.
lost their jobs or their repu- of the Polish-born director Such perceived apathy
tations. who in the 1970s pleaded has triggered an outcry
Philosopher Bernard Henri- guilty to having sex in the from French feminists, who
Levy has criticized the on- U.S. with a 13-year-old girl laud the U.S. outpouring
line movement, saying it’s whom he plied with cham- against harassment and
unfair to compare alleged pagne and Quaaludes. accuse France of having
attackers to “pigs.” And The institute said its role was normalized sexism.
French defenders of seduc- not to moralize. “Often in France, we hide
tion have warned against This year, Polanski was even behind the idea of gallant-
a puritanical, American- honored as president of the ry for men. But this is con-
style backlash that could Cesar awards, France’s an- structed to make us hide
demonize romance. swer to the Oscars. the violence and think it is
Bigot pointed to France’s In another dispute, Justice seduction,” said prominent
national symbol — the Minister Nicole Belloubet feminist Caroline de Haas.
young, busty Marianne — provoked consternation She called the French gov-
as proof of France’s state- by suggesting that a le- ernment’s response to the
sponsored obsession with gal minimum age of 13 for allegations of sexual ha-
beautiful women, noting sexual consent “is worth rassment “radio silence”
that in 1969, bombshell Bri- considering.” Activists pro- when compared with other
gitte Bardot was chosen as tested in Paris to demand countries such as Britain or
Marianne’s physical em- that the age of consent be the U.S.q