The Crowbar

In her recent column, The Outrageous Arrest of Roman Polanski, Anne Applebaum delivers to us a textbook case of Legacy Media hypocrisy.

Applebaum spends most of her column making excuses on behalf of Polanski:

Here are some of the facts: Polanski’s crime — statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl — was committed in 1977. The girl, now 45, has said more than once that she forgives him, that she can live with the memory, that she does not want him to be put back in court or in jail, and that a new trial will hurt her husband and children. There is evidence of judicial misconduct in the original trial. There is evidence that Polanski did not know her real age. Polanski, who panicked and fled the U.S. during that trial, has been pursued by this case for 30 years, during which time he has never returned to America, has never returned to the United Kingdom., has avoided many other countries, and has never been convicted of anything else.

Gosh, I’m almost starting to feel sorry for Polanski. But, then again, Applebaum forgets to mention the fact that her hubby is Poland’s foreign minister, who is lobbying US authorities on behalf of Polanski. Oops. I lost my empathy.

But wait, there’s more! On March 20, 2007, Applebaum had a different opinion when it comes to holding those accused of crimes responsible:

This is concrete proof, as if more were needed, that it is not merely immoral to operate outside the rule of law; it is also ineffective and in fact profoundly counterproductive: There is no proof that it produces better information but plenty of evidence that it has discredited the United States.

Oh, my! It’s “immoral,” “ineffective and in fact profoundly counterproductive” to “operate outside the rule of law?”

What Contrast!

With these things it mind, it’s doubtless Applebaum experiences cognitive dissonance on an hourly basis.

Applebaum’s attitude is typical of most American liberal/progressives. It’s an attitude of selective empathy – believing that a favored group deserves more empathy (better, unequal treatment) than another.

Applebaum favors terrorist psychopaths and child rapists, she holds significantly less empathy for their victims, potential victims, and those who would protect us from being victimized by them.