Catch and Kill!
Rebecca is not only a fellow alumnae, she is an artist and musician who has kindly kicked off our last two wilm&a zoom catch-ups by playing the ‘Rav Vast, Hand Pan Drum ’ . And has thoughtfully written a piece, after I asked the group to recommend something they read during the last year that made an impact personally and/or professionally. Rebecca put forward a podcast recommendation by American Journalist Ronan Farrow, author of the book by the same title: Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. This podcast seems fitting as this month has seen high’s and lows from International Women’s Day to the recent shooting in the USA, (Atlanta). This post will contain content that may require you to emotionally prepare before reading. However there are many important themes to recognise and challenge. Laila
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
It is not a comfortable listen.
It is, however, astonishing.
It is horrifying, brutal and enraging.
It is brave.
Gripped in the talons of a culture that can be both a flight of fantasy and revealing in it’s entangled reality: in his own words the work defined
“Patterns of complicity and coverup that allow people to get hurt in an ongoing way…allow our most important news institutions to bow to powerful people” Ronan Farrow, (Next Question with Katie Couric, October 2019)
As the son of Hollywood figures Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, the film industry was a world not unfamiliar to him but the podcast, and book informed by the brilliant, tenacious, journalism of Ronan Farrow uncovers the dark underbelly and shocking truths fore hitherto concealed by glamour.
Some of the best ‘Art House’ films of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, in my mind, were created under the Weinstein Studio label Miramax and their successes of the screen catapulted the Studio and the Independent Film market to new heights. But the business dealings were dubious and in the end, power corrupted.
This podcast with its relentless, yet sensitive research presents an industry that flaunts riches and machismo success; preys on aspiration, drives desires and feeds the consumption of cheap thrills for entertainment. All in exchange for the vulnerability of a person who believes that dreams could come true.
Whether they believed themselves to be lucky and not like the rest, makes no ends. They were groomed in to believing it and they paid dearly. As the victims stories were shared it gave rise to the #metoo hashtag movement, showing that in sharing their vulnerabilities we found strength, that this wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
And here we are 18 months later.
As we reel from the tragic death of U.K women Sarah Everard trying to make it home safely and the police officer charged with her murder, the very people we are supposed to trust in our society. There are many questions around how this body of people operate, conduct themselves, and how we might trust in them again? How we heal? How we move forward to construct a healthier society? Especially now!
You can Google and find out the data showing extraordinary high numbers of women experiencing harassment in its various definitions (Many of us have a story or are aware of one). We know that there are many movements, organisations and individuals championing change.
Firstly, though, I recommend to you this blog, or book. The bravery and courage displayed by those willing to testify and share their stories is a pretty good indicator of how we start.
Rebecca L Greene, FRSA and Honorary Artist in Residence, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge
