Despite having a pretty unsettling past of his own, Woody Allen has expressed his opinions on the “Rubiales case.” The director stated that he does not believe that the RFEF president should leave his position in an interview with El Mundo.
Allen’s provocative defense of Rubiales reflects his own experiences of being vilified over s-xual scandals without due process. By calling out Rubiales’s firing as unjust, Allen promotes unpopular views on public figures’ right to s-xual privacy.
Read more: ““It’s silly when it’s not really a feminist issue”: Woody Allen Gets No Love From Fans After His Allegations of S-xual Abuse by His Step Daughter Ruined His Career
Forced Kiss Led to Luis Rubiales’s Firing
Luis Rubiales faced outrage after Toni Duggan accused him of forcibly kissing her without permission. The federation investigated the s-xual misconduct allegations and swiftly terminated Rubiales as president.
But Woody Allen states that even substantiated impropriety should not cost public figures their careers. “A person can’t lose their job for an unwanted advance,” Allen stated, arguing the punishment exceeded Rubiales’s behavior
Read more: ““Just give me their money and go away”: Disgraced Director Woody Allen Will Not Take It Easy On Hollywood Despite Having Scarlett Johansson Fight in His Corner
Woody Allen Sees Parallels to His Scandals
As someone vilified over scandals regarding inappropriate behavior, Woody Allen relates to public figures whose private discussions suddenly go viral. Allen faced backlash over his relationship with his partner’s adopted daughter, which he equates to Rubiales’s situation.
“It’s difficult to understand that a person could lose their job and be penalized in this way for kissing someone,” Allen told El Mundo.
“My first thought was that he wasn’t hiding or kissing her in a dark alley. He wasn’t r-ping her, it was just a kiss and she was a friend. What’s wrong with that? In the first report, we didn’t know if the woman pulled away and said, ‘Don’t do that’.”
“It’s terrible that people’s personal lives are aired in public for all to see,” Allen said. Having experienced public shaming himself, Allen sympathizes with figures like Rubiales who face consequences over leaked information.
Read more: “Model Turned Actress Charlize Theron Broke Her Vows for Woody Allen and His $5.1 Million Movie
Woody Allen Sees Backlash as Overreaction
Allen argues the widespread condemnation and termination of Rubiales for the unwanted kiss represents an overreaction. He believes the response should have been more muted for what he views as a minor infraction.
“It was an unsavory but ultimately harmless act. The punishment far exceeded the behavior,” Allen asserted. He contends the backlash stemmed from “mob mentality” rather than proportionality.
In defending Luis Rubiales, Woody Allen makes the controversial argument that misconduct like unwanted kissing should not end careers, even when substantiated. Allen believes punishing public figures over scandals around consent goes too far, based on his own experiences facing backlash for boundary violations. However, many argue Allen’s stance dangerously diminishes the severity of s-xually abusive behavior by the powerful.
Source: MARCA
