I don’t know Harvey Weinstein. I don’t know anyone who knows Harvey Weinstein. I am not privy to Hollywood gossip. Yet, somehow, I knew that Harvey Weinstein was a sexual predator. I don’t know why I knew, but I did know. Maybe I had read it somewhere or seen it somewhere, maybe it was in the atmosphere. I am sorry I can’t pin it down, I wish I could. It’s all very vague but I knew before the news broke recently that he had a reputation as a sexual predator.

Now, if I, someone who has no connections to show business or to the people in the business, knows this, I am surprised to learn about all the surprise that Harvey Weinstein was a sexual predator. I thought this was common knowledge because, surely if this information had drifted down to me, this information was readily available to anyone he worked with. So I am surprised by all the surprise.

I think the surprise may stem from the extent of his crimes and not so much the predatory aspect. Everyone knew he tricked beautiful actresses into coming to his hotel room and he made inappropriate advances on them, but, most certainly, didn’t know that he raped women.

A willful stifling of the imagination is taking place here. In their minds, they heard that Weinstein used his power and his position to get laid, now this is inappropriate but not such a big deal and I never dreamed he would take it any further than that. Unfortunately for Hollywood, the ideas regarding sexual harassment are changing and tolerating sexual harassment in any form is frowned upon. The Hollywood crowd were perfectly happy imagining that Weinstein was a perfect gentleman to the women he tricked into his hotel room once his advances were refused. This was sufficient for a long time but now it’s not. It’s all very confusing.

And what exactly should they do? They probably didn’t see Weinstein harass someone, they heard about it second hand. Should they call the police based on this information? Turn him into HR? What if it is just a rumor? Should I ruin my career based on a rumor? It’s really hard to be brave when you know you are correct, you have all the facts in your hand and they are irrefutable. It is nearly impossible to be brave if it is just a suspicion.

Or worse still, what if you are one of the actresses that acquiesced to Weinstein? Didn’t put up a fight, didn’t say no, weighed the options and decided that a one night stand with a creepy producer is worth the shot at becoming a movie star. What should she do now?  And how would this actress be treated if the world learned how she got her big break? Would this admission wipe out every good thing she had done? I am betting she would get destroyed.

Harvey Weinstein is a powerful man and powerful men are difficult to take down. People are rightfully scared and don’t know what to do. What we do know is that Weinstein has a lot of money and lawyers to help him cover up his messes. His victims and the people who may have known about Harvey may not have these same resources to fight back. Imagine if your choice was spend every penny you have to fight a man who can keep you in the courts for years, in the process destroying any chance you have of making it in a extremely competitive industry and taking every last dime you have in the fight in the process or you can take $100,000, keep your mouth shut and he will let you ply your trade?

And what, my friends, happens to whistle-blowers? From my observation, they get canned, and then shunned, and then spend years of their life in the wilderness, looking like a mad man, fighting Don Quixote’s battle, trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to them. The rich powerful man goes on as before as if nothing changed, or, at worst, glides to an early retirement with his golden parachute.

If I had only known what Harvey Weinstein was doing, I would have done something.

What would I have done given the same set of circumstances? I hate to admit it, because it shows I am not brave, but I don’t think I would have done anything. Particularly if all I had was hearsay evidence.

And, if I somehow mustered the courage to fight Weinstein, what could I have affectively done. The best I could come up with is that I would stop working with him. Except. Except, there are thousands of other people in Hollywood who will work with him particularly because he works on a lot of interesting projects. I doubt very much that my absence from his projects would be noticed, or, if noticed, cared about enough for him to change his ways. All for a rumor? All for a woman who doesn’t want me to bring this to anyone’s attention in the first place because she believes her life will be ruined? Why would I make her life and my life miserable if nothing is going to happen to the predator any way? He is, after all, the boss. He makes the company money. He is a success, who am I to get in his way? Do I really want to sacrifice my comfortable life to fight a losing battle?

What exactly do we want people to do?

Well, of course, the right thing. But, right for me? Or right for a much grander cause?

True bravery usually carries a terrible price. Everyone knows it. It is much easier to claim ignorance. Claim that I would have done something if I only knew. Really, I would.