RATED R FOR REPUBLICAN

So first it was Bill Cosby, then Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, Chris Savino, Roy Price, James Toback and probably so many more names itll be like sitting through the closing credits of an Avengers movie. Thats a lot of heavyweight Hollywood power players (well, except for Toback; he was already an industry joke when I broke in 30-plus years ago) brought down in just a few short weeks for inappropriate and possibly illegal sexual behavior. Apparently, a lot of people are amazed by the vastness of the epidemic. The Los Angeles Times actually printed a headline that read: Harvey Weinstein Used His Fashion Business as a Pipeline to Models. No, really? A butt-ugly Hollywood producer misused his position to attract and abuse beautiful women? Talk about a Dog Bites Man story. Im a member of the Indivisibles Group of Sherman Oaks, where I live among other working writers, actors and directors, so I know this is an industry which attracts the prettiest people in the world who are desperately trying to satisfy the most subjective standards in the world for the benefit of the nerdiest rich guys in the world. The only thing amazing about the scandal is that people are amazed.

No, I take that back: the most amazing thing is that Hollywood now officially has higher moral standards than Republicans .

While the entertainment industry has finally started to clean the sticky substance from its metaphorical theater seats, one of its scuzziest slimeballs publicly admitted to sexual assault and what punishment was meted out by his right-wing political colleagues? They made him President of the United States. Billy Bushs career is destroyed; Donald Trump gets to live in a big house we pay for. Just think: if the Creature from the Black Mar-a-Lago hadnt decided to run for office, his career as third-rate game show host would now be over and hed be lying low while huddling with his manager to plot a comeback shilling for local mattress store commercials.

How the fuck (literally) is this possible?

Shame. As in, Trump has none. Nor do his Holier-Than-Absolutely-Nobody constituents. The Christ-uns who support him cant even muster the moral courage of a talent agency. And President Evil didnt merely admit that he grabs em by the pussy. He also said: I did try and fuck her. She was married. And the response of the Right Reverend Republicans (save for Jeff Flake, Bob Corker and John McCain)? Why, they are outraged at the behavior of NFL players!

Among the ugly truths about human nature that Benito Mousse-olini has forced us all to face is this: if you feel no shame, and those around you dont impose their moral reproach upon you, there are no repercussions for bad behavior. In fact, as Woody Allen (who knows a thing or two about personal morality and the lack of it) expounded in Crimes and Misdemeanors: people are not only not punished for their evil deeds, they often profit from them. Turns out Shameless isnt just a series on Showtime; its on C-SPAN too.

What do we do with people who have no shame then? I dont know, but it seems to me that its one of three courses of action: either try to convert the sociopathology of the offender so that he recognizes a moral code of conduct (in this case, not possible); convince his supporters to abandon the amorality of their own complicity (not likely); or punish the offender and his supporters (Hmm). Like the Hollywood power abusers who were suddenly undone by their misdeeds, the Troompa-loompas may never be swayed to decency, but they at least could be forced to face repercussions and thus, to change.

So what if the women who, one hopes, will assume more power in the wake of the sex abuse tsunami sweeping Hollywood and other industries decided (along with like-minded men in power) to boycott the organizations, companies and states that support our Co-manhandler In Chief? Maybe starting with forgoing local tax breaks and choosing not to shoot Hollywood productions in Red parts of the country? I have a feeling Indivisible women and men in all industries could find ways to dish out some progressive justice. And Im pretty sure that most of the alt-wrong will likely rethink their positions when they discover theres a literal price to pay for abusing women.

Woman Bites Dog? Theres a headline.