It is impossible for me to silence my indignation after watching The fall of the ogre by Damien Fleurette. The images of Gérard Depardieu wallowing in degrading remarks aroused deep disgust in me. How can we remain unmoved by the obvious decadence of a man who seems to wallow in his own depravity?
France, this self-proclaimed beacon of world culture, still finds itself splattered by an ethical crisis, betraying the ideal it claims to embody. The Depardieu affair is not just a simple fall; it is a symptom of a much deeper disease, infecting the spheres of celebrity and power. These damning revelations, far from being isolated, echo a latent malaise in French society, where talent too often excuses indecency.
Indeed, the Depardieu affair as well as the scandals associated with figures such as Polanski or Matzneff highlight a worrying indulgence towards elite transgressions. This complacency, often justified by talent or notoriety, is a moral bankruptcy which must be denounced with the greatest firmness.
However, my comments should not be seen as a waiver of the presumption of innocence. I do not claim to judge the allegations of misconduct that have been made against Depardieu. However, I cannot remain silent in the face of the images and words coming from his mouth, which are more difficult to question. After all, a man’s conduct need not be criminal to be repugnant. I also strongly criticize this tendency of the French elite to ignore the excesses of these “national monuments”, but I leave to French justice what is rightfully its own.
Art and genius are not free passes for injustice. The greatness of a nation is measured by its capacity to defend truth and human dignity, to confront its demons rather than celebrate them.
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