Cult Mentality

Going beyond the technical and judicial aspects of the Swiss refusal to extradite Roman Polanski back to the United States, this small affair will stay in our memories because it illustrated a detestable and contemptible human reflex: cult mentality.

Cult mentality often occurs within a group of individuals to protect — to a ridiculous level — one of their own. It’s what’s happening now: a choral of intellectuals came to the defense of this huge film maker during his arrest without even knowing the whole story.

In pure cult fashion, these artistic “geniuses” of the world have started to panic. That’s what we’ll remember, at least.

It is as if this were a story produced and planned by Roman Polanski himself, and not the indiscretions of a man who, in 1977, had sexual relations with a 13-year-old minor!

Yes, it was precisely an investigation of all the supporting legal documents that convinced Swiss authorities to release Polanski from his house arrest — despite the horrible things he had admitted to doing. But supporters of this French-Polish director can’t claim victory just yet. And they certainly can’t convince us that they have all the facts themselves.

It is partly a result of state interests that the Swiss Federal Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf has refused to extradite the filmmaker.

Polanski had been arrested, as the result of a U.S. international mandate, when he arrived in Zurich on Sept. 26 although he had been invited by Switzerland to receive an award. So it was considered, quite naturally, that they had a responsibility to protect him.

From a technical and judicial point of view, it’s understandable that, even after the 40 or so days that Polanski had already spent in the psychiatric wing of a California prison, there was still some doubt that had incited Berne to say no to Washington.

What isn’t understandable at all, however, is the unconditional and blind support that the director of “The Pianist” has benefited from since his release. What is really incomprehensible is that the cult mentality, particular to humans, has come out on top, so much so that these horrible children of the art world think they have a right to some sort of sacred artistic immunity. Some of them even claimed that Polanski couldn’t possibly be arrested because he had to attend the Zurich Film Festival. According to them, this festival should have been a sanctuary for him. As if it could be a law-free zone!

In the same fashion as many others, French Minister of Culture and Communication Frederic Mitterrand lamented Polanski’s arrest “for that old story.”

Like all cults, this one has expressed itself with a ringing spirit.