I know Luis CK has gotten a bit problematic for other reasons, but I always liked his take on this in particular.
Apologies as I couldn’t find an original video, just this weird channel animating the original audio. But every time my wife and I are in a car and see someone cross multiple lanes to get to an exit they almost missed we look at each other and say “but that’s their FAVORITE way!”
Honestly, I think what he got lambasted for was almost innocent compared to all the other #metoo stuff.
I’m pretty sure what he did was, at the time, under the guise of a consensual sex act that the other party agreed to. Now of course there is a power imbalance and he admitted as much (His statement is here) but I found it pretty mild compared to all the wild shit happening and that happened.
I’ll admit it’s gross and he did abuse his power over those women but he owned up to it and was honest. Huge difference between jerking off with someone watching/participating and actually raping someone though and that distinction is important.
I’mma be honest, when I read @paultimate14@lemmy.world’s comment, I forgot all about the sex thing. It was because he’s part of that group of boomer/Xer comedians who hate the idea that comedians should maybe not punch down. Who might be generally liberal in their politics (or at least have started out that way), but who manage to become beloved by the right because of making fun of trans people, and who double down when called out.
Yeah Louis’s situation seems pretty unique. Not on the same level as someone like Epstein or Weinstein. He didn’t do anything with his own employees or underaged fans. Sarah Silverman has been a big supporter of him and confirmed that he was always like that going back to when there was not a power disparity in their early club days together. His apology statement is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
But… There’s still some red flags, including some in just discovering as I am refreshing myself on the details now. If the 5 accusers, it looks like the first 2 were from an incident in 2002 at a festival where they escalated to to event organizers… And nothing happened. Then Rebecca Corry in 2005 on a TV show set who declined and reported the incident… And nothing happened. I can’t find when the other incidents happened, but like… Surely after these first 2 cases someone would have communicated to Louis how this was bad, right?
And Dave Becky, Louis’s manager at the time, sent letters to the victims threatening them to try to silence them. He later apologized and dropped Louis as a client, and Louis later publicly supported Becky and apologized to him as well. I’m not sure what to make of the whole mess, but if Becky was threatening victims that kinda feels like it should be worth some jail time, and if Louis ordered him to do so… Yikes.
Also I don’t think there’s an objective answer as to whether he should have retired, or how long he should have stayed out of the spotlight before returning. If I were him I probably would have just retired, but at the very least I would have spent a few years out of the spotlight. The initial article with the accusations came out in November 2017, and his next public appearance was August 2018, not even a whole year. And there was no easing in with less controversial material - he jumped into School shootings. He has since released a special called “Sorry” where he didn’t apologize but instead kept getting more controversial and used the F slur.
He’s also very good friends with Dave Chappelle, a certified piece of shit, and Jerry Seinfeld, famous for dating 17 year-old high school girls. And I get it- he got his break early on by opening for Seinfeld, but ya know maybe just tone down how public that friendship is given the circumstances?
I don’t feel the need to break out the torches and pitchforks for Louis, or pretend like none of his earlier works ever existed, but i’m also not in some huge hurry to defend him and restore his career either.
I know Luis CK has gotten a bit problematic for other reasons, but I always liked his take on this in particular.
Apologies as I couldn’t find an original video, just this weird channel animating the original audio. But every time my wife and I are in a car and see someone cross multiple lanes to get to an exit they almost missed we look at each other and say “but that’s their FAVORITE way!”
Honestly, I think what he got lambasted for was almost innocent compared to all the other #metoo stuff.
I’m pretty sure what he did was, at the time, under the guise of a consensual sex act that the other party agreed to. Now of course there is a power imbalance and he admitted as much (His statement is here) but I found it pretty mild compared to all the wild shit happening and that happened.
I’ll admit it’s gross and he did abuse his power over those women but he owned up to it and was honest. Huge difference between jerking off with someone watching/participating and actually raping someone though and that distinction is important.
I’mma be honest, when I read @paultimate14@lemmy.world’s comment, I forgot all about the sex thing. It was because he’s part of that group of boomer/Xer comedians who hate the idea that comedians should maybe not punch down. Who might be generally liberal in their politics (or at least have started out that way), but who manage to become beloved by the right because of making fun of trans people, and who double down when called out.
Yeah Louis’s situation seems pretty unique. Not on the same level as someone like Epstein or Weinstein. He didn’t do anything with his own employees or underaged fans. Sarah Silverman has been a big supporter of him and confirmed that he was always like that going back to when there was not a power disparity in their early club days together. His apology statement is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
But… There’s still some red flags, including some in just discovering as I am refreshing myself on the details now. If the 5 accusers, it looks like the first 2 were from an incident in 2002 at a festival where they escalated to to event organizers… And nothing happened. Then Rebecca Corry in 2005 on a TV show set who declined and reported the incident… And nothing happened. I can’t find when the other incidents happened, but like… Surely after these first 2 cases someone would have communicated to Louis how this was bad, right?
And Dave Becky, Louis’s manager at the time, sent letters to the victims threatening them to try to silence them. He later apologized and dropped Louis as a client, and Louis later publicly supported Becky and apologized to him as well. I’m not sure what to make of the whole mess, but if Becky was threatening victims that kinda feels like it should be worth some jail time, and if Louis ordered him to do so… Yikes.
Also I don’t think there’s an objective answer as to whether he should have retired, or how long he should have stayed out of the spotlight before returning. If I were him I probably would have just retired, but at the very least I would have spent a few years out of the spotlight. The initial article with the accusations came out in November 2017, and his next public appearance was August 2018, not even a whole year. And there was no easing in with less controversial material - he jumped into School shootings. He has since released a special called “Sorry” where he didn’t apologize but instead kept getting more controversial and used the F slur.
He’s also very good friends with Dave Chappelle, a certified piece of shit, and Jerry Seinfeld, famous for dating 17 year-old high school girls. And I get it- he got his break early on by opening for Seinfeld, but ya know maybe just tone down how public that friendship is given the circumstances?
I don’t feel the need to break out the torches and pitchforks for Louis, or pretend like none of his earlier works ever existed, but i’m also not in some huge hurry to defend him and restore his career either.
Oh yeah this by the way:
Made me laugh. You know damn well if anybody said anything it was an attaboy with a high five.