Not sure if it's worth it's own thread but Steven Seagal has been accused at least 4 actresses including Jenny McCarthy and Portia De Rossi of sexual harrassment.
He's been known for this stuff for quite some time. Also, any man who runs like this cannot be trusted:
Hate to say it but things are getting to the point where a person needs a Dave Chappelle Love Contract.
Combined with the Derek Jeter "here's your bag of going-away presents, the NDA, and the contract that says it's not my fault if I give you herpes."
I've started asking women if I can kiss them before I do. I think I'm going to maintain this. It's time to stop taking even small risks like going in for a kiss. Life is so exciting with everyone denying passion! Seems like the other option is to just ignore common sense and do whatever the **** you feel like. What happened to the middle ground? Is it still there?
But even if she says yes, you're not sure if she's saying yes because you might be in a position of power (you drove and could possibly drop her off in the middle of nowhere, where there is no cell signal to call an Uber =P)
Touchy subject but here’s one mans perspective. In commercial stand-up everyone tries to get ahead. Commercial comedians are far more abundant than the hard working, work the road, pay your dues type comics. Meeting a superstar to showcase your best 5 minutes is more important than testing your 45 minutes in front of Go Bananas comedy club in Cincinatti. The shortcut route makes 2 parties vulnerable to fringe behavior. The first party is the aggressive comedian, the second is the power wielder who is willing to take advantage of it. It’s not cool, but it’s sometime flagrant in other instances too. White men, especially the Jews have been able to get away with just about anything in my experiences with the Hollywood types. I’ve been “playfully” called the n-word by powerful people, but I doubt I’d call them out 20 years later after a charge is led in that direction, however, i still remember their names, faces and how it made me feel at the time. I’m sure the mental anguish is somewhat similar but I won’t pretend to know someone else’s pain. I’ve said all that to say this. I’ve never done drugs nor do I embrace the culture on stage, still I’ve been put in positions to either acquiesce or be ostracized. In this sexually stimulated age of feminist comedy I️ find it a bit hypocritical for some women who are so forward and graphic about their femininity to be so appalled by the actions of Louie C.K.. I’ll be at performing on the Andy Kindler show at the Secret Group this Thursday night, the Come and Takeit Comedy Festival.
Thanks for sharing that, A.B. I've often wondered about these social lines in the world of comedians, because comedy is, quite often, about surprising, off-kilter behavior, about crossing lines. Often a joke is funny, even in informal social or work settings, because the comment is orthogonal to the conversation, different, literally "out of line."
By the way, if anyone wants a deeper read from a female perspective, this is from Traister for New York magazine. Pretty interesting stuff, whether or not you agree with every part of it. Good food for thought. https://www.thecut.com/2017/11/rebecca-traister-on-the-post-weinstein-reckoning.html
Great point. The lines are often blurred between the reality of we show ourselves to be on stage and who we actually are.
I wonder what the reaction would have been if the rumors were confirmed by Louis CK 5 years ago, instead of right after the Weinstein and Spacey revelations. I feel people are primed to be less forgiving of sexual improprieties at this moment, especially when it’s from a man directed towards a woman. We are at a zero tolerance moment in our culture. Maybe it’s for the best, but I worry about how far it may be taken. Are male comedians no longer allowed to speak openly and frankly about sexual topics in front of women, because it could be deemed as sexual harassment?
I would argue the opposite. What Louis CK did is nothing compared to Weinstein or Spacey. Since you have recent instances of people REALLY crossing the line, him asking women if he could whip his dick out before whipping out his dick and rubbing one out is seemingly mundane. He wasn't trying to rape a child or forcing anyone to have sex with him. Crazy that's what point we've reached but it is what it is.
