Don’t Do the Crime, Even if You Won’t Pay the Time!//Margaret Brennan, M.A.




Photo Courtesy of Pixers.us


Next month marks the anniversary of The New Yorker article (2017) that broke the story of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged history of sexual assault, and in the eleven months since, approximately 100 men in the entertainment industry have had sexual assault allegations leveled against them. Ten months ago, one of those men was comedian Louis C.K., and in one of the few instances of an accused man doing so, he acknowledged, in a statement that was also published in The New York Times, that the allegations against him were true, and he concluded said statement by writing that, “I will now step back and take a long time to listen” (The New York Times, 2017). 
            That appears to be what he did for ten months before appearing, unannounced, at a comedy club at the end of last month.  Yes, he lost corporate sponsorships and his film I Love You Daddy were dropped by its domestic and international distributors, but charges were never brought against him.  Instead he was allowed to retreat from the public eye for less than a year, before making a return to the literal spotlight on his own terms and without the prior knowledge of his audience, leading to several women walking out of the venue and a few others sitting stone-faced through the entirety of his set (Vulture, 2018).
            Within the #MeToo/Time’s Up era, C.K. serves as a sort of bellwether given that he has acknowledged the accuracy of the allegations made against him, and his return to the public eye, along with steps being taken by several other accused men highlights the power that the “boys club” still has over how and to what extent powerful men are, or are not, punished for the harm they do.  That was also evident in the social media response to C.K.’s unannounced set, with several notable male comedians, including Michael Ian Black, calling for understanding of C.K. having “done his time,” or expressing their outright excitement for his return, while many female comedians expressed their anger, frustration, and even resignation regarding an admitted abusers return to the spotlight.   

                                                               Credit: Tweet by: @michaelianblack

                                                                           Credit: Tweet by: @aparnapkin

            I admit to having none of the answers (numerous opinions yes, but no answers) regarding how long abusers should be out of the public eye, but getting to step back from the judgment of the public without facing legal consequences strikes me as hollow, and making his return through an audience who was not informed, and therefore unable to consent to said return is a blatant continuation of the issues with not seeking consent that precipitated C.K.’s (and countless others) fall from grace in the first place.  Abusers must be held accountable because if they aren’t, they will never change, and as a society we send the message to others that their actions are acceptable, and that is unacceptable!

Written by: Margaret Brennan, M.A.


References
C.K., Louis (2017, November 7). Louis C.K. responds to accusations: “These stories are true.”
            The New York Times. Retrieved from:

Farrow, Ronan (2017, October 10). From aggressive overtures to sexual assault: Harvey
Weinstein’s accusers tell their stories. The New Yorker. Retrieved from:
Harris, Hunter (2018, August 29). “Two women describe Louis C.K.’s “uncomfortable” Comedy  













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