Thread by @JuliusGoat

I guess my (probably) last thought on Louis CK:

A lot of people really think the answer to our comedy hero admitting to sex crimes was just "wait until mom's not mad anymore and things can go back to normal."

He did it the way he did it so that he could get people in a place where they would forgive him on behalf of the people he abused.

He knew a lot of people were waiting to do it.

But we don't get to redeem Louis CK, and we don't get to forgive him.

It didn't happen to us.

Who did it happen to?

It happened to Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov and Abby Schachner and Rebecca Corry, and another anonymous woman.

But that's not all.

It happened to every female comic who had to work knowing that if a male comic was funny enough and successful enough, he could sure enough whip out his dick and make her watch him beat it, and lie about it, and everybody would believe him.

That's who.

And since he could do THAT ... well. If he wanted to, he could do other things too.

Even if he didn't, he obviously COULD. Or somebody else could..

And that's the work environment.

Which starts then to feel like it's designed to keep you out of it.

Which is what it is.

That environment was there before Louis CK came on the scene, and it's still there now. And Louis could have chosen to fight it.

But he didn't. He chose to take advantage of it instead, and perpetuate it.

That's what Louis CK did.

And so when he comes back after nine months, trying to carry on as if it didn't happen, what is he doing?

He's demonstrating he was right.

If we are all OK with it, because we want our comedy hero back, he was right.

He matters. They don't.

Even AFTER we know, we don't care.

"But should somebody just be banished FOREVER?"
"Shouldn't somebody be allowed to WORK?"

My dudes. Even if the answer to that question is 'no,' that is not the problem we face. That doesn't happen.

The problem is it's a menacing environment for women, and we're proving it.

Imagine being a female comic and seeing that face, and knowing what he did, and knowing everybody knows what he did.

And then hearing the cheers.

And then reading the defenses.

What Louis CK was doing by stepping on that stage was not just asking the crowd to forgive him for the crime done to other people.

He was inviting them to participate in the crime.

And many have.

Don't.

I love Louis CK. My favorite comic.

But ... don't.

Don't.

Louis CK disappearing forever is not the problem we need concern ourselves with. That's not how our society operates.

You're being invited to prioritize the concern about what happens to Louis CK to the exclusion of what is happening to those affected by his choices.

Don't.

This isn’t a serious line of inquiry.

The hyperbole is designed to make the concept of any consequence seem ridiculous.

The invitation here is to view Louis CK’s exclusion as something unfair that was done to him by those he harmed.

Don’t.

Louis CK wasn’t convicted. He wasn’t even charged. The truth about his crimes came out; he finally had to admit to it.

And that’s all.

My answer is, that means you don’t get to think about him the same way anymore w/o ignoring those he harmed.

You want to.

Don’t.

There’s going to be a sacrifice.

Either we sacrifice ourselves, losing our uncomplicated enjoyment of a favorite comedian.

Or we sacrifice female comics to a work place in which they are unwelcome and unsafe.

We’re being invited to sacrifice them.

Don’t.

Thinking the level of malice is the relevant factor misunderstands the problem female comics face.

He took advantage of an atmosphere in which powerful male comedians can do what they want to less powerful female ones, knowing people wouldn’t care.

What we can do is care.

The solution is to stop asking that question.

The solution is to start asking the question: How do we, the audience, help ensure an equal and safe workplace for female comics?

Asking “but what about Louis?” is a question designed to insulate us from the inconvenience of caring.

OK, to finish this off:

The reason I’m spending so much time on this is that this is *exactly* how our society works about almost everything.

There’s the person abusing their power to abuse others.

And there’s the rest of us, being offered some advantage to not care about it.

The only way this cycle ends is if we start to care enough to change.

And that will mean that we have to give up some advantage.

And if we can’t even give up uncomplicated enjoyment of our favorite comedian, what hope do we have for more important things?

Embrace the inconvenience of caring.

Make America Finally Give A Shit.

/end

Or we can be this.

/end (really)