Thursday, October 19, 2017

Got It

Doing the right thing is often much easier than saying the right thing. Witness the fallout over Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault history. It resulted in women boycotting Twitter for a day. This unfortunately left the pond of social media free of much of the wisdom and calm brought there by those participating in the boycott. Statements from Oliver Stone, suggesting that "it's not easy" to go through what the disgraced movie producer is experiencing, as well as countless other men walking into the trap they set for themselves only served to fan the flames rather than bring any kind of resolution. 
Woody Allen? What was he doing out in public, let alone asserting that he hoped this didn't create a "witch hunt atmosphere" surrounding the case? And not all the voices of support for Harvey were male. Lindsay Lohan said, “He’s never harmed me or done anything to me. We’ve done several movies together. And so I think everyone needs to stop. I think it’s wrong. So stand up.” It was a call that went mostly unheeded by the rank and file, but that didn't stop entertainers from doing what they are known for: entertaining. Or attempting to do so. 
James Corden, host of the Late Late Show on CBS, was hosting the annual amfaR gala when he opened his remarks with a few "topical jokes" about Harvey Weinstein. When the first one met with groans, he plowed on through with three more, providing much the same reaction to his initial jest. As a means to further this discussion, I offer up my own struggles with making jokes at inopportune moments and places. Each time I have learned something. It's easy to blame the audience. You can raise an eyebrow and ask, "Too soon?" And hope that doubling down on their discomfort will somehow bring you back into their good graces, or at least put you in that "edgy" place that comedians like to live. 
Some of them. And some of them might wonder if a night set aside for honoring those who have helped promote AIDS research and fundraising is the time and place to try out some of that topical humor about a sexual predator. Conversely, the folks at Saturday Night Live took a lot of heat last week because they avoided the comic possibilities of Harvey Weinstein. When they "finally" got around to poking fun, the question was "too little, too late?" 
So here's a punchline: Harvey Weinstein has been fired, divorced and disgraced. He will most likely be brought to trial on any number of counts via the accusations of women who were assaulted and abused. Actions have consequences.
Get it? 

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