Male Comedians Need To Be Held Accountable For Their Actions
It's not "just a joke." Sexual assault and harassment is never funny. And in light of women coming forward telling their stories these last couple of weeks, comedian Louis C.K. is just one of the many men in the entertainment industry recently accused. It was reported by The New York Times that he was accused of sexual misconduct by five women, and he responded to these allegations saying they were true.
After seeing this news, to be honest, I was not surprised. Louis C.K. is constantly making sexual jokes in his standup, and rumors have been going around for years about his history of sexual abuse. The news shouldn't be a surprised to anyone, but unfortunately, it has, and why? Because this is a powerful, white man in the comedic, entertainment industry, and everyone seems to be blinded by that very fact.
I am not going to write this and act as if I have never watched C.K.'s standup, because I have. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I've always known he was a sexual abuser, because I haven't. I am someone who has been blinded by his humor at times, but this is the point I am trying to make. He abused his power as a comedian and that is why he has not been held accountable for his actions until now.
Comedy, especially from a white, male perspective, is very powerful and sexist. C.K. has power in his comedy, in that he can say something controversial, inappropriate, down right wrong, and just say "it was a joke." There seems to be no "line" when it comes to comedy, it is always crossed, but then forgiven (in some circumstances). Also, in the past 15 years, he has accumulated a large fan base to back him up. Some of his fans have already come to his defense, saying masturbating in front of someone technically does not count as sexual abuse.
An article from The Ringer made another good point, that C.K. tactic of self-loathing in his standup material helped him maintain his grasp on the industry.
"Like his progressivism, C.K.’s self-loathing was a crux of his appeal that also rendered potential accusations incredible: If he knew enough to make a joke at his own expense, he knew enough not to act that way in real life."
The article also pointed out C.K. has made a lot of connections in the industry, which hinder those from speaking out in fear it would ruin their own reputations. This should not be the excuse, for it is up to those within the same field as C.K. to speak out when their is wrongdoing in their realm, for they might be able to break the cycle of mysogyny in comedy.
What really disturbed me about this whole situation was that a lot of the media coverage I referred to for background information mentioned C.K. allegations have been an "open secret" for a long time. I know this post is very Louis C.K. centric, but this is not discounting other men in comedy that have been accused of sexual harassment and assault. Jeffrey Tambor, another actor and comedian, was also accused of sexual advances. Andy Dick is another comedian accused of sexual harassment and misconduct on set. The list continues, and unfortunately, it's getting longer, but it is important to note the immense bravery of all the victims who have spoken out. I think this says enough of what kind of power white men have in this industry have and how now is the time to stop ignoring the problem.
Featured Photo: Dan Nguyen/Creative Commons
