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Culture War Roundup for the week of April 1, 2024

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I read that article, and the difference in skin tone as an explanation for differential treatment was the first thing that occurred to me too. (Less directly relevant was an example I've mentioned several times, wherein Michael Richards' career was completely and irreparably destroyed after yelling some racial slurs onstage; meanwhile, ten people were killed at a Travis Scott gig in part due to his onstage behaviour and disregard for the audience's safety - and he's still touring and recording music.)

However, Freddie cited some other examples of celebrities who evaded repercussions for bad behaviour, including Michael Fassbender (which was news to me) and Bill Murray. I thought also of:

  • Charlie Sheen, who still enjoys a similar "lovable meme-y rogue" reputation despite numerous accusations of domestic abuse and almost certainly knowingly (or recklessly) infecting sexual partners with HIV
  • Conor McGregor, who is successfully transitioning from sports into star-studded movies despite numerous convictions for assault, and rape accusations
  • R. Kelly, who evaded legal and social repercussions for his crimes for decades

Also mentioned in the comments was Chris Brown.

Someone in the comments suggested a prosaic explanation: jocks (Tyson, Sheen, Scott, Fassbender, Brown, McGregor, Kelly) and class clowns (Murray) can almost always avoid consequences for their bad behaviour. Nerds (Allen, Richards, half the men on the Shitty Media Men list, that guy who killed himself after Zoe Quinn smeared him) cannot - even if, like Allen, they've never been convicted or even charged with a crime.

I'm struggling to think of counter-examples. On the "jocks who faced consequences" side, the only one that comes to mind is Armie Hammer, who's maybe a noncentral example purely because of how weird the allegations against him were (as opposed to the more prosaic accusations of domestic abuse and/or rape levelled against the other men on the list). On the "nerds who didn't face consequences" side, Freddie points to John Lasseter - unquestionably a nerd, but maybe being a director rather an actor kept him out of the limelight (and the accusations against him, while inexcusable, were small beer compared to Tyson). Rumours about Dan Schneider only finally seem to be coming to social fruition within the last ten minutes. Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris were only exposed posthumously and in their eighties respectively, despite rumours circulating about them for decades in their lifetimes. Andy Dick has been known to be a creep, sex pest and druggy for decades, but maybe he's enough of a class clown to get away with it.

Less directly relevant was an example I've mentioned several times, wherein Michael Richards' career was completely and irreparably destroyed after yelling some racial slurs onstage; meanwhile, ten people were killed at a Travis Scott gig in part due to his onstage behaviour and disregard for the audience's safety - and he's still touring and recording music.

And Morgan Wallen evaded any consequences at all for yelling nigger at a fan on stage by just not giving a shit. I think that apologizing or not is an underrated and relevant difference.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/morgan-wallen-issues-apology-tells-fans-not-defend-him-i-n1257483

Not only did he apologize, and take a hiatus from public appearances, he met with "Black leaders" and specifically told fans "not to defend me."

I'm surprised that Wallen didn't do a duet with any of the younger black country artists that Nashville is always trying to pump up, that would have seemed like the easiest and most productive way out to me at the time, give some of the star power he has to another artist.

I don’t think Andy dick has gotten away with it. A recent headline reads “comedian Andy duck arrest warrant issued after failing to register as a sex offender״

That's my point: he's been arrested, charged and convicted of numerous crimes, and yet none of them ever seem to permanently destroy his career, as happened with Michael Richards (whose career was destroyed without him even committing a crime).

I did watch a video (from a rather...polarizing YouTube channel) once that showed that, while Andy Dick does still kind of have a career, his life is practically ruined, being reduced to slumming it in a motorhome and being used for livestream views while his self-destruction is not being reversed.

Oh interesting, maybe he's not a counter-example so.

I'm struggling to think of counter-examples.

Armie Hammer looks like the jock, cancelled. Gina Carano literally used to beat people up (including Fassbender in one of her early roles), cancelled. The rapper DaBaby is black and a jock (I think - killing people in self-defense and bragging about it seems pretty masculine), also cancelled for homophobia. Johnathan Majors is black, looks like this and was cancelled (though he gives off theater-kid-narcissist energy underneath all that armor)

DaBaby's last album in 2022 debuted at #34 on the Billboard charts, he seems to be doing alright for himself.

Jonathan Majors is a good counter-example.

Regarding Carano, I think there's a different set of rules for men and for women.