Room for another 30 more??
December 2 // November 15, 2017
Turns out, there is now something we call "enough truth." Isn't that great?
Here’s how this is going to go, and we thank you for your patience as we tracked the long, long list of sexual predators on the Two Weeks Ago News facebook page daily.
We are in no position to interpret or understand the pathology behind the actions of the dozens of men who have been charged with sexual assaults in the workplace by women who worked for or around them. We’ll leave that to the medical people who study and understand the intricacies of the brain and why we behave the way we behave.
We’re more interested in examining the written word. It’s black and white and it’s on the record but it’s not without nuance. Presumably, the statements of the men who were forced to address their vile behavior were written and rewritten, edited and massaged carefully by scores of people (attorneys, PR teams, managers, accountants, doctors, and employers) who “manage” these men and have self-interest in their respective futures. We haven’t done an exhaustive look back; we’ve simply gathered a number of statements and are reacting to what they contained – or didn’t contain - as the case may be. The men we included in this roundup are Matt Lauer, John Lasseter, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, Louie CK, Jeffrey Tambor, Brett Ratner, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Mark Halperin and Harvey Weinstein.
Presenting: our analysis – with emphasis, asides and commentary all from TWAN, of course - which we fully agree is worth the paper it’s printed on.
Point 1: Let’s go to the dictionary, shall we?
Ashamed: adjective
Why do so few of these men admit to feeling ashamed? In the 11 statements we read, the word “shame” comes up exactly four times: twice in Al Franken’s statement and twice in Matt Lauer’s. Aren’t they all ashamed of what they did? We’re not all that interested in reading about their pain. We do want to read that they are deep down to their core ashamed of themselves. We found it particularly interesting that Lauer characterized it this way: “Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.” [Translation: is he saying women are lying and exaggerating? And what the…there is ‘enough truth?’ What is enough truth?] “I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.” [We’re a little confused by this last part but if you mean that they’re ashamed of YOU, Matt, we agree. They probably are.]
Don’t these guys watch Game of Thrones? The nun ringing the bell during Cersei’s walk of shame was apparently the most significant foreshadowing of all time. These guys should have been paying attention. More on that in the next update.
Point 2: From the “this hurts me more than it hurts you” file:
Some of them love to use the word pain, but we think at least a few of these guys are perplexed about exactly who is in pain. Whether they’ve caused it, are feeling it or are otherwise concerned about pain, they mentioned it. Mark Halperin caused pain; so did Harvey; so did Matt; so did Louie. Charlie says he recognizes pain.
Point 3: From the “Who Cares?” file:
Some of them disclosed their plans for repairing their own broken selves, as if that’s the most critical question on everyone’s minds. Here are the roadmaps to recovery offered by three of them: Warning – this first one is a doozy….
Weinstein: “I am going to need a place to channel that anger [His anger? At who? Himself? Doubtful. At no point prior to this in his statement had the word “anger” come up.] so I've decided that I'm going to give the NRA my full attention. [The NRA? Where did they come from?] I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party. I'm going to do it at the same place I had my Bar Mitzvah. [What?] I'm making a movie about our President, perhaps we can make it a joint retirement party. [TWAN is confused: How can he be making a movie if the NRA is getting his full attention?]
One year ago, I began organizing a $5 million foundation to give scholarships to women directors at USC. [USC has since rejected the money and will not be setting up this fund.] While this might seem coincidental, it has been in the works for a year. It will be named after my mom and I won't disappoint her. [Too late, Harvey. But you know how else you would never disappoint your mom? By behaving in a respectful manner toward all women.]
Lauer: Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul-searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job. [No kidding. And presumably, an unpaid job but NBC has no doubt handed over a handsome sum to have him gone and his contract null and void in a matter of days.] The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws. [Hold it right there. The "last two days??" He's never "taken a very hard look" at this behavior until now? And we're so sorry but .... “troubling flaws?” Troubling? No, Matt, no, no, no. These are not “troubling flaws.” Troubling flaws are not being able to break yourself of a nail-biting habit or forgetting birthdays or never picking up your dirty socks. Buying sex toys to have them available at the office, locking your door to maintain privacy as you made your unwelcome advances, and preying on women in your workplace are not “troubling flaws.” They’re criminal behavior. Is he supposed to be a smart guy?]
Lasseter: “…a sabbatical will give me the opportunity to start taking better care of myself, to recharge and be inspired, and ultimately return with the insight and perspective I need to be the leader you deserve. [Better care of himself? Of himself? He needs to get recharged and inspired? Dear God. What happened to him? What kind of insight and perspective does he need other than stop offering women an “unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape or form.”]
Point 4: From the “what about me?” file:
The egos continue to stagger, and in our humble view, none with more arrogance that Charlie Rose. After his weak-spirited, ‘sorry-not-sorry’ lead-in, he tells us this:
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”
This is almost too much but we'll try. Our many, many questions:
What “others?” What does he mean by "all of us?"
Who else has to learn from this? What on earth do we have to learn, Charlie? He can’t be referring to the thousands and thousands of men who have never and would never consider doing anything as vile as Charlie and men like him have done.
What recognition has he discovered? He’s found a “newer and deeper recognition” of the pain? He found nothing of the kind. He found newer and deeper recognition of what it’s like to be called out on his despicable nature and is covering it up by how he’s “learning” from it.
What new respect – no, “profound new respect" - for women has he found? And p.s., ALL of us are NOT coming to a 'newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past' because we never caused pain. Many, many thousands of men never lost their respect for women. Charlie started his statement by telling us that “In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked.” We can only suppose that advocacy hadn’t - until now - included respecting women.
Point 5: From “the less said, the better” file, we find these two men:
Brevity is welcome, unless it’s dismissive. Then it’s just annoying. Brett and Dustin? Yeah, we mean you.
Brett Rattner (Warner Brothers Studio) "In light of the allegations being made, I am choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros-related activities. I don't want to have any possible negative impact to the studio until these personal issues are resolved." Okay then. Resolve away, Brett!
Dustin Hoffman “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.” Anything you “might have done?” Who is it reflective of, Dustin?
Point 6: From the “not me” file:
Andrew Kreisberg and Jeffrey Tambor are simply not having it. Who can say if the allegations against them are true. Tambor offers a lame ‘‘if my behavior offended you, I’m sorry” spin.
Andrew Kreisberg “I have made comments on women’s appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized. Like many people, I have given someone a nonsexual hug or kiss on the cheek,” said Mr. Kreisberg, who denied the accusations.
Jeffrey Tambor “I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue.”
Point 7: From the “but that was the OLD me!” file:
In a way, we feel a little (a little!) compassion for Mark Halperin, who used part of his statement to admit that he used to be a scumbag but goes on to say he hasn’t been a scumbag in a long time. So there’s that.
“For a long time at ABC News, I was part of the problem. I acknowledge that and I deeply regret it. As I said earlier in the week, my behavior was wrong. It caused fear and anxiety for women who were only seeking to do their jobs.” But he recognized his problems – without allegations, without threat of lawsuits or firing. He sought counseling and is a changed man. Of his recent workplace behavior, he says “I am confident you would find that I had a very different reputation than I had at ABC News because I conducted myself in a very different manner.”
Point 8: The winners, if by winners, we mean the least despicable losers:
We found it interesting that the most unfiltered statements came from men who emerged from comedy: Al Franken and Louie CK, who also the writers in the group. Of all the apologies we reviewed, these two seemed to acknowledge their behavior and did not try to squirm out from under by casting doubt or questioning the truthfulness of their accusers, or re-constructing the circumstances.
Franken: "The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women. There's more I want to say, but the first and most important thing -- and if it's the only thing you care to hear, that's fine -- is: I'm sorry.
“I look at [the picture] now and I feel disgusted with myself. It isn't funny. It's completely inappropriate. It's obvious how Leeann would feel violated by that picture. And, what's more, I can see how millions of other women would feel violated by it -- women who have had similar experiences in their own lives, women who fear having those experiences, women who look up to me, women who have counted on me.
"…But the intentions behind my actions aren't the point at all. It's the impact these jokes had on others that matters. And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come to terms with that."
Louis CK: “The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I’ve tried to learn from them. And run from them.” “There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am.” “The hardest regret to live with is what you’ve done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I’d be remiss to exclude the hurt that I’ve brought on people who I work with and have worked with who’s professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production…”
We don't know about you but all of these leaves us sad, angry, incredulous, horrified, cranky, and a little numb. We've done the best we could to recap some of the apologies and explanations we've heard from a few of the men we’ve been reading about and how they’re addressing their circumstances. Lovely. Fine. Ultimately meaningless in terms of compensating the rest of us for having to hear about them and read these headlines daily, and for some women - having to live with the reality and the aftermath of this horrifying behavior.
But we've been thinking about it. A lot. Up next, how these men can begin to make it up to all of us . Please stay tuned.
Turns out, there is now something we call "enough truth." Isn't that great?
Here’s how this is going to go, and we thank you for your patience as we tracked the long, long list of sexual predators on the Two Weeks Ago News facebook page daily.
We are in no position to interpret or understand the pathology behind the actions of the dozens of men who have been charged with sexual assaults in the workplace by women who worked for or around them. We’ll leave that to the medical people who study and understand the intricacies of the brain and why we behave the way we behave.
We’re more interested in examining the written word. It’s black and white and it’s on the record but it’s not without nuance. Presumably, the statements of the men who were forced to address their vile behavior were written and rewritten, edited and massaged carefully by scores of people (attorneys, PR teams, managers, accountants, doctors, and employers) who “manage” these men and have self-interest in their respective futures. We haven’t done an exhaustive look back; we’ve simply gathered a number of statements and are reacting to what they contained – or didn’t contain - as the case may be. The men we included in this roundup are Matt Lauer, John Lasseter, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, Louie CK, Jeffrey Tambor, Brett Ratner, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Mark Halperin and Harvey Weinstein.
Presenting: our analysis – with emphasis, asides and commentary all from TWAN, of course - which we fully agree is worth the paper it’s printed on.
Point 1: Let’s go to the dictionary, shall we?
Ashamed: adjective
- feeling shame; distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace.
Why do so few of these men admit to feeling ashamed? In the 11 statements we read, the word “shame” comes up exactly four times: twice in Al Franken’s statement and twice in Matt Lauer’s. Aren’t they all ashamed of what they did? We’re not all that interested in reading about their pain. We do want to read that they are deep down to their core ashamed of themselves. We found it particularly interesting that Lauer characterized it this way: “Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.” [Translation: is he saying women are lying and exaggerating? And what the…there is ‘enough truth?’ What is enough truth?] “I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.” [We’re a little confused by this last part but if you mean that they’re ashamed of YOU, Matt, we agree. They probably are.]
Don’t these guys watch Game of Thrones? The nun ringing the bell during Cersei’s walk of shame was apparently the most significant foreshadowing of all time. These guys should have been paying attention. More on that in the next update.
Point 2: From the “this hurts me more than it hurts you” file:
Some of them love to use the word pain, but we think at least a few of these guys are perplexed about exactly who is in pain. Whether they’ve caused it, are feeling it or are otherwise concerned about pain, they mentioned it. Mark Halperin caused pain; so did Harvey; so did Matt; so did Louie. Charlie says he recognizes pain.
Point 3: From the “Who Cares?” file:
Some of them disclosed their plans for repairing their own broken selves, as if that’s the most critical question on everyone’s minds. Here are the roadmaps to recovery offered by three of them: Warning – this first one is a doozy….
Weinstein: “I am going to need a place to channel that anger [His anger? At who? Himself? Doubtful. At no point prior to this in his statement had the word “anger” come up.] so I've decided that I'm going to give the NRA my full attention. [The NRA? Where did they come from?] I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party. I'm going to do it at the same place I had my Bar Mitzvah. [What?] I'm making a movie about our President, perhaps we can make it a joint retirement party. [TWAN is confused: How can he be making a movie if the NRA is getting his full attention?]
One year ago, I began organizing a $5 million foundation to give scholarships to women directors at USC. [USC has since rejected the money and will not be setting up this fund.] While this might seem coincidental, it has been in the works for a year. It will be named after my mom and I won't disappoint her. [Too late, Harvey. But you know how else you would never disappoint your mom? By behaving in a respectful manner toward all women.]
Lauer: Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul-searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job. [No kidding. And presumably, an unpaid job but NBC has no doubt handed over a handsome sum to have him gone and his contract null and void in a matter of days.] The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws. [Hold it right there. The "last two days??" He's never "taken a very hard look" at this behavior until now? And we're so sorry but .... “troubling flaws?” Troubling? No, Matt, no, no, no. These are not “troubling flaws.” Troubling flaws are not being able to break yourself of a nail-biting habit or forgetting birthdays or never picking up your dirty socks. Buying sex toys to have them available at the office, locking your door to maintain privacy as you made your unwelcome advances, and preying on women in your workplace are not “troubling flaws.” They’re criminal behavior. Is he supposed to be a smart guy?]
Lasseter: “…a sabbatical will give me the opportunity to start taking better care of myself, to recharge and be inspired, and ultimately return with the insight and perspective I need to be the leader you deserve. [Better care of himself? Of himself? He needs to get recharged and inspired? Dear God. What happened to him? What kind of insight and perspective does he need other than stop offering women an “unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape or form.”]
Point 4: From the “what about me?” file:
The egos continue to stagger, and in our humble view, none with more arrogance that Charlie Rose. After his weak-spirited, ‘sorry-not-sorry’ lead-in, he tells us this:
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”
This is almost too much but we'll try. Our many, many questions:
What “others?” What does he mean by "all of us?"
Who else has to learn from this? What on earth do we have to learn, Charlie? He can’t be referring to the thousands and thousands of men who have never and would never consider doing anything as vile as Charlie and men like him have done.
What recognition has he discovered? He’s found a “newer and deeper recognition” of the pain? He found nothing of the kind. He found newer and deeper recognition of what it’s like to be called out on his despicable nature and is covering it up by how he’s “learning” from it.
What new respect – no, “profound new respect" - for women has he found? And p.s., ALL of us are NOT coming to a 'newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past' because we never caused pain. Many, many thousands of men never lost their respect for women. Charlie started his statement by telling us that “In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked.” We can only suppose that advocacy hadn’t - until now - included respecting women.
Point 5: From “the less said, the better” file, we find these two men:
Brevity is welcome, unless it’s dismissive. Then it’s just annoying. Brett and Dustin? Yeah, we mean you.
Brett Rattner (Warner Brothers Studio) "In light of the allegations being made, I am choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros-related activities. I don't want to have any possible negative impact to the studio until these personal issues are resolved." Okay then. Resolve away, Brett!
Dustin Hoffman “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.” Anything you “might have done?” Who is it reflective of, Dustin?
Point 6: From the “not me” file:
Andrew Kreisberg and Jeffrey Tambor are simply not having it. Who can say if the allegations against them are true. Tambor offers a lame ‘‘if my behavior offended you, I’m sorry” spin.
Andrew Kreisberg “I have made comments on women’s appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized. Like many people, I have given someone a nonsexual hug or kiss on the cheek,” said Mr. Kreisberg, who denied the accusations.
Jeffrey Tambor “I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue.”
Point 7: From the “but that was the OLD me!” file:
In a way, we feel a little (a little!) compassion for Mark Halperin, who used part of his statement to admit that he used to be a scumbag but goes on to say he hasn’t been a scumbag in a long time. So there’s that.
“For a long time at ABC News, I was part of the problem. I acknowledge that and I deeply regret it. As I said earlier in the week, my behavior was wrong. It caused fear and anxiety for women who were only seeking to do their jobs.” But he recognized his problems – without allegations, without threat of lawsuits or firing. He sought counseling and is a changed man. Of his recent workplace behavior, he says “I am confident you would find that I had a very different reputation than I had at ABC News because I conducted myself in a very different manner.”
Point 8: The winners, if by winners, we mean the least despicable losers:
We found it interesting that the most unfiltered statements came from men who emerged from comedy: Al Franken and Louie CK, who also the writers in the group. Of all the apologies we reviewed, these two seemed to acknowledge their behavior and did not try to squirm out from under by casting doubt or questioning the truthfulness of their accusers, or re-constructing the circumstances.
Franken: "The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women. There's more I want to say, but the first and most important thing -- and if it's the only thing you care to hear, that's fine -- is: I'm sorry.
“I look at [the picture] now and I feel disgusted with myself. It isn't funny. It's completely inappropriate. It's obvious how Leeann would feel violated by that picture. And, what's more, I can see how millions of other women would feel violated by it -- women who have had similar experiences in their own lives, women who fear having those experiences, women who look up to me, women who have counted on me.
"…But the intentions behind my actions aren't the point at all. It's the impact these jokes had on others that matters. And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come to terms with that."
Louis CK: “The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I’ve tried to learn from them. And run from them.” “There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am.” “The hardest regret to live with is what you’ve done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I’d be remiss to exclude the hurt that I’ve brought on people who I work with and have worked with who’s professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production…”
We don't know about you but all of these leaves us sad, angry, incredulous, horrified, cranky, and a little numb. We've done the best we could to recap some of the apologies and explanations we've heard from a few of the men we’ve been reading about and how they’re addressing their circumstances. Lovely. Fine. Ultimately meaningless in terms of compensating the rest of us for having to hear about them and read these headlines daily, and for some women - having to live with the reality and the aftermath of this horrifying behavior.
But we've been thinking about it. A lot. Up next, how these men can begin to make it up to all of us . Please stay tuned.