Popular British TV personality Stephen Fry recently complained to BBC’s Newsnight that he thought the Jimmy Savile scandal has led many to unfairly assume the worst about other 70s era disc jockeys and “light comedians.” He went on to say:
If you want to talk about rock stars, do we have to name the rock stars that we think almost certainly had sex with 14-year-old children? But those 14-year-old girls were so proud of it that they now in their 50s wouldn’t for a minute call themselves ‘victims’.
So here’s a little one-question news quiz:
QUESTION: Which of the following comments about Fry and his attitudes toward “historical” pedophilia – sorry, ephebophilia – were downvoted in the Men’s Rights subreddit?
A) I agree with him. It’s probably the one place where I diverge with the MRM. I think the age of consent for both men and women needs to be lower, and accepting the inevitable sexuality of high schoolers would do everyone some good. Equality is my top concern though. If we are jailing men for having consensual sex with 16 year old “girls”, I guess we need to jail women who have sex with 16 year old “boys”. I would prefer to see the insanity end though. I’m not so sold on 14 though. I think every year there is a percentage of people who are ready, and through the puberty years the percentage changes drastically. At 14 it’s probably kind of low. Yet, I have met men and women who gave up virginity at 14 with a positive experience and no regrets. More unbiased research would be nice here.
B) It’s almost like young people can seek out and enjoy sex with older people.
C) I can’t really argue, my parents mention that it was how things were back then, my mum knew a good few ”good girls” who would be playing celebrities for drink/drugs/clothing, it’s only become unacceptable now.
D) Once again i find myself asking why people think so much of Fry’s intellect. He has made some reasonable points in the past, but nothing brilliant — and this one is just plain dumb. And hey, if a woman had said this shit about 14 year old boys this sub would be up in arms! …
BONUS QUESTION: Which popular British rock star sent a roadie to kidnap a 14-year-old girl, informing her “[Name of rock star] told me that he’s going to have you whether you like it or not,” then adopted her as his “girlfriend” and hid her from the public for three years so he wouldn’t get arrested?
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ANSWER: The only downvoted answer was D, a comment from ThePigmanAgain.Yes, the guy behind this bizarre and terrible web comic is practically the only voice of wisdom in that thread. All the other comments above had positive karma at the time I wrote this.
They are truly human rightsing it up over in the Men’s Rights subreddit!
BONUS ANSWER: Jimmy Page. Yeah, that Jimmy Page. Read more of the sordid details here.
I need to apologize.
When I pointed out that Lori Maddox has said that she totes agreed to all of it and has suggested that much of it was “her idea”, it was not to excuse Jimmy Page. I can see, however, why people might have taken it that way, and I’m so sorry. I worded that terribly (and really shouldn’t have included it at all because, as rightly pointed out, it doesn’t matter). So yeah… I very much apologize for that.
I don’t want to excuse Jimmy Page. He is a despicable human being for what he did, and whether or not Lori Maddox consented to it or even suggested it really makes no difference. Neither does the whole “Groupie Culture” defense (“it was the flavor of the age!” is a statement I read once from someone defending Jimmy Page).
And yet, somehow guys who DON’T do that manage to get along just fine…better, in fact, than guys who do, because their refusal to be creepy is a major point in their favor, romantically speaking. I’ve NEVER agreed to a date with anyone whose first words to me were “Nice ass!” That’s an automatic creep-flag.
@ Kakanian – (close enough; I tend not to use the M word but present as gay and let it be assumed)
Well, we’ll always the much smaller pool, and there are still too many places where conditions are horrible. But rising generations won’t have old baggage.
Nooooooooooooooo!
Predators will claim that a toddler seduced them and the people whose income depends on that predator will nod sagely and sweep it under the rug.
Aaaaand that is why I can never ever listen to “Since I Been Loving You” without gagging violently dry heaving.
Also, WTF STEPHEN FRY!?! Don’t make me not like you anymore.
(First time commenter. Long time reader. Shut up, Woody.)