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creepy empathy deficit misogyny rape rape culture

Larry Wilmore’s brilliant takedown: “Bill Cosby Says the Darndest Things.”

From Comedy Central’s Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore: A brilliant takedown of Cosby’s creepy evasions and excuses, featuring newly revealed details from that 2005 deposition. Wilmore also plays clips from an early Cosby comedy album and from the Cosby Show much later in his career in which Cosby jokes about … drugging women for sex.

Evidently, as Wilmore points out, Cosby thought that his hobby of repeatedly drugging and raping women was hilarious.

And here’s Nightly Show writer Holly Walker delivering her verdict on Cosby, rap style. Why rap? Because Cosby hates rap music. 

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benfromcanada
9 years ago

I now have to make sure to watch the Nightly Show. Thanks for eating more of my time, jerk!

sn0rkmaiden
9 years ago

@Miss Andry,

‘Unless there is some serious issue of life and limb that requires grand drama, it’s never a good idea to air philosophical and personal conflicts publicly.’

Ooh, that bodes a future bust up. He’s trying to be professional about it, but he let that slip.

I wonder what his future activism will consist of? Possibly trashing feminists on Twitter?

weirwoodtreehugger
9 years ago

Here’s Lindy West on rape jokes. http://jezebel.com/5925186/how-to-make-a-rape-joke

And an extra rape joke (actually sketch) that works very well. Because the post is pretty old now.
https://youtu.be/1sq4gVZ4cBc

Sorry if I’ve posted this clip before. I think maybe I did. But it’s very relevant to the thread.

Rabukurafuto
Rabukurafuto
9 years ago

There is a truth that comedy draws some of its best laughs from our pain. But the greater the tragedy, the more skilled one must be to actually successfully transform it into humor. Rape jokes, because of the trauma of such a violation, are the equivalent of juggling a set of running chainsaws, six rotten eggs and a flaming baton. It’s impressive when done right, but when done wrong, it creates a huge mess and very likely hurts someone nearby. And people who attempt it without the necessary skill are suffering from an inflated sense of their own talent, Tosh. They are very clearly punching above their weight class, and need to get told properly that they just aren’t that talented.

Yes. Yes! Yes! That is the best analogy for telling a rape joke I have ever heard. This deserves to go into a great big book of useful quotes.

AltoFronto
AltoFronto
9 years ago

Ugh. I’m so sickened by the Louis CK allegations. And I’m prepared to believe them even before they reach the stage of being substantiated beyond anonymous sources, because it seems more than one individual has given a similar account of things.

My disgust is amplified, not just because his actions were creepy and disgusting and bad, but by the fact that this has apparently been common knowledge about him amongst comedians for a long time. And nobody has felt able to risk their necks to even warn others about him.

It’s even more horrible because I thought Louis CK was actually against rape culture, and acted as an ally during his stand-up. Now I worry that his bit about men being the number one threat to women was more to do with projecting his own MO, than making a statement about sexism.

And you just KNOW that he and everyone else will explain how he’s not a bad guy really, because ” all he did” was jerk off in front of people whilst they were forced to watch… and he’s said some progressive / funny stuff, so his career is worth saving, all while he gets away with, and possibly escalates his creepy behaviour.

Jesus, I hope that it doesn’t all happen like that, like how every high-profile sexual assault accusation plays out, like a fucking tape on repeat. But I have to assume that the rumours are true unless there is strong evidence that Louis CK isn’t doing this creepy shit, because it wouldn’t be the first fucking time a famous guy has turned out to be a perv, as evidenced by this very thread.

I will never give the benefit of the doubt to powerful men.

Alan Robertshaw
Alan Robertshaw
9 years ago
Robjec
Robjec
9 years ago

I’m pretty happy the comics I really like (John Stewart show members and colbert) all seem like goof people in real life.

Also Mr Rogers was apparently the nicest guy ever in real life, according to everyone who ever met him. So there’s still that ray of light 🙂

GrumpyOldSocialJusticeMangina

“Mr. Rodgers was a good man, a caring man, a gentleman. Why can’t more men be like him?”

Mostly because through childhood and adolescence, most boys who show signs of Rogersness are methodically and mercilessly teased and bullied and called “sissy” and “pussy” and “wussy” etc., mostly but not always by other boys. My eighth-grade social; studies teacher spent half a class period explaining to the class what the name “Caspar Milquetoast” meant and how I was the living embodiment of that name. On the other hand, when a boy showed the proper level of aggression people would say approvingly, “He’s all boy.” (Presumably the rest of us were girlie-boys training to be girlie-men — or as they say now manginas.)
My view of the MRA/MGTOW crowd is that they are the great successes of traditional social conditioning. They have conquered their girlie emotions to the extent that they are no longer capable of feeling love, so they look at relationships as a purely economic arrangement, where women exchange sex and housework for your money — and obviously, the less of your own money you have to spend on her, the better deal it is. They want all the benefits of the traditional marriage, but it’s a good thing if the woman earns her own money, as long as she doesn’t earn more than you or take the job you thought you should have.

This Handle is a Test
This Handle is a Test
9 years ago

re: Other TV Dad’s:

In addition to Mr. Rogers (and I’m glad that other’s have substantiated that he seemed a good person): Everything I’ve ever heard and read about James Avery (Uncle Phil on Fresh Prince) and John Goodman (Dan Connor on Roseanne) suggest that they are, at a minimum, decent guys (sadly, neither Mr. Rogers nor James Avery are with us anymore). While you can’t know everything what I’ve read is nice to hear. I should hope to be remembered as nicely (as Rogers or Avery). Sadly, the way things are going, I expect to end up wrong feeling terrible, but I go by what I know at the time…

This Handle is a Test
This Handle is a Test
9 years ago

<<They have conquered their girlie emotions to the extent that they are no longer capable of feeling love, so they look at relationships as a purely economic arrangement, where women exchange sex and housework for your money — and obviously, the less of your own money you have to spend on her, the better deal it is.<<

Not to put too fine a point on it but: This is what is truly screwed up about it. During the one relationship I had that was truly serious it wasn't the sex that made life worthwhile. Even though it didn't work out it was the feelings that made the relationships worthwhile. As much as a I hate my life? To imagine it without love? Damn…

I always hope that toxicness among people dies out, but that hope will always be in vein…

Sunny
Sunny
9 years ago

Hi all, just popped in to give a shoutout to Falconer, Snorkmaiden, Misha, Indifferentsky, Maistrechat, Sarah and Binabreel for engaging with me. I feel very much included now 🙂 I think it’s just human nature to engage more with people who are more familiar, so I will try to pipe up a little more often so I become a little more familiar. I’ve been reading this blog and comment section for years but I usually come to threads late and typically others have said what I was thinking much more articulately than I would have. I typically leave feeling enlightened as well as entertained. That is all, carry on 🙂

contrapangloss
9 years ago

Robjec,

I’m pretty happy the comics I really like (John Stewart show members and colbert) all seem like goof people in real life.

Best typo ever! Or cleverest wordplay…

If John Stewart, Colbert, or Mark Ruffalo ever turn out to be awful people, I will be made of sad.

contrapangloss
9 years ago

Hi Sunny and This Handle is a Test!

This Handle is a Test, can I call you THis a T? If that’s objectionable, I’ll behave and copy pasta your nym.

nightmarelyre
9 years ago

Well, Colbert and Stewart aren’t on the same awful levels of Cosby or anything, but they have some… questionable moments for sure I am sad to say. This blog documents it http://yourmomentofhate.tumblr.com/

contrapangloss
9 years ago

…drat.

mildlymagnificent
9 years ago

Never liked his comedy, BTW, nor understood what others liked about it / him. I’ve always found him creepy and repulsive — and decidedly not funny.

Bill Cosby was actually very, very, funny when he put his mind to it when he was young. On racism he was great. The lighter side of black activism for all of us who lived through the Civil Rights era. He presented as the ordinary guy who just happened to be black.*

The best ever was a flipside on an LP, must have been before 69 because my husband already had the record when we got married that year. A tremendously long monologue about a high powered fast car … which, after multiple excursions, on topics from doorbells to anything else you might think of, finished up with a punchline about George Wallace. Race hadn’t been mentioned for the whole piece. Superb.

The other side was a selection of live recordings of stand up. Brilliant about having babies, little kids, school, playing sport for school. There might well have been dodgy stuff on that one but I haven’t heard it for over 40 years and I don’t remember any.

* Unfortunately, he was representative of lots of ordinary guys of the time, of any and all colours.

mildlymagnificent
9 years ago

As for LouisCK.

Shit, poop, fuck, damn.

Falconer
9 years ago

This Handle is a Test! Hi! Scroll up and click on the candle for your welcome package.

Even though it didn’t work out it was the feelings that made the relationships worthwhile.

Yeah, the feelings go on a lot longer than any particular sex act, and engage with a lot more than just other physical contact. Any shared experience can help them grow.

Falconer
9 years ago

@nightmarelyre: I’ve heard that Jon Stewart doesn’t think women can be funny. (He always seems to have just one woman correspondent. Tokenism?) I hadn’t heard anything about Colbert. I’ll check out your link when I’m feeling better mentally.

ethfiel
9 years ago

Wonder what we hear about a Hugh Laurie one day. He thinks killing your ex girlfriend is cause for laughter (sorry for my bad English!)

Alan Robertshaw
Alan Robertshaw
9 years ago

On a related note, the statute of limitations in relation to some of the allegations against Julian Assange comes into play shorty. The rape allegations however don’t expire until 2020.

I’m willing to lay a lot of money that, if he’s still holed up at that time, he’ll suddenly come to the conclusion that maybe the threat of extradition to the US isn’t quite the risk it originally seemed.

Falconer
9 years ago

Wonder what we hear about a Hugh Laurie one day. He thinks killing your ex girlfriend is cause for laughter (sorry for my bad English!)

That’s concerning. Do you have a handy link? Was it just part of a routine?

ethfiel
9 years ago

Maybe I should have be more clear: House (Hugh L.) tries to kill his ex girlfriend in a tv show. And its meant as a joke, because it´s a comedy show. So Bill Cosby jokes about rape and actually rapes. But even if those creeps don`t act in real life like what they present us as jokes, thinking that this is funny is gruesome enough. So, I didn´t say Hugh Laurie tried to kill his girlfriend. Its just horrible that jokes like that lead to success and huge media attention.

marinerachel
marinerachel
9 years ago

Uhg, I love a lot of Louis C.K.’s comedy. What a disappointment.

Orion
9 years ago

Why do you assume that the actor approves of the writing for his character? He didn’t write it.