TV & Film Bill Cosby

[RascalsMom]

How do you know what he's doing or not doing?

 

[Joe]

Woody Allen has the complexion for the protection.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what your comment means.

 

[Spang]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what your comment means.

Woody Allen is white, and thus treated better by society. Woody Allen writes, directs, and stars in a new movie every year. Woody Allen's career is just fine. Bill Cosby's career is basically over, as it should be. Woody Allen's career would have been over a long time if he were Black.

 

[Second Summer]

I think a lot of viewers would find it difficult to enjoy reruns of the Cosby show now after what has finally been given prominent coverage in the mainstream media.

The big deal is very simple, PVL.

If you apply due process (innocent until proven guilty, etc) to accused rapists then the risk/threat of unsubstantiated rape accusations holds far less fear.

That, amongst other things, would affect the 'right' of anyone who has ever had, or not had, a sexual encounter with a male to a free meal ticket for life.

I think it's a good thing that regular people and the media/ broadcasters can use their own judgement. The law and the judicial system are less than perfect and can only do so much. Not everything which is legal is ethical, and not everything which is illegal will ever make it to a court of law. And indeed, not every innocent person will be found not guilty. And even when they are, their wallet and/or reputation may still suffer from the process. So it's a good thing this system doesn't have the final word.

 

[Clueless Git]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what your comment means.

I think he was saying that Woody Allen has skin like a condom.

He might have been saying that condoms are made from the skins of Woody Allens though.

 

[Clueless Git]

I think it's a good thing that regular people and the media/ broadcasters can use their own judgement. The law and the judicial system are less than perfect and can only do so much. Not everything which is legal is ethical, and not everything which is illegal will ever make it to a court of law. And indeed, not every innocent person will be found not guilty. And even when they are, their wallet and/or reputation may still suffer from the process. So it's a good thing this system doesn't have the final word.

If you got accused of rape, IS ...

Would you prefer judgement by court and jury or judgement by public media show?

 

[das_nut]

Would you prefer judgement by court and jury or judgement by public media show?

As much as I think the accusations against Bill Crosby are credible, it is useful to keep in mind the McMartin Preschool, which involved many children reporting details of sexual abuse. The public media was heavily biased against the accused and at first, what was reported sounded like a massive case of organized sexual abuse was happening. But now we know there were deep flaws in the investigation.

 

[Joe]

Spelman College suspends its Cosby professorship - Nation - The Boston Globe

Florida crowd cheers comedy from embattled Cosby - World - The Boston Globe

 

[FortyTwo]

It's usually pretty easy to tell when someone is falsely accusing of rape. It'd be one person, with a totally distinct grudge.

Most rape accusations aren't false because that's a pretty major thing to accuse someone of, even if you hate them.

There are A LOT of people saying Bill Cosby assaulted them. These are not isolated incidents (not that isolated incidents are always or even usually indicative of false accusations) and they are consistent.

Also, the big reason Woody Allen hasn't had his reputation massively tarnished is that the majority of Woody Allen's fans are the type of people who would not actually care at all if the allegations turned out to be 100% true.

 

[das_nut]

It's usually pretty easy to tell when someone is falsely accusing of rape. It'd be one person, with a totally distinct grudge.

Most rape accusations aren't false because that's a pretty major thing to accuse someone of, even if you hate them.

There are A LOT of people saying Bill Cosby assaulted them. These are not isolated incidents (not that isolated incidents are always or even usually indicative of false accusations) and they are consistent.

The other thing is that this has been happening for awhile with people accusing Cosby over the years, and there does not seem to be another motive.

I think it's likely he's guilty. I could be wrong (and obviously I haven't seen all of the evidence), but I think Cosby is likely guilty.

 

[Clueless Git]

The other thing is that this has been happening for awhile with people accusing Cosby over the years, and there does not seem to be another motive.

There's always money and fame/infamy to be made from anything newsworthy?

 

[das_nut]

There's always money and fame/infamy to be made from anything newsworthy?

I'm not reading this in a way consistent with your interpretation.

 

[Clueless Git]

I'm not reading this in a way consistent with your interpretation.

That was a question, Das.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Also, the big reason Woody Allen hasn't had his reputation massively tarnished is that the majority of Woody Allen's fans are the type of people who would not actually care at all if the allegations turned out to be 100% true.

Why is that? I used to love Manhattan and a few others but I wouldn't watch his films anymore.

 

[ledboots]

Why is that? I used to love Manhattan and a few others but I wouldn't watch his films anymore.

Me too. I loved his early goofy comedies like Sleeper, and then he made some really good films imo. I always liked Mia Farrow too, and the whole daughter marriage thing just creeped me out, and I never watch his films any more, old or new.

 

[IamJen]

Also, the big reason Woody Allen hasn't had his reputation massively tarnished is that the majority of Woody Allen's fans are the type of people who would not actually care at all if the allegations turned out to be 100% true.

This is a really ignorant thing to say.

 

[Second Summer]

It can be confusing when presumed good people do evil, and when presumed evil people do good. In the end, it turns out that regardless of a person's known history of consistently good or evil deeds, there are no 100% guarantees.

(Tangent: Personally, I get suspicious of smooth extroverts who have a talent for interacting with others. Such people tend to rub me the wrong way. When they interact with a large number of people in a short time span, the interactions are necessarily shallow. The defenses need to stay up, people.)

 

[FortyTwo]

This is a really ignorant thing to say.

Maybe, but I've read enough dialogues from self-important middle-aged white men who love to go on about how Woody Allen is the genius of his time and how this absolutely absolves him from anything those silly women could be saying to slander him, where I don't think it's that inaccurate of a generalization?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone who likes his films is like that. I'm not even saying that there isn't anything of value to gain from his films. Just that their fans, in my experience, tend to be misogynistic, self-important men.

 

[shyvas]

Why is that? I used to love Manhattan and a few others but I wouldn't watch his films anymore.

Same here.

 

[Joe]

Me too. I loved his early goofy comedies like Sleeper, and then he made some really good films imo. I always liked Mia Farrow too, and the whole daughter marriage thing just creeped me out, and I never watch his films any more, old or new.

I guess I have to be the skunk at the garden party. I stopped watching Woody Allen films for about 10 years after reading Mia Farrow's book. But eventually I drifted back. I've watched Fading Gigalo and Magic in the Moonlight recently and enjoyed both. Somehow the "yuck" factor has just dissipated with time. At least for me.

I am not sure how to feel about Cosby. He does not really have any current "product" around that I would be tempted to access.

Another thought about Cosby (at least for me) is that I am unable to understand the psychology of someone who could do what he is accused of doing. No, just because I cannot understand it does not mean it cannot be true. But I can't wrap my mind around it.

Another thought I have is I wonder whether we can't separate the artist or performer from the work of art they create, at least to some degree. And I wonder whether we cannot have a "scales of justice" model where we put the good things a person has done on one side of the scales and the bad things on the other side and come up with some sort of balanced portrait.