Buzzfeed wouldn’t be Buzzfeed if it wasn’t ignoring evidence in order to construct a narrative that men are treated better than women.
In an article titled “Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari, And Sexist Double Standards,” writer Scaachi Koul claims the male comedians C.K. and Ansari had an “effortless return” to comedy while female comics Kathy Griffin and Samantha Bee “are still apologizing for misdeeds far less severe.”
First off, the accusation against Ansari was widely dismissed as a bad date. He may have been boorish (according to an anonymous account published on a blog with no investigation into the allegations, which Koul mentions), but it’s difficult to accuse him of misconduct for what appears to be a lot of mixed signals. Koul admits the allegations against Ansari “are more complicated and more nebulous in nature,” but lumps him in with C.K. because, male.
C.K. was accused — and admitted to — masturbating in front of women, some of whom were colleagues, with or without their consent.
Both of these men have now returned to stand-up. Not full-blown tours (Ansari has just today announced one, however), not huge auditoriums, just sets in intimate clubs. Ansari has done a few sets — in Wisconsin — and C.K. has done one at the New York Comedy Cellar.
These abrupt and unannounced appearances are enough for Koul to declare there’s “an unambiguous and frustrating double standard between the way we reprimand women comics like Kathy Griffin and Samantha Bee for their f***ups, and the way we reprimand their male counterparts, even when their misconduct has been more severe.”
Both of the male comedians lost everything after their accusations — something Koul ignores while pointing out what Griffin lost and what Bee has supposedly lost. Both men went into hiding (C.K. for good reason, Ansari, for embarrassment). Their tepid returns come nearly a year after the accusations.
It took longer for Griffin’s career to recover after she held up the fake, bloodied head of President Donald Trump as a “joke.” (She was never that popuar before the incident.) She was fired from CNN’s New Year’s Eve special, fired from Squatty Potty as their spokesperson, canceled live shows, and was briefly under investigation by the Secret Service (for, you know, potentially threatening the president’s life or suggesting others do so). Fifteen months later, however, and she is on a sold-out tour. Koul claims she doesn’t receive much mainstream coverage — but her tour was widely covered.
As for Bee, she lost nothing after calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless c***” for not making her father do what Bee wants him to do. That episode of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” has been removed, which Koul assures us is “a real loss.” But Bee still has her show, even if TBS is supervising it (one imagines they’re not doing much).
Koul laments the fact that people called for Bee’s show to be cancelled, as if C.K. and Ansari didn’t face similar backlash. And oh, poor Bee, who still has to answer for her comment, as if C.K. and Ansari won’t be asked about their accusations as soon as the media speaks to them.
Koul also mentions how Bee lost advertisers. This brings up a point she did not intend to make: That people are able to make decisions about what and who they see. People boycotted Bee’s advertisers (as they did with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly and Laura Ingraham), leading to the advertisers leaving. People also gave C.K. a standing ovation when he performed recently, meaning at least some people are willing to give him a second chance.
What does Koul want from these men? I know she’d deny this, but the people perpetually mad that those who have done bad — even terrible — things (even if they were not convicted of any crimes) apparently never want those people to have a second chance. I see it all the time on college campuses: People accused of minor, non-criminal behavior get labeled as “racists” and schools are protested if the student is ever allowed to return to campus after a suspension. C.K. did unspeakable things, yet he was only convicted in the court of public opinion. How long should he be in public-opinion jail?
That court also gets to decide when — and if — people make a comeback. No amount of hiding facts to construct a sexism narrative will change that.