itsnotmymind: (willow & xander)
[personal profile] itsnotmymind
 I've seen it most recently with the controversy over Joss Whedon. A creative genius is defended for bad behavior on the grounds that geniuses are often "eccentric".

 

Now, I know that "eccentric behavior" in this context is actually a euphemism for "asshole behavior". But I want to take the word "eccentric" at face value for a moment.

 

When I was in my early twenties, I had a year that I look back on as my "Year of Depression". I spent almost an entire year in a funk. One thing I remember thinking, often, that because I wasn't some kind of genius, it wasn't OK for me to be weird, different, eccentric, etc. It's OK for geniuses to be like that - not the rest of  us. The rest of us are losers.

 

I have a much more positive opinion of myself now in all kinds of ways. But one thing I strongly believe now is that everyone has a right to be eccentric - not just geniuses. And if by "eccentric" you mean "acting like an asshole" - well, no one has a right to be like that, genius or otherwise.

Date: 2023-07-06 08:06 pm (UTC)
cora: Charisma Carpenter with flash of light on the bottom (Default)
From: [personal profile] cora
I'm really glad people are starting to realize what an asshole Joss is, but I feel so bad for Charisma about it. When she was going through her divorce with Damien back in 2009, she was very open about how she got fired from Angel & her character was dragged through the mud because she was pregnant. That incident in conjunction with some of Joss' interview answers ("True love always ends in tragedy" - "Oh, I'm happily married to my wife") really made my opinion of him go into the toilet.

In later years from my googling, it sounds like people *finally* started listening to Charisma during the #MeToo movement. That was not the first or the only time she spoke out. Michelle Trachtenberg even came out during the #MeToo movement to talk about how there was a rule on set to ensure she was never left alone with Joss. I forget exactly how old Michelle was during Buffy/Angel (I want to say the 13-16 age range, either way, she was *definitely* not an appropriate age for Joss to be looking at sexually or romantically).

When I asked google about Joss Whedon controversy, verbally abusive seems to be the newest one. I did find an interesting article about every single controversy Joss has gone through. It's like reading a mysogenistic tale unfold. All of the people who never want to work for him, and yet...he still has a job. It's truly bizarre to me because anyone doing this in a "normal person's" job (white or blue collar) would not be on the payroll for long, right? ...right?

Date: 2023-07-09 06:01 am (UTC)
thenewbuzwuzz: converse on tree above ground (Default)
From: [personal profile] thenewbuzwuzz
*nods* Solid approach. Yay weirdness, boo asshole behavior.

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