Joss Whedon Controversy - 08/27/17 02:32 AM
As many of you have probably seen, Joss Whedon has been in considerable controversy this week, as his ex-wife Kai Cole has penned an article saying that he not only cheated on her with multiple women for years, but that he used her to protect his feminist credentials, and years of manipulation and lies left her paranoid and anxious, leaving her with a diagnosis of Complex PTSD.
http://www.thewrap.com/joss-whedon-feminist-hypocrite-infidelity-affairs-ex-wife-kai-cole-says/amp/
For the record, I believe her, and think Joss Whedon deserves all the heat he's getting right now.
There's been a lot written about it, and if you haven't already, you can find as much or as little on it as you care to read. A few of the more interesting/important points I've come across:
In a letter, he described himself giving in to the "beautiful, needy and aggressive young women" he was surrounded with at work. Aside from how skin crawling that is on the surface, the deeper problem is that means he's a television and film producer sleeping with his "needy" young stars. So it's not merely a case of infidelity, or a self-proclaimed feminist not practicing what he preaches, but of a considerabll entertainment heavyweight having repeated relationships in the workplace in a power dynamic that is, at the very least, uncomfortable.
Whedon's camp responded, saying that her statement was full of unspecified inaccuracies, but that he wouldn't comment for the sake of his children and respect for his ex-wife. Which is, of course, a comment followed by a disingenuous "no comment."
The popular fan site Whedonesque closed after 15 years. Not explicitly in response, but they suggested people who have enjoyed the site donate to causes supporting Complex PTSD. The site manager later tweeted: 'Trust the art, not the artist,' is a thing I stopped saying when I copped on it was probably an artist who coined the phrase.
While of course there have been the usual defenders/excusers, the overwhelming fandom response seems to be supporting Ms. Cole. Whatever happens to Whedon and his fandom from this point on, I think the fans should pride ourselves on having the willingness to put the ideals before the messenger. Far too many other fandoms act desplaying none of the ethics or ideals of the work they claim is so important to them.
I have yet to see a single woman he worked with come to his defense. Even Bill Cosby managed that. This makes me suspect these issues were an open secret on set, and that most of his cast and crew were already thinking what is now being said.
There have been people criticizing Joss Whedon for years, and they have largely been marginalized even in the liberal circles of Buffy et al fandom. Someone claims that Firefly, a show that supposedly has a strong influence of Chinese culture, had only a single speaking asian role in the entire work. I don't know if that's exaggeration, but it's certainly whitewashing to a far greater extent than many things that have taken heat in recent years.
It's possible to like a work and dislike the artist. It's not necessary to weigh the good and the bad on some cosmic scale and decide which is heavier. If it colors your view of his work that's understandable, but if you still like the work itself, you can continue to enjoy it without having to explain yourself, and definitely without having to defend its creator's personal life.
In the end, I doubt this will do much to Joss Whedon's career. But I think (hope) it will affect his relationship with fandom forever, and I think that and being perceived as a feminist champion were important to him, and that's not nothing. And hopefully the public shaming will cause him to correct his professional work. But we shall see.
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For the record, I believe her, and think Joss Whedon deserves all the heat he's getting right now.
There's been a lot written about it, and if you haven't already, you can find as much or as little on it as you care to read. A few of the more interesting/important points I've come across:
In a letter, he described himself giving in to the "beautiful, needy and aggressive young women" he was surrounded with at work. Aside from how skin crawling that is on the surface, the deeper problem is that means he's a television and film producer sleeping with his "needy" young stars. So it's not merely a case of infidelity, or a self-proclaimed feminist not practicing what he preaches, but of a considerabll entertainment heavyweight having repeated relationships in the workplace in a power dynamic that is, at the very least, uncomfortable.
Whedon's camp responded, saying that her statement was full of unspecified inaccuracies, but that he wouldn't comment for the sake of his children and respect for his ex-wife. Which is, of course, a comment followed by a disingenuous "no comment."
The popular fan site Whedonesque closed after 15 years. Not explicitly in response, but they suggested people who have enjoyed the site donate to causes supporting Complex PTSD. The site manager later tweeted: 'Trust the art, not the artist,' is a thing I stopped saying when I copped on it was probably an artist who coined the phrase.
While of course there have been the usual defenders/excusers, the overwhelming fandom response seems to be supporting Ms. Cole. Whatever happens to Whedon and his fandom from this point on, I think the fans should pride ourselves on having the willingness to put the ideals before the messenger. Far too many other fandoms act desplaying none of the ethics or ideals of the work they claim is so important to them.
I have yet to see a single woman he worked with come to his defense. Even Bill Cosby managed that. This makes me suspect these issues were an open secret on set, and that most of his cast and crew were already thinking what is now being said.
There have been people criticizing Joss Whedon for years, and they have largely been marginalized even in the liberal circles of Buffy et al fandom. Someone claims that Firefly, a show that supposedly has a strong influence of Chinese culture, had only a single speaking asian role in the entire work. I don't know if that's exaggeration, but it's certainly whitewashing to a far greater extent than many things that have taken heat in recent years.
It's possible to like a work and dislike the artist. It's not necessary to weigh the good and the bad on some cosmic scale and decide which is heavier. If it colors your view of his work that's understandable, but if you still like the work itself, you can continue to enjoy it without having to explain yourself, and definitely without having to defend its creator's personal life.
In the end, I doubt this will do much to Joss Whedon's career. But I think (hope) it will affect his relationship with fandom forever, and I think that and being perceived as a feminist champion were important to him, and that's not nothing. And hopefully the public shaming will cause him to correct his professional work. But we shall see.