Why would I choose the guy from “Scary Movie 2” to help my stature?

September 16, 2017 12:57 PM

Actress Amber Tamblyn: I'm Done With Not Being Believed (SLNYT)
posted by The Gooch (20 comments total)

As I've said before, statistics matter. While it's true, in a very broad sense, that there are "two sides of every story," harassment of women by men is so commonplace that the chances of "false positives" are very very low.

Additionally, while it is possible that Crew Member had his own story, that he thought something entirely different was going on and did not intend to distress or threaten Ms. Tamblyn with his behavior (which is pretty hard to believe), his "story" (if it existed) wouldn't overrule her distress, and the producer should have addressed the problem. I just had a long conversation with a friend this morning who has an immediate supervisor who has harassed his staff, been reported, and the management's response was lukewarm, barely above no action at all.

I'm just tired of how platitudes like "there are two sides to every story" are used to excuse taking necessary action to make workplaces safe for women (and non-binary, too) workers.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:43 PM on September 16, 2017 [47 favorites]

We are learning that the more we open our mouths, the more we become a choir. And the more we are a choir, the more the tune is forced to change.

Sing it sisters.
posted by Thella at 2:04 PM on September 16, 2017 [43 favorites]

Like her and like how outspoken she's become.
posted by drewbage1847 at 3:13 PM on September 16, 2017 [4 favorites]

I'm just tired of how platitudes like "there are two sides to every story" are used to excuse taking necessary action to make workplaces safe for women

This. And then there's the way concepts like "innocent until proven guilty" and "benefit of the doubt" are often only applied to the accused, while the accuser is assumed to be and treated as though she were a liar.
posted by orange swan at 3:24 PM on September 16, 2017 [14 favorites]

"Innocent until proven guilty" is a conceit intended to keep the moving parts of the justice system honest and focused on the pursuit of fair trials and meaningful justice. It's a conceit that rarely manages to keep the justice system honest.

It is--in my opinion--even less functional as a means to eliminating rape culture.
posted by crush at 3:34 PM on September 16, 2017 [4 favorites]

anthropomorphizing Tom Hardy into a dreamy horse we could ride into the sunset.

This is a great op-ed, and that, I suppose is a worthy goal. BUT IT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM.

#anthropomorphsplaining
posted by Guy Smiley at 3:41 PM on September 16, 2017 [18 favorites]

The "innocent until proven guilty" concept pertains to the justice system, not to personal opinion. If I see someone steal something, or if a number of people I know have accused someone of stealing from them, I don't have to wait until the justice system convicts him of theft before I get to consider him a thief.

anthropomorphizing Tom Hardy into a dreamy horse we could ride into the sunset.

This is a great op-ed, and that, I suppose is a worthy goal. BUT IT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM.

Yeah, the word is zoomorphizing.
posted by orange swan at 3:43 PM on September 16, 2017 [9 favorites]

I fucking love Amber Tamblyn. And I hope she's right. I hope this is the beginning of done.
posted by schadenfrau at 3:50 PM on September 16, 2017 [8 favorites]

BUT IT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM.

It does suggest that Hardy is on the far side of "horse" from "human," but I think she was imagining a glorious Tom Hardy centaur, and, I mean, who hasn't?
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:55 PM on September 16, 2017 [14 favorites]

I'm impressed with Amber Tamblyn, and so glad that she said anything at all (originally, in response to the James Woods comments, and now with this piece). I think she's right that women's voices can become one and I hope this is what continues to happen. But I also hope she doesn't simply vanish now because Hollywood is so freaking backwards.
posted by marimeko at 4:35 PM on September 16, 2017 [8 favorites]

CNN's Brooke Baldwin had her own experience this week with Clay Travis of Fox Sports Radio, and she shut that shit down.
posted by Guy Smiley at 4:49 PM on September 16, 2017 [16 favorites]

Despite the subject matter, it was quite well-written and to the point, so kudos on that!
posted by Samizdata at 5:16 PM on September 16, 2017

BUT IT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM.

Hippomorphism?
posted by ActingTheGoat at 6:17 PM on September 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

I love this line: "Even then, why would I choose the guy from “Scary Movie 2” to help my stature when I’m already married to the other guy from “Scary Movie 2”?"
posted by Toddles at 9:26 PM on September 16, 2017 [12 favorites]

Yeah, the word is zoomorphizing.

Said with the confidence of long experience, it sounds like.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:36 PM on September 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

CNN's Brooke Baldwin had her own experience this week with Clay Travis of Fox Sports Radio, and she shut that shit down.

Good for her. I'm tired of engaging with guys like this or trying to somehow "improve the situation". Press a button, "bye" and they're gone. Perfect solution.

After all, this is what men have done to women the don't like forever.
posted by fshgrl at 1:58 AM on September 17, 2017 [10 favorites]

Here's a story about her husband, David Cross:

Many years back, I was a Boston radio producer; this was the early heyday of Boston becoming a major comedy city, with Kevin Meaney, Louie CK, Denis Leary, David Cross and many Boston-based comedians starting to become recognized.

I worked with them in creating their audition tapes; cutting background noise, increasing their volume and up until one day, adding laughs and applause.

The one day was when I worked with David. Neither one of us could have been more than 22 and we sat in the studio, listened to his stand up, and discussed what to punch up and edit.

When I asked him if he wanted laughs and applause boosted after a punch line, he said, "Why would I want to do that? Leave it as it is." and looked genuinely pained that comedians would do such a thing.

Over the years I've followed his career and very little has made me more happy than his partnership with Amber Tamblyn, who seems like a stand-up kind of human. I'm glad they found each other.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 4:43 AM on September 17, 2017 [15 favorites]

I find it weird that anyone would find the idea of James Woods trying to pick up a 16 year old harder to believe than a woman describing how a wildly older man hit on her when she was 16. Woods seems almost exclusively involved with very young women (notably more than the Hollywood norm) and anyone who's spent time listening to women (or you know, being one) has some idea of the frequency with which 16 year old girls get hit on. The chance that Tamblyn is making up the story (for what possible benefit?) compared to the chance that James Woods is lying (or, I guess, can't remember) is so laughably small that it's not worth considering. In this area, Woods doesn't even have a reputation to defend!
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:38 AM on September 17, 2017 [28 favorites]

Amber wrote this, America Ferrera is featured in the NYT in a convo with Hillary, and Alexis Bledel won an Emmy for Handmaid's Tale.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 3, y'all.
posted by NorthernLite at 11:54 AM on September 17, 2017 [12 favorites]

This is subsequent to her Open Letter to James Woods In Teen Vogue, which is also quite powerful.
posted by Sparx at 3:55 PM on September 17, 2017 [9 favorites]