All The World's A Witch-Hunt
That's the world we're now living in, where no speech crime is too small or too distant to "prosecute," and all the better if the alleged criminal is famous and you can go after him on Twitter.
Last night's Twitteridge -- and the story at The Wrap that inspired it:
On Monday, McArdle recorded a podcast about this.
Only a few minutes in, but recommended. The economics of internet communication are working against us in some painful ways. Specifically: A lot of websites need people to write about things, and a lot of not-brilliant people are igniting micro-scandals for something just to have a topic. It's all circuitous.
Crid at October 18, 2017 12:21 AM
She calls this "an economy on the supply side."
Crid at October 18, 2017 12:23 AM
Does this apply to political candidates and their voting record?
It would explain much public amnesia.
Radwaste at October 18, 2017 1:36 AM
It really is true, Crid. Because of this, pay has gone down vastly for writers. I can't afford to write for any of these sites because they pay about $200 for a piece -- if not $75 or less. I don't do that surface kind of writing and thinking -- except at a cocktail party.
Amy Alkon at October 18, 2017 5:32 AM
Wait...you get paid to go to cocktail parties? I'm in the wrong gig.
I R A Darth Aggie at October 18, 2017 6:00 AM
Here's my take on it: Does this sound like something David Cross would have done? Yes, it does. I'm familiar with David Cross' work and he does have a tendency to do things that would be considered offensive. And he probably does this on auto-pilot when he's "on." When you're a celebrity, people you encounter are going to remember their experience with you, regardless of whether it sticks in your mind. I myself personally encountered David Cross 15 years ago. I will always remember it. Does he remember it? No, he doesn't.
Fayd at October 18, 2017 9:00 AM
The same is true for photographers.
Conan the Grammarian at October 18, 2017 9:27 AM
Is this even a microscandal? We only have one person's word that this actually happened against the word of someone else who insists it's not like him.
An incident that happened ten years ago, relying on the eyewitness testimony of one person, is not something I'm even going to consider credible. I'm not going to demand an apology, boycott any of his projects, let this shape my opinion of him or hold this against him in any way.
Can you imagine if this were the kind of standards we used against celebrities to ruin their lives? Anyone could say anything against any celebrity, without a shred of proof and only their word to rely on. And suddenly, someone's career is totally shot. Or we start expecting celebrities to apologize for incidents that might be entirely fabricated.
If she didn't say anything about the incident at the time, then Charlene Yi (if this actually happened) needs to build a bridge and get over it. The only opinion I've changed is my opinion of her, and not for the better.
Patrick at October 18, 2017 12:58 PM
People love to bring the famous down to their level. But the fact is that the famous are just as flawed as the rest of us poor shlubs. Every single human has said rude or stupid things. Double if they've been drinking. "Look, Look! That famous person also farts just like us!" yeah, big deal.
cc at October 18, 2017 1:01 PM
The Twitter mob is apparently going after his wife now, demanding that she disavow whatever he's accused of saying.
This is all so pathetic. I'm glad I'm not famous.
ahw at October 20, 2017 9:14 AM
A quick look at Charlyne Yi's twitter feed shows that she has a huge chip on her shoulder towards men and white people - she's like the SJW from central casting.
What's funny is that she seems less concerned about David Cross mocking a Chinese accent than some comment he made about her pants ( 10 years ago ). That's what really pissed her off and why she claims he's a racist who is trying to intimidate her.
In other words, she's an attention seeking nut job.
Santa Cause at October 22, 2017 4:11 PM
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