Louis CK's comeback shows nine months is long enough, apparently

Arwa Mahdawi
Updated

We should be asking ourselves how CK’s abuse of power robbed his victims of opportunities – and that he is not the victim

Louis CK’s comeback has angered many, while others are celebrating his return.
Louis CK’s comeback has angered many, while others are celebrating his return. Photograph: Stephen Lovekin/Rex/Shutterstock

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From Louis CK’s comeback to Betsy DeVos’s Title IX plans regulations, it’s been a great week for sexual predators

Last November, Louis CK admitted to sexually harassing a number of women. He apologized for his actions and said he planned to “step back and take a long time to listen”. How long is a long time? Nine months, on the CK calendar, apparently. Last Sunday, the 50-year-old decided he’d listened enough and made a surprise appearance at the Comedy Cellar in New York. Not content with merely thrusting himself on an unsuspecting audience, CK also thought it would be totally cool to make a rape joke.

While CK’s comeback has angered many, others are celebrating his return. The comedian Josh Wolf, for example, tweeted: “Not sure why people are so surprised, or upset, that Louis CK is doing stand up again. If you don’t like it, I would suggest not going to his show.”

You know what I suggest, Josh? Trying a little experiment called “critical thinking” and listening to the many women who have expressed their dismay that CK has returned so quickly to the comedy circuit.

Do people deserve second chances? Of course. But the more important to question ask is why some people get second, third and fourth chances, while others are never even afforded a first chance? We should be asking ourselves how CK’s abuse of power robbed his victims of professional opportunities. We should be reminding ourselves that CK is not the victim in this situation.

Speaking of victims, Betsy DeVos has reportedly decided that, when it comes to sexual misconduct on college campuses, the real victims are those being accused. According to the New York Times, the education secretary and multiple yacht owner is planning to overhaul Title IX rules to make them more favourable to those being accused of misconduct.

Is DeVos doing this because those being accused of harassment aren’t currently afforded adequate protection? Gloria Allred, the famed women’s rights lawyer, who has worked on a number of Title IX cases, thinks not. “Of course the accused should have due process,” Allred told me. “But the accused does have due process already. I’d like to know all evidence she has to support the idea that accused needs more due process than they already enjoy.” Allred added, with not a little snark: “As far as I know, Betsy DeVos has little to no experience with public universities and colleges.”

Labor day NetFeminist flix

If you’re looking for something to watch over the long weekend try Seeing Allred, a documentary about the life and work of the badass 76-year-old lawyer which came out earlier this year.

What do Louis CK and the president of the Philippines have in common?

Both think rape jokes are absolutely hilarious, apparently. On Friday, Rodrigo Duterte quipped: “As long as there are many beautiful women, there will be more rape cases.” This angered a number of women’s rights groups who, as we all know, are completely humourless and find it hard to grasp why rape is so funny.

Air conditioning: a chilling weapon of the patriarchy

One of the most fascinating details to come out of the recent Cynthia Nixon v Andrew Cuomo debate was a fight over how warm the room would be. Cuomo is famous for liking freezing temperatures; Nixon wanted to ensure the room would be 76F. Studies have shown that women work best when the temperature is 77F; men find 72F optimal. However, most workplace temperatures are designed around the comfort of men. No surprise there.

Please do not call your vagina a ‘special chimney’

The Times of London recently published an article about how TV kills your sex life. In it, Carol Midgley wrote that “people who own TV sets are 6% less likely in any given week to ‘sweep the special chimney’”. The hellish euphemism was promptly ripped apart by the internet. What I want to know, however, is whether Midgley plucked this phrase out of the dark recesses of her imagination or if there are real-life human beings out there who talk about their vagina in these terms? On that delightful note, have a lovely weekend.