James Gunn

[Phoebe]

I'm not the best person to inquire about this because I don't know much about this guy and I'm way not into these movies, but discussion of his recent firing from Guardians of the Galaxy crosses paths with some friends' interests and raises a broader issue. In short, he made a lot of creepy or offensive jokes in the past and far-right internet personages used this to influence his firing even though they have no actual problem with his jokes, just his politics.

I may not be aware of everything bad he said or did, but the examples that were shown me were kind of like mimekiller territory. Maybe very offensive jokes, but then, a hell of a lot of people make offensive jokes, especially if we wanted to peruse their entire history of commentary on the internet. It feels like a concerted effort to use metoo tactics as a political punishment, rather than e.g. an attempt to expose a rapist or abuser because there seems to be no other way to stop him from raping and abusing more people.

Anyway, this is why I think it's important to push back on stuff like this, or like the internet outrage about people like Aziz Ansari. Yes, abuse should be exposed and called out to protect others. No, people who want to spout their racist views in public can't expect their employers to tolerate it. But now we have a situation where Hollywood still applauds a bunch of known abusive creeps or outright rapists like Polanski, and yet a maker of "edgy" films (insert eyeroll but you get the point) who pisses off the far right gets fired for his long-past "edgy" jokes, and people want the public to shun guys who are essentially accused of being shitty dates or boyfriends. A little discernment would be appreciated.

[mimekiller]

To be fair when I go edgelord on people I usually don't goof about fucking little kids, so strange!

But this is the brave world we live in now, this incident is just such a BIAZZARE butterfly effect kind of deal

Mark Duplass says Ben Shaprio is nice.

People go insane, point out tweets Shaprio said, Shaprio and Director James Gunn get in a heated argument

Gorillia smoothbrain lisping Mike Cernovich picks up on this and puts together his own list of offensive James Gunn tweets and starts making noise.

Disney fires James Gunn

I have NO sympathy for Gunn and everyone else in this world that helped create it but cry foul when it bites them as well. Do I think MIKE and others are complaining about the content of the jokes in good faith? No of course not, but he's simply operating in the world that was created by SJW and Pro PC nutjobs.

[Kyle]

It is weird. That's for sure.

But while I think it's weird, I don't like that we give more or less weight to the accusations of offensiveness to Gunn based on the motivations of the person that brought it to light. Cernovich is a creep and an instigator-- an edgelord in the very same way (and worse) than he accuses Gunn of being. But that doesn't matter to me. A spokesperson from the MeToo movement could have brought these tweets to light. They were out there. We have to judge them based on their content, not based on the person that turned on the lamp.

That said, I'll come to Gunn's defense on this. I think the jokes were terribly offensive and not good jokes. But they were attempts at jokes. I don't know that you can take someone's immature attempts at humor from ten years ago and force them out of the industry today, when they've demonstrated a more mature, more developed point of view. People do mature. We can't judge everyone on dumb shit they said when they were young and stupid.

I think back to some of the podcasts that Mike and I put out at Animalball. Some of those attempts at humor missed the mark and don't hold up today. Some of those jokes were stupid and offensive and would be indefensible if we made them today. But I don't make those jokes today, and I apologize for them if someone brings them up to me today because I've grown since then and I realize how wrongheaded and stupid those "jokes" were.

To one thing Mime said- I don't think James Gunn has cried foul, and I actually credit him for that. He seems to have been appropriately apologetic and accepting. Is he privately fuming? Sure. But publicly he's doing the right thing- at least from what I've seen.

[mimekiller]

You're 100 percent right, James Gunn isn't defending his jokes, just laying low and prob crossing his fingers that Disney its mind.

SILVER LINING is perhaps Gunn can return to horror films and more interesting cinema that cant be created in the MCU or under the Disney umbrella.

[buckett]

The Ben Shapiro tweets weren't jokes, but accurate representations of his worldview that he doubles down on every day. Not a very difficult distinction to make.

[mimekiller]

Chris Hardwick getting his gigs back, could this mean a end to SJW lynchings in america? Lets hope

[Phoebe]

He's still a reedy, fatuous jerk, so nothing important has changed.

[Kyle]

[Kyle]

[Mike]

[Phoebe]

[Kyle]

I agree with everything Mike said. I don't know that he did anything- but her recitation of events were extremely consistent with things I heard from him on his show.

And as buckett said, "Why does anyone care enough about Chris Hardwick to carry this water for him? He's a host of a terrible TV show that talks about another terrible TV show." Buckett's right. He's a hack. And I think he's a rapist.

[poorpete]

Hide this thread from Mrs. Darcs before it's too late

[Mrs.Darcs]

Kyle, instead of thinking bad things about people with bitter exes and no fucking evidence against them, go work on that third novel

Also, I was just telling my HLM how awesome you are. I take it back.

[poorpete]

My bad.

[Kyle]

[poorpete]

My bad.

Say, what is HLM?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HLM_(disambiguation)

a form of housing in France and Switzerland.
a commune d'arrondissement of the city of Dakar, Senegal
ASC HLM, a Senegalese football club
High Life Music, a record label
Him Loktantrik Morcha, a political front in Himachal Pradesh, India
Hierarchical linear model, in statistics
Holmwood railway station, in England
Park Township Airport, in Holland, Michigan, United States
Hotline Miami, a video game by Dennaton Games

These are funny things. Life is funny sometimes.

[Mrs.Darcs]

Kyle, I know you're a lawyer, so your idea of evidence is more pressing in this sort of matter than my kind of evidence, as a scientist. So whatever. Also, you're not responsible for how my stupid ass emotional heart orders me to feel on this. Also, whatever, I'm broken and I know this. I hereby turn in my feminist card, and for the record, I still love you, I just don't like you very much right now. Also, I know quite a bit about harassment (because yes, ALL WOMEN, even Ms. Dykstra, in ways.) and the entire thing is making me sicker than you can understand, and it's hard to deal with believing victims and at the same believing in due process and innocence until otherwise proven.

Pete, sometimes I think you like to feed the flames too much, and I'm blaming you for ruined make up on a day I forgot waterproof.

I'm gonna go back to avoiding all of this crap right now and pretending there's still good someplace, even if it's just dumb French kids cartoons.

[Mrs.Darcs]

Pete: HLM=hetero life mate.

[Kyle]