Dialogue. It's no easy task as one delusional fool after another attempting to write comedy for a single-camera sitcom has learned repeatedly in the last two decades. Without the live audience, a lot of 'jokes' have fallen flat much to the surprise of many.
See CAR POOLERS, THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW and THE PAUL REISER SHOW for examples of really unfunny, single-camera, so-called sitcoms.
You need the interaction.
You need the feedback and the process.
And you need it for public dialogue as well.
A thought that's been on our mind for some time but especially surfaced when Matt Damon made remarks about gender violence (let's go with that term, it's more accurate):
The "Bourne Identity" actor, in a tone-deaf
new interview, contends the sexual misconduct scandals plaguing
Hollywood shouldn't all be equated.
"There's a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt
and rape or child molestation, right?" Damon said in a new interview
with
ABC News' Peter Travers. "Both of those behaviors need to be
confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn't be
conflated, right?"
And this:
Damon did not address either of the Afflecks in the ABC interview, but said he speaks to his friends when accusations
against them emerged.
Well since you asked, here are some choice thoughts from Matt Damon
on the reckoning currently dismantling Hollywood one bad man at a time.
In
an interview with Peter Travers, Damon, who previously
claimed he didn’t know about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct but then admitted
Ben Affleck told him what allegedly happened to Gwyneth Paltrow,
now says the consequences for such behavior should fit the crime. And,
to his mind, not all such crimes are equal. “I do believe that there’s a
spectrum of behavior,”
he begins. “And we’re going to have to figure — you know, there’s a
difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or
child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted
and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t
be conflated, right?”
Among those immediately going after Matt Damon?
Actress Alyssa Milano.
In her outrage, she Tweeted, "There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it's still cancer."
We couldn't imagine anything more stupid.
Her response is to argue different stages? Like Matt's own "spectrum of behavior"?
Did she not grasp she was in agreement with him?
We don't like Matt.
We think he's Mickey Rooney in the 21st century.
Short, needy and not all that talented.
We also think he believes he's smarter than he is.
But anyone who would come away from Howard Zinn's A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES (he is a fanatic for the book and, at one time, tried to get it made into a four hour mini-series but instead whittled footage down to less than two hours and released it as a low grossing documentary) and embrace the corporate wing of the Democratic Party is a stooge and a fool.
Which is why he gets into so much trouble when he feels the need to weigh in on diversity (he's against it -- his remarks seemed to say).
In fairness, his diversity remarks were misunderstood -- because of how poorly he spoke on the topic.
And his basic remarks on gender violence last week were misunderstood because of how poorly he spoke.
He stated he could work with Louis CK because he doesn't believe CK would again masturbate in front of women.
We question that belief.
But Matt's allowed to work with whomever he wants.
Pink and Beyonce both self-present as feminists but that didn't stop either from working with Eminem on his new album -- despite Eminem's long history of homophobia and sexism.
If we're going to be mad at Matt, let's be made at Pink and Beyonce who give a stamp of female approval to the many homophobic and sexist songs of Eminem.
Isn't that what Dylan Farrow wants?
She whined this month at the #MeToo movement for leaving her out.
We believe it's the court assigned medical professionals who left her out. You know, the ones who concluded she hadn't been molested?
Maybe she should sue Yale?
Instead, insisting she's triggered by every film Woody Allen releases (and not realizing how tin-foil-hat that makes her sound), she attacks every actor who appears in Allen's films.
Whether it's Diane Keaton or Justin Timberlake.
People making films with Woody have nothing to do with whatever did or didn't happen to Dylan.
Again, the court assigned doctors to investigate her case and they concluded Dylan had not been molested.
Oh, was that not the dialogue we're supposed to have?
Did we stray from the script?
Guess what, that's allowed.
Because this is a national dialogue.
And we're allowed to disagree.
We're allowed to also wonder about a lack of pattern.
In the cases of Louis CK, Harvey Weinstein, Al Franken, Matt Lauer, Russell Simmons and others, there is a pattern with multiple victims.
Back to Matt Damon.
Minnie Driver responded to his remarks. As one of his exes and as someone taking part in the dialogue, we weren't surprised she did. We enjoyed her remarks.
Except for one.
We don't like Matt, but we're giving him the benefit of the doubt. We do like Minnie and we're giving her the benefit of the doubt as well.
We don't think, if she'd thought through her remarks a little more, that she would have stated "I feel that’s what women need of men in this moment. They need men to lean on and not question [. . .] Men can rally and they can support, but I don’t think its appropriate, per se, for men to have an opinion about how women should be metabolising abuse. Ever."
Really?
Ever?
Even if it's Anthony Edwards or Corey Feldman or any of the men who have also been abused?
They're not allowed to question?
They're not allowed to comment?
Ever?
Everyone needs to comment.
Rose McGowan frustrates a lot of people because she's angry.
We're okay with angry.
And we cut her a lot of slack because she's earned it, in our opinion.
Rose is upset with Meryl Streep and others planning to 'protest' by wearing black to the Golden Globes.
This is a silent protest and silence is the last thing the movement needs, Rose is correct.
Equally true, Meryl was silent for far too long.
But Meryl can participate in the dialogue.
And should.
Anyone can and anyone should.
Because that is how we figure out where we stand in this country.
A dialogue in the public square.
A back and forth.
That is at the root of democracy.
And Matt Damon can participate.
Anyone can.
And Matt can be called out, we can be called out, Minnie can be called out, Rose can be called out . . .
This is a topic that's taken root in our society and victimized so many -- women and men -- because it's been hidden.
Get it out in the open.
A dialogue is how we increase our understanding and it how we work to come to a resolution.
Both are needed on the topic of gender violence.
