28 Comments

He has always given me a weird vibe. Not bad, just weird. I think he is a brilliant actor, but I don’t know that that means we can never believe anything he says. That being said, I do not believe him to be innocent of unwanted advances and physical contact. When his response to the allegations was that he was gay, I found that to reprehensible.

It’s not my job to judge or punish. But I can’t help that I don’t want to see him perform now. He is now grouped with Cosby and Louis CK in my mind, and I just can’t enjoy the good work that they did because my brain immediately brings up thoughts of the people who they hurt.

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Here's the thing, tho':

There is no way for you or anyone else to weigh his repentance in a steeleye span, and pronounce it good or ill.

He is an actor, and thus his face, voice, and presence are finely-tuned instruments for what he wants to convey; and also, potentially, weapons for the cause of himself.

We can therefore not in any stretch judge his sincerity of atonement by those.

We can also not judge your motives, either; as your profession is the same as his.

So you either want to exile him or not; and all this moralistic huffery is but gilding on your wants, according to your motives. In which case, no amount of apology or show of contrition on his part would've ever been enough to change your mind.

He probably knows that; and skeptics like me certainly do.

So what is your judgement on his apology really worth?

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Yes to all of this. (The Piers interview is worth watching just to see how off book he is since that podcast And the entire Epstein account is a monologue for the ages. He even throws in some DJT accordion hands).

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To my surprise, there are ordinary people, as well as respected people in the film industry, who believe KS should be permitted to resume his career. Their reasoning being, I think, that he won two court cases, ergo, he's not a lifetime sexual predator, who used his position of power to find and intimidate his many victims.

No one wakes up one day thinking it would be a fun idea to have their own life defined by outing themselves as a victim of sexual assault. Only a fraction of his victims have come forward. I believe that to be true. I don't require a court conviction to know that KS is man with no moral compass and seemingly no regrets. An odious man.

As for Holywood, they follow the money, and they rightly believe that most people don't want to see KS. (Let's not forget the cost of remaking an entire film to replace him in the lead role.) It's not lucrative to welcome him back.

As always, an eloquent and clear sighted piece.

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As George Costanza once revealed: "it's not a 'lie' if YOU believe it."

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I won’t comment on allegations although I will say in general with such cases, that as accusers add up and there’s no lying motivation, their credibility increases.

I’m afraid he will die alone, unlike you and I, Michael. EDIT who will die surrounded by our loved ones.

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Jun 7
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I fixed it.

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I’ll add that above and beyond all that’s been said here about him, he’s lonely. He’s got to be. His friends are paid employees.

Hunter has Jill as his trial support. Even Cheeto man has various famous people dropping by for moral support and to stand back and stand by. I don’t recall any legion of supporters for this guy throughout his trials and trails.

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I fixed it too, unpleasant remark.

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And actually I thank you because I totally missed how awkwardly worded that was, and upon review, said to myself... that's literally what I would think if I read that sentence written by someone else. Thanks!

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I read it, thought the same thing, and laughed.

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One terrific attribute of Michael’s musings are the comments. Michael sets a high bar and it’s incumbent on us, his readers, to respond thoughtfully and clearly. Bring our A games. But it did think your first iteration was funny and demanded that crack. Nice meeting you.

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Same here, brother.

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Trust me, I'm an idiot. The bar remains very low.

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No problem, brother. I was not offended. Mea Culpa to bad writing on my part. Have a great weekend!

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Someone truly sorry and seeking redemption will confess his trespasses and seek to rectify the damage caused. Then there’s this guy.

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"industroy" hehe great typo!

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yes, lol, came to the comments to say same. it should be referred to as "the indestroy" from now on.

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Have people really already forgotten about the creepy threatening videos he made (“kill them with kindness,” among others) around the same time several of his accusers “mysteriously” died?!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FPBRl0FGQ3M

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So very well put. They're very, good, convincing lies.

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That does sound maddening. I’d love to hear the context of the Fincher direction he quoted since KS’s signature line readings always seemed about *not quite* meaning the words he’s saying — with varying degrees of irony or distance.

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Damn, Spacey was (is) a great actor. He mesmerized me in his films. But I suspected the worst about him as I suspect the worst about a number of charismatic people.

Sex. Good grief, such precitious falls men and some women have experienced due to that basic drive. Throughout history wanton desires have destroyed careers, marriages, and relationships with family. Apparently, humans struggle with this need. Will people ever learn?

I liked Spacey, but now, his inability to admit to being who he was has destroyed him in my eyes. I can't.

People, admit what you are. Live your life honestly. Never use your position to humiliate another person, acquire sexual gratification, or doubt you won't be revealed. You will be found out.

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Kevin Spacey always gave me a bad vibe. He is a good actor, but when I'd see him on talk shows, I really didn't like him. He always seemed cocky. I don't believe he will stop his abuse. I think he gets enjoyment out of it. He likes the power. It's disgusting. I believe he is a predator. These are just my opinions, of course.

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Spacey claims to have acknowledged "mistakes were made" to use the passive voice. Not a comment on his active/passive proclivities. However- I watch that BBC program where they interviewed the 10 guys who hadn't spoken up before and they were devastated by what Spacey did to them. They quickly learned that Spacey never valued them as human but as something you would get from Goodwill- use and discard. I'd like Spacey to address the "conversations" he had with these discarded, good men.

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Brilliant, perceptive evaluation of a complicated situation. And well-written, too.

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Kevin Spacey never seemed like a nice man to me. He's always had a creep factor in my mind.

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