Next Off Q: Jian Ghomeshi and subsequent sexual assault/harassment cases

i always found moxy fruvous amusing and occasionally pretty smart, but it sounds like jian's a real prick and it's not a secret in his circles.

And here's the tip of the iceberg, the first volley from the Toronto Star's investigation into multiple incidents of sexual assault and violence:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/cbc_fires_jian_ghomeshi_over_sex_allegations.html

I honestly don't see this going anywhere. Considering how vicious teh intarwebz has gotten of late, it's his word against the CBC's if the women involved don't come forward with formal statements.

I take that back. I didn't realize there was much, much more to this than I'd realized. Thanks to everybody for the linkages.

willietheshakes said:

And here's the tip of the iceberg, the first volley from the Toronto Star's investigation into multiple incidents of sexual assault and violence:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/cbc_fires_jian_ghomeshi_over_sex_allegations.html

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Interesting . The allegations are horrible, and they would be very hard to prove given that he mentioned BDSM. What a cunning monster (if true, of course).

The headline burns me, though:
'CBC fires Jian Ghomeshi over sex allegations'

Sexual assault shouldn't be called sex.That is so aggravating.And if the women allege 'sex', it's not a crime, obviously.

I'm surprised and saddened by this. The show "Q" is carried on our local public radio station and I listened to it occasionally. Jian seemed smart and well composed.

willietheshakes said:

And here's the tip of the iceberg, the first volley from the Toronto Star's investigation into multiple incidents of sexual assault and violence:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/cbc_fires_jian_ghomeshi_over_sex_allegations.html

Click to expand...

The internet has been useful in exposing morally and ethically wrong acts and hypocricies, as well as criminal activities, but now it's frequently being used to hush witnesses and victims. Not just in this case but in so many others too. How can justice ever be achieved if intimidation is used broadly?

I've been following this all morning and it's really making me sad.

I knew Jian back in the Moxy days and partied with him a few times. He was a super nice guy and never did anything I'd consider inappropriate. I've even got a picture of us together with our arms around each other. No ass grabbing there!

That said, I'm not taking sides. I'm going to wait it out and see what happens. I don't feel there is enough evidence on either side to make an honest and unbiased judgment.

The lawsuit isn't likely to go anywhere, so I'm not quite sure what the point of it is. Supposedly as part of a union, employees cannot sue - it has to go through arbitration. In addition, in Canada, a person cannot consent to assault causing bodily harm.

http://business.financialpost.com/2...it-is-hopeless-even-if-hes-telling-the-truth/

It's spin.

Pyekett said:

It's spin.

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Jian's Facebook note? Unquestionably.

One woman (not one of the initial four) has come forward with her story and has identified herself. Also in total there are now 8 women telling their stores. Trigger warning, the stories are quite brutal, which is why I'm not sharing any quotes here in my post:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...exual_abuse_or_harassment.html?app=noRedirect

I was about to post that same article - he just gets creepier and creepier.

In another article yesterday, a law professor speculated that he initiated the lawsuit not because he has the remotest chance of winning it, but because he could say whatever he wished without fear of defamation himself since it (the claim/facebook post) was essentially a legal document.

http://www.theprovince.com/jobs/real+reasons+Jian+Ghomeshi+suing/10334969/story.html

Lucy is a solid hero.

Dude has always creeped me out. He has sly eyes. Now I understand why.

Wilde_at_heart said:

I was about to post that same article - he just gets creepier and creepier.

In another article yesterday, a law professor speculated that he initiated the lawsuit not because he has the remotest chance of winning it, but because he could say whatever he wished without fear of defamation himself since it (the claim/facebook post) was essentially a legal document.

http://www.theprovince.com/jobs/real+reasons+Jian+Ghomeshi+suing/10334969/story.html

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This guy absolutely reeks like a predator.

I knew about Jian. Everyone knew about Jian, at least anyone involved in the Toronto music scene.

Well, at least there were rumors, and I knew he was off. That he pushed boundaries with women. I didn't know he was like this. Not this bad, just ... way, way off. He's one rich bastard of a missing stair. Goddamnit. Goddamnit.

There is a petition in support of the women who are coming forward.

... You should know first that there are so many of us who believe you. We understand why you fear coming forward, and want to offer a counterbalance of public support and understanding. ...

Click to expand...

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/...ocial&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=button#

Yup. Not to mention that BigEarsTeddy Twitter bit that probably primed him to jump off the metaphorical cliff.

He has now lost the following in more or less serial order:
- his job
- his agent
- his reputation, or such as it was with those who hadn't clued in yet
- his PR firm
- his crisis management firm
- the support of several friends and acquaintances, including his upcoming place on stage next to Amanda Fucking Palmer
- his 3 other upcoming speaking engagements
- his publisher, Penguin (option on next book)

And he is set to lose his ability to claim damages against the CBC. Not because of the civil suit, which was a farce, but because the union which he should have been working through to begin with may well drop him because, oh yeah, he fucked with other employees in the union, so there is a clear conflict of interest. Oh, well.

http://business.financialpost.com/2...ip-he-had-to-play-in-his-defence-lawyer-says/

Maybe he could bring it before the human rights commission as unfair labor practices. That would be a hot riot.

So if this grunting teddy-bear-filming sadistic rapist is "pushed" to attempt suicide, I am going to very surprised if some jackasses don't cry out that it was trial in the media that did him in.

Nope. Nope. What will have done him in is that he pissed in every bowl of cornflakes put on his table. Every. Single. One. Not to mention being a serial rapist and violent assaulter of god knows how many, whether they were strangers or the very people that got him his sweet, sweet gig at the top.

Hey Xelebes, Lucy DeCoutere and another woman who wishes to remain anonymous will be giving statements to the Toronto police tomorrow.

Lucy. Solid hero.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...wed_cbc_video_of_bondage_beating_sources.html

Yep.

It's hard to tell, given the context, since I gather the guy whose eyes pop out for a moment was her newly shelved boyfriend and she's basically about to exchange phone numbers right in front of him ...

That seems to be a dynamic that went on for years though - JG boasted about his connections to fame to pull women, taking advantage of the tendency of young women trying to break into the business being much more willing to give their phone number to someone they've known for five seconds.

The problem with fame is that many people think they 'know' the people they see frequently on TV, in magazines, etc. so there's that trust that there wouldn't be with just any random stranger. By the looks of it, he took full advantage of that.

Wilde_at_heart said:

It's hard to tell, given the context, since I gather the guy whose eyes pop out for a moment was her newly shelved boyfriend and she's basically about to exchange phone numbers right in front of him ...

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That guy is Patrick Chan, a fellow figure skater but, as far as I know, he's never dated Tessa Virtue. He looked genuinely creeped out by JG, or at least at how fast the guy was working.

I'm worried about this "hang out" session now!