Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 1 december 2017
Post-Weinstein, Lauer: A reckoning for fans of fallen heroes

By LEANNE ITALIE
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes
to fandom, it’s reckoning time for
Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor and
scores of other men accused of
sexual wrongdoing.
Hero celebrities have fallen before
— Bill Cosby’s career ended after
assault allegations in 2014 — but
never in the rapid succession that
has rocked so many worlds since
revelations about Harvey Wein-
stein exploded in October. Accus-
ers of politicians, actors, comedi-
ans, singers, producers, directors,
other media powerhouses and
assorted business moguls have
taken the power and fans of the
disgraced have largely stood with
the wronged.
But for some, giving up heroes isn’t
easy.
Savannah Guthrie, in breaking
the news Wednesday on NBC’s
“Today” show about Lauer’s firing CLOCKWISE: This Nov. 8, 2017 photo released by NBC shows Matt Lauer; in this July 20, 2015 file
over “inappropriate sexual behav- photo, Garrison Keillor; in this Oct. 27, 2017 file photo, Kevin Spacey and in this Jan. 8, 2017, file
ior” with a colleague, appeared to photo, Harvey Weinstein.
be on the verge of tears. Associated Press
“How do you reconcile your love transgressions beforehand, choos- disappointed,” echoing what oth- Indiana, feels as Romo does about
for someone with the revelation ing in the past to let the negative ers also have pondered: “I thought one of the big faces of “Today.”
that they have behaved badly, slide until allegations were pushed he was a nice guy. As a woman, I “I honestly think that people should
and I don’t know the answer to into full view, he said. can’t support him now.” not judge or hate on him until
that,” she said. “But I do know that “For many fans, these are not nec- In Royal Oak, Michigan, Lauer fan there is proof regarding the accu-
this reckoning that so many orga- essarily new stories,” Booth said. Amy Hurley, a 45-year-old adminis- sations,” she said. “Even if he did
nizations have been going through “One of the things about being a trative assistant for General Motors, the things he’s accused of, I don’t
is important, it’s long overdue and fan is that you learn the minutiae put it more succinctly: “Is every think he’s a bad or evil person.”
it must result in workplaces where of a star. Although some of these man a hypocrite?” Bridget Barisonek, 42, of St. Paul,
all women — all people — feel safe stories are just coming out in the Outrage, sadness, frustration, Minnesota, is a huge Keillor fan.
and respected.” mainstream media, they have shock and the craving to gather She has listened to his former radio
Paul Booth, an associate profes- been circulating in fan circles for a and share are common denomi- show, “A Prairie Home Compan-
sor of media and cinema studies in while. Rumors about Kevin Spacey nators among fans. ion,” for 20 years and has seen the
the College of Communication at have been out and about in fan On Twitter, one angsty Louis C.K. show live several times.
DePaul University in Chicago, said conversations for many years. Cer- die-hard in Egypt, using the handle “I want to trust public figures. I want
some fans derive a piece of their tainly Louis C.K.’s misconduct and @MilanistaFito, relied on the fiction- to trust somebody who leads what
identity from those they admire. harassment has been jokingly re- al Showtime series “The Affair” and is essentially wholesome family en-
“Certainly to a lot of fans, fandom ferred to by a lot of fans.” the character Dr. Vic Ullah to help tertainment,” she said. “Tremen-
feels like something that you al- Letting go of longtime heroes can him articulate: dous disappointment. And like al-
most don’t have control over, that be a process, said Booth, other “I remember that scene from The most a sense of loss. “
what you’re a fan of is part of who pop culture experts and women’s Affair where a character says, ‘If The process for some looking in
you are as a person,” he said. rights activists. you think, on balance, that the from the outside as non-fans is void
On social media and around the “I think all of us are going to strug- good I do outweighs the bad, I’m of heartbreak.
dinner table, many fans are in gle with people who we looked a good person. If you think the bad “Sorry to straight people who keep
mourning. But in the Arizona bor- up to and have done really good outweighs the good, the opposite finding out their heroes suck but
der town of Douglas, 37-year-old things,” said Linda Sarsour, co-chair is true.’ And I believe that the good you should’ve listened to gays and
Nubia Romo isn’t ready to dump of this year’s Women’s March in C.K. does outweighs the bad.” worshipped 52-year-old actress-
Lauer. Washington. “I can think of people Thousands of miles away, conti- es who specialize in monologues
“Oh my goodness, I’ve woken up like Al Franken and John Conyers nents collided in the brain of co- about their crumbling marriage,”
to the ‘Today’ show for years. It’s and I’m so hurt and disappointed, median Sarah Silverman, Louise tweeted comedy writer, entertain-
so, so, so sad. My mother is really but we’re going to have to reckon C.K.’s friend of 25 years, when she ment journalist and the sometimes
sad, too, but we don’t have his with the issue and how it’s impact- broke her silence in an emotional pop culture podcaster Louis Virtel.
side of the story,” said Romo, who ed the victims and not our person- monologue before an episode of In a recent interview, Virtel said
is studying to become a real estate al heroes.” her Hulu talk show, “I Love You, fall they must. “There’s always this
agent. The range of emotions among fans America.” ongoing conversation on separat-
Booth’s academic focus includes of Louis C.K. and the more recently “Some of our heroes will be taken ing the art from the artist,” he said.
fan mentality, along with the so- accused — Lauer, Charlie Rose down, and we will discover bad “As somebody whose heroes have
cial media hive mind. While Romo and Keillor — among so many oth- things about people we like, or never turned into sexual predators
said she was shocked that Lauer ers, continued to flow Wednesday. in some cases, people we love,” I find it a pretty mundane conver-
would be accused, hardcore fans, Susan Scharf, a 69-year-old retired she said. While thousands stand sation. It’s a conversation usually
including those of Lauer but also of teacher in suburban New York, with accusers and wish Lauer and started by men who think the only
Louis C.K. and Kevin Spacey, may said she’s a longtime Lauer fan others who have toppled a bitter form of universal genius out there is
have had an inkling of rumored and was “very, very shocked and farewell, Hilari Vires, of Scottsburg, stuff given to us by men.”q