Jian Ghomeshi, well known, well respected radio host fired for Sexual Assault

[brighidin]

Thanks for starting a thread on this, I was going to do it last night initially full of indignation on Ghomeshi's behalf but now...I'm not so sure.
I have been a big fan of JG for many years; his easy-handed and yet incisive interviews were part of my days living in Canada. When I first read an account of his sleazoid behavior on xoJane from 2013 it made me cringe about missed signals as well as feel a little uncomfortable about how a man in his position could take advantage BUT at the same time the bad writing coupled with writer's seeming lack of integrity made the whole thing seem at best an exaggerated bad date tale and at worst a little bit of sour grapes vengeance.
http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/non-date
When I read of his dismissal and subsequent FB post I was disappointed that CBC didn't give JG the benefit of the doubt, at least until there were official charges laid - even Toronto's crack-smoking mayor was only suspended while investigation continued - so CBC's reaction seemed harsh. Now CBC is promising another interview with another victim tomorrow so the whole thing has become a social media smorgasbord of he said/she said.
I wish we lived in a world with less voilence towards women. I wish violence against women was properly investigated and punished without stigma. I wish victims of abuse could come forward without fear. I'd hoped that JG wasn't a sleazy dirt bag but I feel the wave of accusers might be pressing at the floodgates...and it's going to be ugly and there's going to be no winners...

I think a lot of people feel this way. It really sucks for his fans. And I agree re: losing the stigma around violence against women.

He got ahead of the story by claiming that he has proof that all the women he abused consented to that abuse. Today, we know that is not true. He's already said what he has to say while his victims were afraid to speak. I think that reporters should pick up the story, and should speak for the victims.

He was not fired for his personal behaviour unrelated to his job. He was fired because he is a violent predator of women and, according to the work related morality clause, that's not okay.

His 55 million dollar lawsuit will be thrown out in less than a minute. He's a façade. There's nothing behind it.

He should have kept his mouth shut and sought work elsewhere. He opened the door, essentially inviting everyone to prove him wrong.

Yes. That slick FB posting was supposed to help but it's really just so obviously a gross way to try and shape the story.

He probably had a camera in that teddy bear and it was in the back of it. Sick pig. JMO

Ugh. When I read the parts about the teddy, I was like whaaaa.... That's some creepy chit." But I didn't even think there would be a camera. I think you guys are right about that.

Not MSM by any stretch but an interesting look at the history and silence:
http://www.nothinginwinnipeg.com/2014/10/do-you-know-about-jian/

No, but Melissa Martin, the author of that blog, does write for the Winnipeg Free Press, and has published in the Globe (I think, or else the Post) so she's definitely part of the media.

 

[otto]

The guy is toast. Thankfully these women feel brave enough, collectively, to come forward.

 

[La Louve]

Really grateful for this thread. Thank you to all for posting the MSM links as this story just gets uglier and uglier.

 

[matou]

In July, Ghomeshi gave a talk in Stratford, Ont. where he discussed how he had a stuffed bear he called "Big Ears" as a child. He told the crowd that as an adult, hebought a replacement Big Ears bear at the urging of his therapist, the Stratford Beacon Herald reported at the time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/29/bigearsteddy-jian-ghomeshi-twitter_n_6072266.html

 

[otto]

In July, Ghomeshi gave a talk in Stratford, Ont. where he discussed how he had a stuffed bear he called "Big Ears" as a child. He told the crowd that as an adult, hebought a replacement Big Ears bear at the urging of his therapist, the Stratford Beacon Herald reported at the time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/29/bigearsteddy-jian-ghomeshi-twitter_n_6072266.html

Whatever therapy he has had has not worked. The man clearly does not understand, or view, women as companions. For some reason (perhaps a the core of his therapy), he is aroused by punching women in the head and degrading them. After the assaults, he seems unphased - more or less coldly telling his victims to 'get out of his house'. It is clear that he has a long history of sexual assaults. If one good thing comes of this, it is that the next woman can come forward and file charges, if only because she will know that she is not alone, and that it was nothing that she did that caused him to act as he does towards women.

I have followed the case of Hannah Graham, who was recently abducted and murdered by a stranger. The modus operandi of the accused (serial rapist and murderer) is to first punch women in the head (knock them silly), choke them, then assault them. In more recent cases, it resulted in murder. It's a fine line between the clever Jian Ghomeshi, who does this under the cloak of S&M date rape, and other not so clever men without a public profile who do the same thing to women they accost on the street.

I have to wonder about the childhood of this London born man of Iranian parents. What sort of role model did he have as a child, and how did the recent death of his father cause him more trauma? At what point in his childhood did his teddy bear have to turn away from violence towards women?

 

[otto]

Wow! I've never seen this type of warning on a written article before, but the warning is clearly intended for victims that have PTSD as a result of abused and violence.

"Trigger warning: This article contains information about violence which may be triggering to survivors."

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/29/bigearsteddy-jian-ghomeshi-twitter_n_6072266.html

 

[TrackerSam]

My question to my fellow WSers, presuming that what Jian has just posted on his FB page is true (but clearly it is only his side of the story and the actual story may be worse), should a celebrity employee be fired for what he does in his personal life IF it is consensual?

There is probably a morals or conduct clause in his contract. Like saying if he's caught stealing, even if it's not from the station he works for, he can be fired.

 

[docbh]

Otto, I have had many of the same thoughts as you about his childhood and what he witnessed.

I would not be at all surprised if he is in therapy for a host of issues but has never once discussed his sexual proclivities.

Honestly, it might be worth looking at where he has lived, and looking at any female missing persons cases or unsolved sexual homicides or uids with strangulation, just in case...

I can only imagine how much evidence he has potentially destroyed this week, unless he is so arrogant he doesn't believe these charges will stick.

 

[ebonydarkness]

Wow! I've never seen this type of warning on a written article before, but the warning is clearly intended for victims that have PTSD as a result of abused and violence.

"Trigger warning: This article contains information about violence which may be triggering to survivors."

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/29/bigearsteddy-jian-ghomeshi-twitter_n_6072266.html

I've seen it in forums and blog posts before but never thought it would make it into mainstream journalism. I've seen warnings on news articles since I started reading about crimes in the news a decade or so ago (I'm only 21) for disturbing content but not using the words "trigger" or "survivor." As a survivor of abuses similar to the ones alleged against Ghomeshi, I don't really agree with putting "trigger warnings" anywhere on the Internet. It's going too far lest anyone gets remotely upset. It's an Internet crime not to add a warning to something that may be even a little bit offensive and I find that ridiculous.

I feel betrayed and disappointed as a fan of some of Ghomeshi's interviews to see these abuses come to light. I know I've been easy on him earlier in the thread but now I see it's much worse. It's almost as bad as Ian Watkins, who I've seen perform live at a music festival during his spree of sexual abuse against babies.

 

[eucalyptuz]

I am a little bit worried about what may have happened to women in his house while he was growing up. I am no expert in psychology but in my limited experience these kind of cases usually have an ugly back story with childhood witnessing and experiences. He has a sister who is a Associate Professor of Linguistics and she has appeared on stage with him at a fundraiser so presumably they are amicable.
I am hoping he is just a black sheep and there are no wider circles of victims.

 

[otto]

"Another woman is going public with allegations of abuse against Jian Ghomeshi. Author and lawyer Reva Seth has detailed her experience with Ghomeshi in a blog published by The Huffington Post Canada.

Seth recounts meeting the former CBC host in 2002 when she was 26 and starting a new job at Toronto City Hall. Seth says the two saw each other casually and had only kissed a few times before one night when she says Ghomeshi "became a different person, super angry, almost frenzied and disassociated."

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/30/reva-seth-jian-ghomeshi-assault-abuse_n_6077454.html

 

[otto]

This explains why none of these women came forward until now ... twelve years after the first known victim (but there might still be more from before 2002):

In Canada:

33/1000 sexual assaults are reported
12/1000 lead to charges being laid
3/1000 lead to conviction

Source: evening news

 

[zencompass]

Thank you for your illuminating post Otto. Chilling numbers aren't they? The majority of women who are sexually assaulted are silent because of so many different reasons -the judgment is on the victims - what were you wearing? were you drinking? how could you have allowed this to happen? ...and then the most important obstacle - fear that they will not be believed. Violence towards any person is unacceptable and deplorable. I stand and support this silent majority of women. #webelieveyou

 

[otto]

This completely clarifies why women are silent. When this woman reported Ghomeshi's inappropriate statement and action at work, she was asked what she could do differently. That is the problem, and that is why women are silent.

"Later, as the two were walking in to the Q studio, she alleges he laughed to her and quietly said, “Wasn’t that funny when I told you I wanted to grudge f--- you?”

Three years later, she alleges that on his way out of the Q studio, Ghomeshi approached her from behind and cupped her buttocks.

The woman later complained about Ghomeshi to her union representative at the CBC, who told her he reported her complaints to a CBC manager and to the executive producer of Q . She did not file a formal grievance.

She says she was called to a meeting with Q ’s executive producer to discuss her complaints, whom she says asked her “what (she) could do to make this a less toxic work environment?”

To her knowledge, Ghomeshi was never reprimanded for the incidents."

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...t_of_violence_sexual_abuse_or_harassment.html

 

[stan laurel]

when slime buckets don't want slime buckets, one has to ask why?

http://globalnews.ca/news/1645551/pr-firm-no-longer-representing-jian-ghomeshi/

 

[stan laurel]

a more detailed article about working in amongst [P]syc[h]ophants at Q;

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other...mplained-to-boss-in-2010/ar-BBc7HEO?ocid=iehp

 

[musicaljoke]

I suspect that we will hear from more women who were assaulted.

It surprises and frustrates me to read that the boss brushed off the victim's concerns. Surely, the CBC has protocol in place for dealing with this kind of workplace problem. We certainly do in our much smaller business. Our insurance requires it.

 

[SnooperDuper]

Seems JG had some of the women on video, which he felt was proof of consent (if the ability to blackmail your accusers with video is proof of consent?)

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

 

[matou]

How dare he show videos of him and other women being hit. Did these women know that they were being videotaped or that he would show these tapes to anyone???? @bigearsteddy let him know that she "stole a viddy" and that info could get out so he felt that he needed to show his bosses first?

 

[matou]

OK now I see Jian messed up his career and life on his own by showing CBC the videos. Hopefully, he can also do some time in jail too.