Canada’s media darling no more, Jian Ghomeshi slides down a slippery slope, clutching his Big Ears Teddy.
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Email bmiller@vivascene.com
An Op-Ed Feature Article
DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE REPRESENTS THE VIEWS OF THE WRITER ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS THE EDITORIAL STANCE OF VIVASCENE.
No one ever fell so fast, so far, in the history of Canadian media as charismatic radio host Jian Ghomeshi. And damn, he was on top of it all, having recently conducted two of the best interviews ever heard anywhere – those with Barbra Streisand and Neil Young. Heady stuff for a guy with a perfect face for radio.
And today I hear the further news that as many as eight women are accusing him of far more than the ‘mild’ version of BDSM sexual adventurousness to which Gian has admitted. Yes, he’s been fired from the CBC. Yes, he likes his sex a little rough. Yes, he’s suing the CBC for $55 million. And yes, he keeps a stuffed teddy bear at home called Big Ears Teddy, whom he turns to the wall just before he (allegedly) engages in his version of foreplay, which apparently involves hitting women to the floor (consensual), choking (very safe, he says), and some physical action he calls hate-fucking (saved for his dearest co-workers).
For this, he’s ostracized in the media? For this, he’s required to engage lawyers and PR firms? O Canada, where’s your sense of humour? Where’s your sense of foreplay? Such was Jian’s outrage (though not mine- he’s always struck me as a smarmy self-absorbed dude).
For the first 48 hours or so after his firing this past Sunday, Jian received condolences and tweets from innocent fans across the country, encouraging him to fight for his rights, his money (the $55 mil) and his reinstatement. Then the tide turned with some new revelations and swept him away. Oh, the backtracking, the dissembling, the ghosts from dates past.
It seems he met many of these women through CBC events or on the job, where his exalted status as media host brought him superstar status and more money than he dreamed of in his days as a frivolous singer with the little-lamented satirical group known as Moxy Früvous. And now one woman, actor Lucy DeCoutere, has bravely stepped forward to say she didn’t consent to his use of force. The count of Jian’s jilted, dissatisfied ex-lovers seems to be rising daily. And the axe they’re grinding appears to have a very sharp blade.
For me, this a serious women’s rights issue, one that entirely justifies the CBC response. It appears that other women haven’t stepped forward simply because Mr. Ghomeshi was a powerful media figure, one with $$$$ behind him. His alleged actions, if indeed founded in reality, are horrific. His downfall is deserved. His protests and his newfound refusal to discuss the matter with the media any further speak for themselves. There hasn’t been a single word from him of concern for the women involved – shameful behaviour on his part.
Jian, save the money you’re spending on lawyers and PR. You’re going to need the cash for your early retirement, which has already happened and which isn’t going away.
Update: Tweeted out by Rock-it Promotions (with a two-year association of promoting Ghomeshi) late October 30 afternoon:
Going forward, Rock-it Promotions will no longer be representing Jian Ghomeshi. We won’t be responding to our receiving media requests.”
And the star.com reports this late today:
Jian Ghomeshi was dumped (today) by Navigator, the high-profile crisis management firm retained to protect his public image, because the company believed Ghomeshi lied to them, sources have told the Star.”
Navigator was a recent hire, the PR firm engaged by Ghomeshi to counter the debacle of his termination at CBC Radio.
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