Last Thing I Hope To Say About This

I haven't seen Al Franken or anyone I know to be close to him bringing up Leeann Tweeden's history of modeling, though I have seen it brought up in regard to yesterday's big distraction.   As far as I've seen Franken's side has taken a high road in that regard and so should everyone else.  Whatever you think of the kinds of photos she posed for - which may not have been entirely in her control, I have no idea what kind of power she had to refuse to do them - those are irrelevant to the issue.  

I still think the kissing accusation, which happened as part of a rehearsal for a skit (skit comedy, geesh!), might have been a misunderstanding or the kind of off-color joke that isn't unheard of among actors of all genders, the photo, about which it's not even clear he ever touched her kevlar vest, was sleazy and, yes, as well the kind of "joke" engaged in among show folk.   And I think the whole thing might be a sort of misunderstanding between two cultures, one which I've seen quite a lot of, actors, and one which I have seen very little of.   I think I knew a grand total of three people, one young man and two young women,  who got paid as models and couldn't form any kind of conclusion on that basis.  

I'd think it wiser to cut out all physical contact in such stuff but since that can't be done outside of my favorite form, audio drama, they should at least cut the joke part of that out, entirely.  Knowing actors and that a lot of them aren't models of maturity, that probably won't happen.  They should have the wit to avoid bringing in outsiders who aren't familiar with the habits of actors.  I don't think adults in show biz should ever be with underage people without witnesses, for the protection of the children but, really, for all involved.  

The women who have come to Al Franken's defense on the basis of their work history with him and his record of advancing women's rights and opportunities is another contrast between him and most of those who have been accused of everything up to entirely worse behavior.  It is a total and complete contrast with the child molesting Roy Moore and Donald Trump.  That, as well, leads me to believe what happened was probably due to the kind of culture of show biz in which that kind of joke is common and that Al Franken knows such behavior isn't permissible in real life.  It would be better if it didn't happen anywhere, I hated it when I had to rehearse with people who did things like that and, unless it happened in a large group I performed in, I didn't choose to work with people prone to that kind of thing.   But music is a harder, more intellectual and more disciplined art than show biz. 

I had to throw that last bit in.