Jane Fonda throws the debate around comebacks for #MeToo men into sharp relief
Do guys like Louis C.K. or Charlie Rose deserve a comeback? Does any disgraced sexual predator? What has to happen before such a comeback is even possible?
These questions have been rattling around online for some time, though C.K.'s recent attempted return to stand-up raised the volume. Now, Jane Fonda has some advice for all those disgraced men to consider before they start mulling a comeback.
"Guys are trying to make a comeback and they haven’t done the work," Fonda said during an event for her upcoming HBO documentary, Jane Fonda in Five Acts.
"It doesn’t matter how much time [they’ve been gone],” she continued. "If they haven’t done the work, then why should they come back?"
It seems like such an obvious thing. Fonda is pointing out that time away from the spotlight doesn't mean much of anything if the time away isn't well-spent. Guys like C.K., Rose, Aziz Ansari, Matt Lauer are dealing with the repercussions of their actions; learning from what happened and committing to be better moving forward is a huge piece of the process here.
It's not the Fonda is calling for these men to be forever ostracized. On the contrary, she feels "we just have to fix them, or at least show them the way." But that can't happen, Fonda added, until there's some recognition and correction of their problematic behavior and behavioral patterns.
"Men are trained not to be empathic, not to be emotional. So it’s not easy what they’re trying to do," she said. "But they have to try to do it! So it doesn’t matter if it’s been two weeks or two years. It just matters what kind of changes they’ve gone through."
There it is. So many of the thinkpieces that have surfaced defending C.K.'s right to a comeback (or anyone else's) seem to miss this central point: It's about growth, not about waiting until things blow over. That's the common sense idea Fonda is zeroing in on.
Her advice for men whose bad behavior cost them a career? Try something else, and use the time away to learn from past mistakes. Even if that means you "sweep the floor at Starbucks," she said.
"If you can’t learn, you don’t belong in the boardroom. And there are plenty of women who do belong in the boardroom."
[h/t Variety]
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
