Culture

Everything You Need To Know About This Whole Kurt Metzger/Amy Schumer Clusterfuck

The US comedy community is tearing itself apart over sexual assault - but they're not the only ones.

by Meg Watson  19 August 2016

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

This post discusses sexual assault.

–

Over the past week you’ve probably seen a flood of outraged headlines about Amy Schumer’s Twitter, Inside Amy Schumer ending (it’s not), and some guy you’ve vaguely heard of called Kurt Metzger. You might have caught some ominous and/or angry subtweets from you favourite US comedians. Depending on how deep you live inside the internet, you may have even seen this: what’s probably the word’s first full-site subtweet.

Here’s everything you need to know about the controversy that ties them all together, in as much excruciating detail as I can muster:

–

First, We Need To Jump Back A Bit

Last weekend, a female comedian accused a well-known male comedian, Aaron Glaser, of rape in a post in a private Facebook group. As the group was comprised of other female comedians from the same community, the post was to serve as both warning and comfort to others. Though the survivor of the alleged assault wished to remain anonymous, she wanted to “let [any others] who may have raped by this man know that they’re not alone”.

tw42whlpzftckgk7jz6clbjlkfokrg9s2ywqwziuslywix1nf2llg4fme2cttp9d

The post also claimed that Glaser had recently been banned from the legendary comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade (where he runs a monthly comedy night) as a result of these allegations. Glaser has gone on to confirm this, though he certainly wasn’t happy about UCB’s decision, nor the way it came to be public knowledge.

In a long (since deleted) post on his public Facebook page, Glaser denied the allegations put up against him, denounced the “internet vigilantes” who spread the word, and asked that people not condemn him for a crime he hasn’t been convicted of. He notes there have been no criminal charges brought against him and no formal investigation by UCB into the matter; he is now appealing their initial decision.

Unfortunately, this is not an unprecedented situation. Women involved with the LA and UCB scenes have been railing against a number of cases of alleged sexual assault for months now. Similar testimonies and allegations have come from Australia too. In a great piece for SBS last year, comedian Brydie Lee-Kennedy spoke out about her own experience as a survivor of abuse noting how others in her community did little or nothing to help. “Men look after men and in the end, no one wants to hear your grievances,” she wrote.

Since this news about UCB and Glaser has fired up, the anonymous woman who instigated the first post has given her thoughts to Revelist. “For the past few years I’ve felt disgusting,” she said. “Like I’m this horrible human being. That I did something wrong… When this came out I felt like hey, this is him, not me.”

–

Cue Kurt Metzger

The response to the controversy has been pretty familiar to anyone with a knowledge of these things. Many comedians have spoken out in support of Glaser’s accusers and impressed upon others the importance of believing them at their word. Others have called for the accused to be banned from further venues and ostracised from the community at large. Most notably, some well-known comedians have criticised the backlash.

Michael Che from Saturday Night Live reportedly posted a bewildered statement to his Facebook page, urging women to go to the police with these matters instead of fellow comedians and club owners. “The penalty for mass rape is not getting to do comedy in a bar for free?” reads a screenshot of the statement on Mic. “Way to make a stand! What fucking planet am I on?”

Then, Kurt Metzger (a comedian who’s been frequently condemned for his use of rape jokes and treatment of women online) issued a similar yet notably more vehement sentiment expressed in four thick paragraphs of “satire”. It’s since been removed from his page.

980x

This wasn’t received well. Metzger was immediately criticised for his dismissive and aggressive tone and very frankly told to “shut up” in a widely-shared post on Medium.

“Metzger is part of an awful machine that makes women feel like shit for dealing with rape and sexual assault on their own terms, essentially punishing them for having experienced it in the first place,” wrote comedian Nikki Black. “[He] thinks women who are speaking out against rape are the system. We are not the system. We have been forced to work outside the system because the system has failed us.”

Over the past few days, Metzger has been delighting in the controversy. He told Twitter that the attention was “better than receiving a fucking Emmy” and told The Guardian he will “never stop mocking victim culture”.

–

… How Does Amy Schumer Fit Into This?

Not content with Metzger’s lack of contrition, many on social media then called on Amy Schumer to condemn his statements. Schumer has worked with the comedian for the past three years on Inside Amy Schumer — a show which has become iconic for its feminist comedy and groundbreaking treatment of rape culture. For this reason, a number of fans felt that it was inappropriate he continue on the writing staff. Some claimed this vocal concern resulted in them being blocked by Schumer.

Eventually Schumer posted a statement on Twitter making it clear she was “saddened and disappointed” in Metzger, but any further action was out of her hands. Her show is currently on indefinite hiatus while she tours (both stand-up and a press tour for her new book), so there is nothing to fire him from.

This morning she elaborated on this stance in an interview on Charlie Rose. Schumer stated she regularly gets in fights with Metzger in the writers’ room, but enjoys the challenge this can bring. She does, however, find his public statements like this somewhat more difficult and exhausting.

“He gets something from going after people and making them mad,” she said. “That is not representative of me at all. I’ve asked him: ‘can you just stop?’ It comes back to me because he writes for the show, because of our connection.”

“The focus is on him instead of the main problem,” Schumer continued. “I think it’s great that people are stepping forward [to talk about their assaults] and if it’s not done in a way that Kurt feels is right, that’s really upsetting to hear. We all need to be empowering each other.”

This comes just a few months after the comedian revealed her first sexual experience at 17 was non-consensual — a fact she didn’t fully realise until reflecting on her journals from the time — and it was this note she ended the interview on. “I was sexually assaulted [and] I encourage women to come out. I want men to hear what happens so there’s no confusion… Let’s all get on the same page.”

–

Uggggggggghhhhhhh

Well, fuck. This is exhausting. But it’s also a very familiar kind of exhausting. This whole mess is full of the confusion and disbelief of men who only think of rape as a grand act of malicious violence and not a broader problem founded on a serious lack of knowledge on consent. It’s fuelled by the idea that justice is simple for the “perfect victim”; that there aren’t spectacular obstacles stacked against many people in the first place. These are the same scenes and arguments playing out in unis, workplaces, friendship groups and courtrooms all over the world.

As is common, this saga has also been defined by an overwhelming anger: both Metzger’s and that of those railing against him. As LV Anderson wrote for Slate, the argument that Schumer has “failed women” for not immediately condemning her former colleague is a harsh one. “Most feminists don’t think it’s cool for men to demand responses from women on the internet, nor do they think it’s cool to hold women responsible for men’s transgressions,” she said. “The same general principles apply here.” Standing in solidarity with survivors is important, but there’s certainly an argument to be had against demanding women (particularly women who have also experienced assault) to publicly do so.

Metzger has since apologised for his “inflammatory language”. “I realise that when emotions are running high, it might not be the time to aggressively philosophise on a sensitive topic,” he wrote. He’s now sharing anonymous messages of support from survivors of assault who sympathise with his points. “The strange and gleeful way that comedy communities have piled on to this will do little to inspire others to come forward,” wrote one woman.

That’s a frustrating fact to consider, though an optimist might come away thinking something has been learned. Next time a woman comes forward with an experience like this people might be more considerate; there could be better procedure, more knowledge, stronger support. But the most frustrating thing is the certainty that there will be a next time at all.

–

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Men can access anonymous confidential telephone counselling to help to stop using violent and controlling behaviour through the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.