Did you happen to catch the “clarification” on Channel Ten tonight?
John and Ashley were given about 15 minutes of airtime to explain their side of the story — where they HELD A WOMAN DOWN and slapped her in the face with their penis.
I am confused. I am having trouble working out exactly what needed clarifying? What could they possibly have said that would negate the “controversy” that has come out of it? Were they going to apologise? Were they remorseful that they had gotten carried away and not only broken a house rule but committed an act of violence against a woman? Was the footage MISLEADING, or were there facts that were omitted that needed clarification?
That’s what you would’ve thought, but no.
Channel Ten gave them a chance to air their “side” of the story and all they could say was “it was a joke”. They didn’t say it was a joke that went too far, or that they acted inappropriately and were sorry. It was said in a way that was more like “I don’t get what all the fuss is about — all these fuddy duddies can’t take a joke!”
And that is what is wrong with this whole scenario. It is not so much the act (although kinda revolting) or the fact that they went too far with a joke. They held a woman down and violated her and then put the onus back on HER, Channel Ten, “the internet” and “the meeja” who had gone all “crazy” (because, you know, apparently its innocent and funny to slap someone with your dick.) and blow it out of proportion.
It is the failure to take responsibility for their actions — and even when given an opportunity to do so, decided that *they* were the ones that were hard done by and that people needed to take “the joke”. Well, I am sorry, but I don’t find it funny or at all excusable to hold a woman down. At all. And Big Brother should have made them give a public apology rather than trying to blame “the internet” for capturing what was essentially a sexual assault. Nothing was clarified and now John and Ashley just look like big fat morons.
Why give them airtime to “clarify”? Its not like anything new was said. All it seemed to be was an opportunity to tell people to ignore what they read on the net — and I must say I am confused about that because at no point did they refute the fact that they did hold Camilla down and assault her. I just don’t get what the point of the whole thing was. It just further cemented my idea that young men have a LONG WAY to go if they think that that is ever an acceptable way to behave, joke or not.
Funnier still was the footage of John Howard calling for them to axe the show. Like he knows ANYTHING about the show. Idiot.
