And if you like women, NEVER call them “cunts”. Or get vulgar with them at all. And if you like me or my stuff at all, then NEVER express yourself to ANYONE – woman or man – in misogynistic terms. This is important to me. Even before I was married and had a daughter, this was important to me. The Jay character aside, I’ve always tried to imbue the characters in my flicks with nothing but respect for women. If my movies have made you feel it’s okay to reduce another human being by labeling them a “bitch” or a “cunt”, then I was an even worse filmmaker than I thought.
Case in point:
Today on Twitter, I read three Tweets calling out Mashable for taking a dig at my fifth flick, JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK…
So I read the article, which was actually from the website Death & Taxes website.. The aspect of the article the three Tweets referred to was this…
It was a weird, out-of-nowhere dig on a flick I made 12 years ago. So I left what I felt was a mildly cute comment in the feedback section…
Then, I Tweeted the following…
I Tweeted this partly in an effort to correct two of the Tweeter’s assumption that Mashable was making the STRIKE BACK crack and instead point them to a) the actual website for the piece, and b) the article’s author. I realize now this was pointless: most folks understand Mashable is not an actual person and has many voices, not one. But I also Tweeted a question to the author in the Tweet. And that’s when all Hell broke loose.
Or rather, all manner of misogyny aimed at the author from people who follow me on Twitter. Granted, it wasn’t ALL misogynistic Tweets the author of that article received from my Followers; but if even ONE makes with the woman-hate, then I’ve failed to communicate that I stand for loving women, never hating or debasing them. NEVER. FOR ANY REASON. But ESPECIALLY not for something like a disagreement about a movie. Jesus…
As the author of the article ReTweeted the hate and called me out on having woman-hating fans, I responded with…
The link at the end of the Tweet was to a Tweet by the article’s author, in which some very mild vulgarity was referenced. It was included, AFTER the apology as a way to hopefully alleviate any building tensions. The author felt I’d gone lightly on my fans using the term “vulgarity” instead of “misogyny” so I put up another Tweet, again apologizing for the roughly 5 (at that point) woman-hating Tweets folks who follow my Twitter account had Tweeted at her…
Then, after a few Tweets asking why I even apologized for things I never said or implied, I Tweeted this…
I will always apologize for any man who makes misogyny the manner with which he communicates his feelings. A woman-hater is just a woman-beater in waiting. If you wanna argue with words on my behalf (or EVER, for that matter), NEVER REDUCE/CURSE/HUMILIATE/HATE/DISMISS WOMEN IN THE PROCESS. I wouldn’t let you do it in front of me; I’m not gonna let you do it on my behalf in cyberspace.
I apologize to the author of the Death & Taxes piece, Maggie Serota. It was not my intention to have you diminished on your laptop screen by strangers who insist they’re doing it on my behalf. While I merely asked “Why the jab, @MaggieSerota?”, I should’ve been experienced enough online to realize that some folks might take my simple, would-be mirthful question to you and turn it into a crusade. That the crusade quickly degenerated into hate-speak about women (or about anybody, really) only makes me more ashamed of being so short-sighted by Tweeting you in the first place. For what it’s worth (and that’s not likely much at this point), I don’t usually see that kind of hate-speak in my Twitter feed – but whenever I see misogyny appear, I tend to quietly block those folks.
Also, you Tweeted this…
Please know that I didn’t “put you on blast”. It really wasn’t an angry Tweet: I’ve been around long enough to know that even a knock is a plug, and that your reference to STRIKE BACK in the article likely made a bunch of folks go watch it again (or maybe peep it for the first time). As my Twitter feed has been blissed-out for Christmas lately, I forgot there are still negative, hateful fuckers in the world. And on a slow-ass Saturday afternoon during the Christmas holiday, I really didn’t expect the trolls to come out, no matter how small the number.
However, you Tweeted this…
I’m sorry, but I find that unfair. Not the Scorsese part, as we all know I’m no Martin Scorsese. No, it’s unfair to say I “demanded answers”. These were all my Tweets on the matter, in total…
No demands there. Just a question. One I really wished I hadn’t asked now.
Anyway, remember, kids…
IF YOU LIKE ME OR ANY OF THE MOVIES/PODCASTS/CRAP I MAKE/DO…
THEN YOU SEE WOMEN AS NOT ONLY YOUR EQUAL, BUT ALSO YOUR BETTER.
SO PLEASE CONDUCT YOURSELVES IN THAT FASHION AT ALL TIMES.
IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED.
Thanks!
Kevin