ding ding ding, we have a winner. you think it's unfair that they can't win with a statement? what's really unfair is that they have sexually assaulted someone and now the victim has to live with that for the rest of their life.
As that Pitchfork article said, queer kids deserve way fucking better than this, from the band themselves being predatory assholes to wet blanket bs statements like this one.
I am not familiar with the band and if the situation was as the victim explained, then they've had well deserved consequences that don't equal to what they/he should receive. My question is, if the situation were different and it was someone being accused of an action or fault they didn't commit, what is the right way to go about pleading that to the public?
This statement was fascinating. With a quick skim it might seem like they were taking accountability, but in actuality they weren't at all. They took a bunch of buzzwords and language from survivors and twisted them to suit their needs and seem sincere but really said a whole lot of nothing.
A few points to ponder about this statement: - It contradicted their previous statement. In the first one, they said the allegations came as a shock. In this one, they said that they knew about them for a while. Which one is it? - They insinuated that continued communication with the survivor implied consent. That is not how consent works. Consent is not a long-term contract; it occurs in the moment and can be given or revoked at any time. - They didn't really address the other (less specific) allegations. They mentioned inappropriate post-show behaviour, but did anyone specifically accuse them of that? A statement like this might have flown if there were just the one accusation (and I'm as leery of the court of public opinion as anyone). But given that there are multiple accusations (and corroborations!), this reads like the band is trying to cast doubt in the reader's mind about the most specific accusation and hoping that the reader will apply said doubt to the other accusations, without actually saying anything to refute them. It's manipulative as hell.
Honestly, whether people like it or not, the best way would be to flat out deny the allegations straight away. I think if Ben had done that, they wouldn't have lost so much support so quickly. Of course that's easier to do if you are actually innocent.
yup, it's much easier to deny it when there aren't a ton of people calling you out for varied incidents as well... they had no chance.