Tool Band • Page 22

It seems like the only thing he can do to show one way or another is to prove he is HPV positive or negative.

 

"clickbait" it was an anonymous twitter account you fuckin blowjob

 

I remember when I used to turn my phone off to avoid dealing with things

 

ehh... between the unequivocal denial, complete anonymity of the source, and lack of any other similar stories so far, I'm erring toward presuming innocence for now.

Have to keep in mind that literally any troll on the planet could do this to any public figure for any reason. If the accuser goes to a journalist who can at least verify it's at least a real woman telling the story, the calculus would change.

 

Don't think you need to err towards it - presuming guilt right now would be kind of imprudent.

Doesn't mean he's a great guy.

 

Everyone has known for decades that he's got a huge ego and isn't very personable. That probably shouldn't factor into the credibility of this claim, tempting as it may be to let it.

If this account was completely manufactured by a troll, MJK (and particularly his bandmates in Tool/APC) shouldn't be viewed or treated any differently going forward than they were a month ago. I've already seen lots of talk of "canceling" Tool, never listening to his work again, etc., which I agree is imprudent. If more evidence materializes, then sure. But absent new developments, I think a lot of the rhetoric should be dialed back now that he's denied it in clear terms.

 

That's what I was saying.

 

I really hope everything about it is false, that's about all I have to contribute here.

 

fuck off you trash human being

 

His sleeping with fans/groupies is something he's talked about openly, so that part isn't even rumor. I'm not aware of any rumors about impropriety (at least on this level) before now, though.

 

If he didn't do it, what should his response be?

 

whether he did or did not do it, dismissing allegations like that as 'destructive clickbait' that '[do] damage to the #MeToo movement' is a really shitty way to respond in any case.

 

band dudes using their position of power to sleep with groupies is borderline abuse anyway but hey

 

I think that's picking holes though. Try being accused of rape anonymously online and then come back with a perfectly balanced, eloquent, composed response.

Agree with this though:

 

Seemed to me like that was directed at websites running the headline, "Maynard Is Accused of Rape" and using it to get views.

 

Regardless of whether or not this dude did do it or not, I find it increasingly disheartening that the entertainment industry is such an abhorrent shithole. Most industries really. Well, society as a whole. Everything.

 

You might want to re-check the size of your shoes.

 

That response is exactly what I was fearing he would say. Just blows right over it without any sort of detailed argument/follow up.


Shame

 

Disagree because it's true. If this is really a false claim, then the next person who comes forward with a real claim will be dismissed because of other false allegations in the past. False claims, trolls, whatever...it is damaging to the MeToo movement because it gives people a reason to not believe accusers.

I agree with the sentiment of the last few posts. If he was sleeping with girls, banging legal age women, and it was all consensual...well, that might make him a shitty person but it's really not my business. If there is a crime involved (whether he is convicted or not) then it's a different story. Waiting to see how this plays out. And for context, I am someone who dropped Brand New the second I saw the claims against Jesse. This just seems to be a situation that needs more fleshing out. At this point we have one anonymous Twitter account and a vehement denial. I just feel like the standard for guilt should be a bit higher than one anonymous account. Will be interested to see how it plays out, but for the sake of all involved I hope it's not true.

 

I believe survivors of abuse and assault always.

 

They got a new album coming out anytime soon?

 

Same, but I don't believe all anonymous Twitter accounts. I think it's a reasonable position to wait for more information on this one.

 

So I'm a straight white guy and I think The 1975 is an annoyingly overrated band. I could fabricate an equally plausible Twitter allegation against their singer within half an hour if I felt like it. And by the standard some are applying here, there'd be nothing he could ever say to fully regain his reputation, even if that was the sum total of the "evidence" against him a year from now.

It would've been wrong to dismiss this MJK allegation initially. But in the long term, there should be no damage to his reputation if nothing else ever surfaces besides an anonymous account that could be a 4chan troll. We don't even know it's coming from a woman. Given the Twitter thread explicitly mentions that this was an MO for him, combined with how big the band is/was, there's no reason to take this seriously until more come forward and/or this accuser takes further action. There has to be some mechanism for dis-incentivizing abject fraud and trolling by basement dwellers.