John Cheese just got #metoo'd

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John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Somenews » Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:49 am

A series of women (6 so far) have accused John Cheese of sexual harassment. He's admitted it is true. Sounds like Wong protected him, too.

Between Cheese and Sargent, Cracked has turned out to be a real shithole.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby cmsellers » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:04 am

Not that I have a hard time believing this of Cheese or Wong, but source?
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Tesseracts » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:42 am

Well this certainly is some news.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby KleinerKiller » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:59 am

Assuming this is true, it doesn't surprise me in the least. Well, it being Cheese is a little bit surprising (I never pictured him as a complete shithead the way Sargent always came off, even if a lot of his articles came off vaguely smug and annoying), but Wong covering for his boys while using the same shit as a relentless cudgel against his opponents is 100% within his established character.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Somenews » Sat Sep 22, 2018 8:25 am

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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby JamishT » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:58 am

Good lord that is a mess, but right now I'm still gonna read The Modern Rouge whenever I'm bored of my usual sites. The person in question rejected his apology (calling it vague, but I don't know what was so vague about it), but I'm having a hard time caring whether or not it's up to her standards. Is he supposed to broadcast to the world that he sexually harassed multiple people through DMs and then kill himself? I guess people want him to slink away into the shadows that most people call everyday life and just work whatever job he can find, because he doesn't deserve to be on their higher level, he needs to be with the people below them. They demand that they are believed (which he doesn't deny any of it), and then scoff and discount his claim to be going to counseling and therapy.

I guess I can understand the rage at someone who hurts you seeming to have no suffered consequences, and it was very shitty behavior. It seems like she and those who have sounded off in Twitter replies would rather he stayed the same and said nothing at all or even denied them, which doesn't make much sense to me.

But, what do I know? I know that people are crappy, and John Cheese did some particularly crappy things. I guess I'm too cynical to textually shout obscenities at him on the Internet, or I'm just a raging misogynist because I'm not particularly bothered by this instance of crappiness. It's probably more to do with how far to the edge of my radar this is, I have people I care about/am fans of way more than former and current Cracked writers.

Did I mention that it's 4am here. I might regret this *clicks Submit*
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Aquila89 » Sat Sep 22, 2018 10:04 am

This title scared the crap out of me, because I misread it as John Cleese.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby iMURDAu » Sat Sep 22, 2018 1:28 pm

I never got an apology.

Gets apology.

Apology rejected because it doesn't claim it was a pattern (which the apology actually did).

I think he should have tried to send this apology to her before posting it publicly because like others said in the comments, it just brings up the past. Let that get dealt with privately for a few days at least before you go and post it. Sure that gives your victim time to post it on their own, but if you don't harass people you probably don't have to go through these motions. I do also agree with Jamish that he shouldn't exactly have to commit seppuku after confessing his misdeeds, however he's admitted to shitty behavior and that stigma will follow him.

Methinks Cheese is going to be learning more and more about how when you treat people shitty they don't really care to hear how you're sorry. But then again he always claimed to never read the comments so its entirely possible her reply hasn't been seen by him.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Somenews » Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:13 pm

I think it's of interest that he didn't apologize until called out, and did so via a public article.

Also worthh nothing we are up to 6 victims now.

Also worth noting he's still in a position of authority over women
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby AboveGL » Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:38 pm

Well, I'm swiftly deleting his eBook. I know he was disliked by a few here and I suppose as my humour evolved and my interest in Cracked waned significantly, it became much easier to empathise with the general ire for him.

But this? The news shook me at first because his articles helped me gain some perspective on my troubled past and set the foundations for the boundaries I enforce now. Jacopo was sweet enough to reach out and assure me that sometimes good advice doesn't have to come from an actual person.

Still, fuck that guy. The more stories like this pop up, the more those moments I enjoyed Cracked seem like forgettable blur. Like they never happened.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Marcuse » Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:48 pm

I'm not super surprised by this. At least it's a situation where the perp admits he did it so we don't have to wonder about it. Having seen how he acted as an admin on PWOT I already disliked him, so this is one more reason to I suppose. It does also kind of make all of his self-improvement and advice toned articles seem super duper hollow as well.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Tesseracts » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:07 pm

I have always disliked John Cheese and struggled to understand why he was so popular. He is never funny and his advice articles always seem extremely hostile. I don't like Wong's articles either but I feel they contain a bit more genuine insight. When I read a John Cheese article I feel like someone who is a jerk is giving me advice on how not to be a jerk.

One thing he did which really left an impression on me is he attacked some teenager on tumblr because she made a stupid joke. She called him a 7 year old and he responded by posting her photo and attacking her appearance in a really vicious way. He called her a "dumb cunt." He called the commenters on Cracked "child fuckers" for some reason.

When the Sargent thing happened I responded to it by saying I don't think his internet behavior makes me believe he is abusive in real life. I don't feel the same way about Cheese. Someone who attacks people so casually over nothing does not surprise me when they do bad things like sexually harass a colleague.

Let me tell you something that does surprise me. I'm kind of shocked by all the people here who are mad at Talia Jane for not accepting the apology. She does not owe anyone her forgiveness. It's 100% her choice if she wants to forgive someone or not. Cheese had years to apologize to her and he didn't, and when he finally did apologize he did several things wrong.
1) He left out a big part of the story, the part where his harassment was a habit, and made it seem like an isolated lapse of judgement.
2) He posted it publicly but made it a quite personal message pleading with her to understand that he's really trying to be a good person.
3) He wants her forgiveness, which he is not entitled to.

With rare exceptions, the vast majority of apologies I've read during this whole #metoo thing from abusive people are unsatisfying. This is because the lack of empathy which lead them to commit these acts also makes them unable to express remorse convincingly.

The important thing is, if you apologize to someone, no matter how nice you are, no matter how perfectly you execute your apology, no matter how much you truly deep on your heart feel bad and are completely different now... THEY DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY. It's their choice. She's not a bitch for remaining mad. She has a right to be mad. If you are wronged, you are justified in being upset about it.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby Somenews » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:42 pm

It really puts a new shine on his attacking a teenager on tumblr based on her looks. As I recall, he ended his taunts with "never try to match wits with a comedian."
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby iMURDAu » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:12 pm

Tesseracts wrote:Let me tell you something that does surprise me. I'm kind of shocked by all the people here who are mad at Talia Jane for not accepting the apology.


I just re-read the topic and haven't found anyone mad at her for not accepting the apology.

I stated events that happened, but I don't care if she accepts his apology. I wouldn't. But I do think she could have worded that part better because the crux isn't that he fails to acknowledge a pattern. That's all I was trying to point out.
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Re: John Cheese just got #metoo'd

Postby 52xMax » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:21 pm

A thread on John Cheese, and there's not a single pun on it?

I'm disappunted.
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