Famous Men and Sexism

[CKDexterHaven]

Are there any famous men you've irrevocably gone off because of their sexist worldview? Off the top of my head I can think of -

Richard Harris - I'd just started admiring him as an actor when I was a teenager and was watching a montage of his television interviews. He was coming across as incredibly intelligent and eloquent until he talked about how he loved to date beautiful women but lost interest in them completely once they started to speak. He wanted to take beautiful women out to dinner and look at them across the table but if they dared open their mouth to speak it broke the spell and 'ruined' them for him.

Michael Fassbender - I was trying to ignore the domestic violence rumours as he had never been charged but then he appeared on Graham Norton going on about how he wouldn't come out of his trailer unless they played 'Blurred Lines' and it kind of confirmed his sexist dickishness for me.

Marlon Brando - Years ago I was watching a retrospective documentary about him and they showed him during a press conference at the height of his fame. A young female journalist got up to ask him a question and he made her turn around slowly so he and all the other men could get a good look at her before she could ask it. Ugh.

I can never really enjoy anything with these guys in as a result of their misogyny. The same goes for men like Sean Connery and Jack Nicholson. Anyone else feel the same about other famous guys?

[BOFster]

I've gone right off Christian Bale.

[grimbletart]

Sean Connery

[SevenZarkSeven]

Sean Connery here too.

I doubt he's terribly upset about it though!

Annoying with him too is that they honoured him even after his comments about DV & etc. I mean he has said he's all for it hasn't he, and his ex said he beat her too AFAIK. So, you know, make him a knight.

[scallopsrgreat]

As well as the above:

John Lennon
Tom Cruise
Mel Gibson

Richard Dawkins (and not for his atheist views!)
Stephen Fry

Bing Crosby
Woody Allen (actually that's not true, I always thought he was creepy)

[CaptChaos]

Martin Freeman and his hideous rape apologism and misogyny.

Creepy fucking twat.

[SevenZarkSeven]

What has martin freeman said?

(not sure I want to know)

[CardiffUniversityNetballTeam]

Martin Freeman made a rape joke at a press junket for the second Hobbit film.
I used to like him. Now I don't. Dickhead.

[IScreamForIceCream]

I think the thing about Fassbender and Blurred Lines was a joke?
And surely by your reasoning, we ought to be hating Hugh Jackman and James McEvoy also for laughing and dancing along?

I will add - Sean Connery, his delightful views on hitting women. But then he is generally a violent arse to all, so maybe IABU to consider him sexist?

[CaptChaos]

Jezebel link

More gems

I HAVE to watch Sherlock though. Benedict Cumberbatch told me I had to, so I do. I just try and forget that his side kick is a complete arse.

[IScreamForIceCream]

And for balance, a woman - Whoopi Goldberg and her views on 'date rape'.

[SevenZarkSeven]

Oh shame about that captchaos.

YY re whoopie goldberg

There is also the vice versa of this - when a super high profile sleb says or does something really good around concerns that are not very "popular" - male gaze / VAW etc- they don't have to and I always think good for you and am pleasantly surprised.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Was just coming on to say John Lennon, as I recently had a conversation with someone who was going on about what an amazing feminist he was. Er, no. Not so much. Someone who goes on about hitting women, probably not a great feminist. But I've been pipped to the post.

Didn't know about Martin Freeman.

Brian Blessed.

Louis de Bernieres

[CaptChaos]

Brian Blessed?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

It's not awful, compared to some of this stuff, but I really went off him when I read him doing a jokey explanation of why he wanted be elected as chancellor of Cambrige university. He went on about wanting to jump into the river and upset all the boats so he could rescue the 'lovely ladies' in them. I know it's just surreal humour, but in context it pissed me off, because there's a history of said 'lovely ladies' not being treated as all that serious (and because he was part of an all-male shortlist, but don't get me started).

[BOFster]

Has nobody mentioned that bastard Gandhi?

[CaptChaos]

I saw that too, and was quite about it as well to be honest.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

How could we ever forget that bastard Gandhi?

Someone used to have it as a MN name and it always made me smile.

[CKDexterHaven]

I wouldn't condemn James McAvoy and Hugh Jackman for dancing along to Blurred Lines on a chat show, but it was Michael Fassbender who liked the song to be played on set and it just seemed to play into the reports of terrible domestic violence and his being seen treating his girlfriends like shit in public. I get a vibe from the man.

[BOFster]

He was a proper tosser to his first wife.

[scallopsrgreat]

Richard Branson

the list is endless

[CKDexterHaven]

Yes, I saw a documentary about the younger Beatles and they showed them looking at some photos of their Cabin Club Days. There was a photo of some of the women they used to hang around and John started talking about how 'vile' and 'ugly' they were and Paul had to jump in and stick up for them a bit.

I never really liked George Best but he's got a whole airport named after him. Imagine an airport being named after a modern figure who had been violently racist.

I may have to hand in my feminist card when I say I would quite like to be rescued from a river by Brian Blessed.

[SevenZarkSeven]

who is michael fassbender?

[scallopsrgreat]

Yep sorry I think I might have to forgive Brian Blessed too