A few days ago, comedian Louis C.K. made his official return to comedy. He’s spent some time off the scene following the #metoo allegations of his sexual misconduct, which he acknowledged were absolutely true.

In so few words, Louis C.K. would repeatedly expose and please himself in the company of female colleagues, but at the risk of ruining their careers, the women remained silent. Once the news finally broke, Louis C.K. apologized and claimed he was embarrassed of his behavior. He has laid low ever since.

Upon hearing that Louis C.K. was back, I was curious to see how his fanbase had responded. I turned to his Twitter account, and to my dismay, found the tweet pinned on his profile. It reads, “You can shoot someone if they come into your home, but if you show them your penis, your life is over” (posted August 2nd of this year).

Other tweets read, “I pledge to stop showing my dick. I don’t have a date of when I will stop. But I will work towards covering (insert eggplant emoji)” (posted June 12, 2018), “Would anyone want to see my junk if I looked like @VancityRenyolds in Blade 3?” (posted June 7), and “My fame came from telling the truth. The jokes I make are about real life. I have told everyone I am a piece of sh*t over and over. That’s what connects us. We all have problems and nobody is a saint. People ask me why am I not performing? Because you thought I was joking” (posted March 8).

Louis C.K. is another abuser who will recover from these allegations, and this fact reveals a simple truth; this is why many victims do not feel safe disclosing their experiences with sexual assault and harassment. Comparing the consequences of shooting someone to knowingly abusing a mentorship role to get off, in my opinion, is evil.

Making light of the situation by implying that these women would have been excited by an unwarranted display of male genitalia if it belonged to Ryan Reynolds is obscene. Finally, shifting the guilt to his fanbase for not knowing who Louis C.K. was the whole time is stupid. 

Louis C.K.’s comedic content in no way defends his character, as making a joke about being a deadbeat comedian is not the same as committing a class D felony.

We’ve seen time and time again that an abuser’s livelihood and reputation can survive an accusation, but the same cannot be said for a victim who comes forward to tell their story. Even Terry Crews was asked to drop his sexual assault case against Adam Venit, and it is rumored that canceling Brooklyn 99 was meant to call Crew’s bluff.

Talent does not compensate for obscenity, and fame will never erase what Louis C.K., a man in a position of power and mentorship, did to those women. They deserve better, and I refuse to let their treatment be normalized.

It is time to stop consuming media created by, and thereby supporting, known abusers.

Abigail Carlin is a senior English language arts major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at alcarlin@eiu.edu.