Canada in Pop Culture

[MrsOldManBalls]

I'm trying to sort this all out so I can understand. No judgement or side taking going on:

So he was fired due to undocumented sexual assault and sexual harassment claims? And he's suing because he was (plain old) fired? Or is he suing because he was fired due to what anonymous women are saying, and he wants names to be public? Or is he suing because he thinks he is being shamed for his BDSM interests?

[canuckcutie]

He's suing CBC for firing him. However the way I understand it because he's unionized and was under contract legally he cannot sue the CBC. So basically his lawsuit is to prevent the CBC from speaking out and to intimidate other victims from speaking out by throwing the $55 mil in damages claim around.

I'm guessing there would be some type of morality/bad behaviour clause in his contract? Although at a minimum if he had a history of harassing/abusing women in the workplace I inagjne they have just cause.

[batmom]

He's a public face of CBC so my guess is that they had a clause that allowed them to fire him for unbecoming behaviour. I can't imagine any media organization that wouldn't require that of their public figures. I think that he's suing because he alleges that information he disclosed confidentially is being used against him? Or that it's discrimination (because he alleges that he's being fired for being into BDSM).

As old and frumpy as the CBC can be, they kept on Sook-Yin Lee after she directed and starred in a very sexual movie that involved onscreen sex. They're also desperate to bring along the younger generation and if Gomeshi was a legit bad-ass instead of just an ass, they'd probably like the cred.

[canuckcutie]

CBC As it Happens interviews a woman who says Jian assaulted her 10 years ago. This would be #5. CBC's the Current show is speaking to #6 tomorrow.

CBC interview

ETA: The Star has an interview up with additional women alleging extreme violence at his hands. One of them an actress on Trailer Park Boys has publicly identified herself.

[Deleted]

Here's the new Star article. Apparently the Toronto Star does not do trigger warnings so be aware, its pretty disturbing.
The most messed up part?

Two of the women who allege they were physically assaulted also say that before the alleged assaults in his home he introduced them to Big Ears Teddy, a stuffed bear, and he turned the bear around just before he slapped or choked them, saying that “Big Ears Teddy shouldn’t see this.”

The Star was the paper who broke the Rob Ford smoking crack story. I didn't follow it from the beginning but from what I recall they were very persistent, worked mainly from anonymous sources at the beginning but eventually had photos and videos. This seems to be following a similar pattern. They are not going to drop this.

[MrsOldManBalls]

That is not a feel good read. It's pretty disturbing. Eight women? Claiming that not only did they not consent, but they didn't see it coming at all?

It feels like he's using BDSM as an excuse to cover up darker instincts and issues.

[Deleted]

If I could (as my first post here), clarify the documented vs undocumented complaints issue - in the Toronto Star article by Kevin Donovan -- a woman, a former CBC employee, is identified as claiming Ghomeshi said "I want to hate-f*** you" to her at work, in a meeting after others had left the room. She went to her union rep some time later, after Ghomeshi physically assaulted her in the workplace. This is then a documented complaint against him. Instead of approaching the CBC's Human Resources Department, the union rep mistakenly went to the executive producer of Ghomeshi's radio show, who then proceeded to sweep the whole thing under the rug. The employee felt she had no alternative but to quit her job at the CBC. The CBC has announced this week that they have launched an investigation into this claim and the way the woman's complaint was handled by the show's producer. Since the Star writers gave the CBC a head's up about this article over this past weekend, I'm guessing this woman's complaint is the reason why Ghomeshi was fired on Sunday.

[bailey]

This is the conclusion I have come to. Gomeshi says that he informed the CBC about the reporter investigating his personal life, and he showed them proof that all was consensual. The day the article was to run in the Star, I believe, the CBC put him on a leave. Not fired, just a personal leave. That is their right, and it must have been for damage control. Then they see the article, see that there is a former employee talking about toxic workplace, and they had to fire him.

I had not thought about the purpose of the lawsuit to be keeping the CBC quiet. Guess that's not working very well.

A lot of people that I know are still upset about innocent until proven guilty, and, where are the charges? I don't have the energy to explain rape culture.

Glad to see women putting faces to the claims. I wonder how many more high profile women he dated, and who might step forward. I am sure that the lawyer would not do this if she could be sued.

[Deleted]

Oct 30, 2014 19:13:40 GMT -4 bailey said:

A lot of people that I know are still upset about innocent until proven guilty, and, where are the charges?

You can tell them it makes no difference to a Human Resources Department, it's not a criminal case, it's a workplace harassment case. They presumably had enough information to make the decision they made on Sunday. All the people wailing "unfair to Jian!" seem to be overlooking this one case, which I think is the one and only reason he was fired. The CBC and their lawyers aren't stupid and I'd guess they went right to the producer who displayed the rotten judgement, and the producer probably caved. You can also bet the CBC also knows exactly which woman it is who left her job, so she's certainly not anonymous. Also this week the CBC sent out an internal memo that made it to the media, (wildly paraphrasing) - "We are committed to supporting whoever comes forward with complaints about improprieties in the workplace".

[canuckcutie]

Honestly at this point I'm thinking 8 is just the tip of the iceberg. more like 80 or in the 3 digits. The allegations that have been made public stretch back a decade and cover incidents at work and in the public - he's been picking up women at events, parties.

Sounds like his abuse was a poorly kept secret.

Do You Know about Jian?

And another woman has publicly come forward

Author Reva Seth accuses Jian of assault