But on the other side of the world, in Canada, on a day when record-breaking cold was seizing most of North America, a strong crowd of Bill Cosby fans came to see him perform for the first time since November 21st. Many dates had been canceled since then, due to the allegations against him. One fairly well-known name in the comedy world, Judd Apatow, kept Tweeting to venues that Cosby should not be allowed to perform. I Tweeted to him that this should be up to the public, not to him.
Given the miserable weather, and the high price of tickets to any star concert these days, a very strong two thirds (by estimate) filled the venue, and at the end, gave Cosby a standing ovation.
And so, as crowds in Paris stood together to decry bullying, and rally for freedom of speech, a crowd in Canada did the same thing. This isn't about Cosby's guilt or innocence. It's about freedom. It's about freedom of choice. It's against censorship.
Those that want to see Bill Cosby, who feel he's innocent, or that he has been humiliated by the scandal and is no threat to women anymore, should be able to see the man. There wasn't anyone in the theater who didn't know of the allegations, and didn't make a choice of whether to attend or not.
There's a long list of people who have encountered scandals, with the stories real or merely whispered, from Woody Allen to Roman Polanski. In sports, there's Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist now entertaining people on stages around the world, and Pete Rose, still banned from baseball's "Hall of Fame" (while some others, including Roger Clemons and Sammy Sosa, have their fate in the hands of baseball writers' votes).
Sometimes we believe allegations, sometimes not.
It's up to audiences to go see a Woody Allen film or a Roman Polanski film. It's up to each person to choose to go to a one-man show from Tyson, or pay for an autograph from Pete Rose at a memorabilia show. We make these decisions based on what we've heard, our own morality, and how we feel the person in question is currently behaving.
The freedom to choose is a valuable decision and it should not be taken away from us. Protest if you wish. Raise "consciousness" if you feel people don't know everything you know. But don't dictate. The theaters in Canada did not give in to anyone dictating to them, and the bottom line was that a significant number of people went to see and enjoy Cosby's art. He thanked the audience, and they gave him a standing ovation.
Part of the thanks, and part of the ovation, I feel, is for the freedom to choose, and for the freedom of speech.
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