washington I never said this happened with Chris Brown, just as I never said this happened with Charlie Sheen or Jeff Dunham (who I mentioned alongside Chris Brown). I was saying that if this happened to someone AV Club didn't like, for whatever reason, people wouldn't be dismissing these claims.

If you've read any of my other posts on this matter, you'd realize I am big on the whole "presumed innocent" concept and have specifically advocated for it in this circumstance. What I'm not for is automatically presuming someone who makes an allegation is a liar and dismissing their claims.

If you've read any of my other posts on this matter, you'd realize I am big on the whole "presumed innocent" concept and have specifically advocated for it in this circumstance. What I'm not for is automatically presuming someone who makes an allegation is a liar and dismissing their claims.

Isn't that victim-blaming though? Grifters can still be raped.

Isn't that victim-blaming though? Grifters can still be raped.

None of that means that a relationship didn't take place when Stephens wasn't of age. He could very well be both a rape victim and trying to extort money from Clash (although this latest development of him returning the money kind-of puts the kabash on that idea).

None of that means that a relationship didn't take place when Stephens wasn't of age. He could very well be both a rape victim and trying to extort money from Clash (although this latest development of him returning the money kind-of puts the kabash on that idea).

I don't have a problem with people criticizing Stephens for this latest development. I'm talking about the people who have been (a) dismissing his claims from the start or (b) actually wishing harm on him, a potential rape victim.

I don't have a problem with people criticizing Stephens for this latest development. I'm talking about the people who have been (a) dismissing his claims from the start or (b) actually wishing harm on him, a potential rape victim.

I think you're just trying to be deliberately pedantic. The AVClub and its users generally have a left-wing progressive bent, Kevin Clash was just in a well-received, critically-acclaimed documentary a few years ago and is associated with a respected children's institution, and there's absolutely nothing fishy about…

I think you're just trying to be deliberately pedantic. The AVClub and its users generally have a left-wing progressive bent, Kevin Clash was just in a well-received, critically-acclaimed documentary a few years ago and is associated with a respected children's institution, and there's absolutely nothing fishy about…

Yup, you are biased. If Clash had sex with a 16-year-old, that's statutory rape, illegal and not the age of consent in New York. I don't know how you can snarkily dismiss bias while deliberately misrepresenting the facts of this case at the same time.

Yup, you are biased. If Clash had sex with a 16-year-old, that's statutory rape, illegal and not the age of consent in New York. I don't know how you can snarkily dismiss bias while deliberately misrepresenting the facts of this case at the same time.

I'm kind of surprised by how a lot of supposedly progressive AV Club users will immediately dismiss statutory rape allegations when the accused is someone they're a fan of. This is victim-blaming at its most blatant, considering nobody knows whether these allegations are true or not. As a fan of Sesame Street, I'm…

I'm kind of surprised by how a lot of supposedly progressive AV Club users will immediately dismiss statutory rape allegations when the accused is someone they're a fan of. This is victim-blaming at its most blatant, considering nobody knows whether these allegations are true or not. As a fan of Sesame Street, I'm…

I already read it, but I also already found Dan Savage to be an ass, so I wasn't too surprised. I was pleasantly surprised by the reader backlash though.

I already read it, but I also already found Dan Savage to be an ass, so I wasn't too surprised. I was pleasantly surprised by the reader backlash though.

I seriously wonder if most AVClub users live in a vacuum. Throughout my entire life, my family, friends, and colleagues have all had conflicting political opinions - it's never been a problem for me and I've never seen them as less than human for it. Abortion isn't a settled science - there's room for debate on it. I…

I seriously wonder if most AVClub users live in a vacuum. Throughout my entire life, my family, friends, and colleagues have all had conflicting political opinions - it's never been a problem for me and I've never seen them as less than human for it. Abortion isn't a settled science - there's room for debate on it. I…

Because people are:
a) cheap
b) entitled
c) lazy
d) don't care
e) all of the above