What is pictured above is Kesha sobbing after hearing the verdict from the judge over the weekend. For the past year or so Kesha has been in an ongoing legal battle against her former producer and alleged abuser, Dr. Luke and the record label Sony. Kesha alleges that Dr. Luke sexually assaulted her and consistently committed emotional abuse to her to the point that she developed an eating disorder after she was told that she was too fat. Recently, she even checked into rehab for this disorder. After hearing the verdict, the industry was in shock. How could the judge side with this monster who took advantage of a young and hopeful rising star? Well, celebrities and fellow women in the industry have taken to social media to voice their support and Taylor Swift has even donated $250,000 to whatever Kesha may need during this time (as she is unable to work due to the fact that she would still have to work with her accused).
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-makes-bold-move-to-back-kesha/
The extremely messed up thing here is that this is not uncommon. It is not uncommon for women to feel like they need to lose weight at the advice of their producer or agent. It is not uncommon for assault and abuse to continue to happen. These women and yes, even men, are put in a position where they are at the mercy of those who have the power to make them somebody. It is indeed sad to see these events surrounding Kesha and I can only hope that moving forward she is able to find peace and get back to work with positive people surrounding her.
Supporters on Facebook constantly cite Chris Brown and his incident and how his career did not suffer, and other members of bands (men) who had similar situations but who were allowed to get out of contracts so that they were able to continue their art.
I think the real issue here is that Kesha is not able to continue making music in a safe and reasonable environment, regardless if the accusations are true or false, the court should have given her that opportunity. She has given enough time to this guy and after her real issues that have resulted from working with him (i.e. checking into rehab for eating disorder, this supposed assault) she should be allowed to move on.
What do you guys think about this? Do you think that men have it easier getting out of contract negotiations? Do you think that Kesha should just keep making music in her current contract? Do you think the industry needs to look at a better way of policing this sort of abuse? Also, what about Taylor Swift- when I saw it, I thought that is awesome but then I thought about it from a PR strategy? If you’re going to donate that kind of money to a person, wouldn’t you want to do it in private- or is that just me?
Given what you hear about the entertainment industry, this is a pretty disturbing case. However, I do want to point out one thing about the case that most articles are really glossing over. The judge has not rendered a verdict. She rejected Kesha’s request for an injunction that would let her work elsewhere while the case was finalized. Kesha could still win. The judge just felt that she couldn’t legally grant an injunction before the trial given the evidence presented.
Aside from the allegations, I think the most shocking thing is that Sony is letting this go on. You think they would just free Kesha already to get rid of this bad PR. It kind of makes you wonder what else they’re hiding…
Another breakdown from The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/02/20/kesha/
I’m really torn on the contractual complexities behind separating a person from someone they see as a sexual offender and feel extraordinary unease around. I have read numerous comments that argue the true/false dichotomy constantly, yet I think the more pressing issues that arise from the Kesha case are ethical in nature. Most talk isn’t concerned with true objectivity, it tends to surround what people see as relevant to determining who’s lying and who’s telling the truth. But, the feminist in me wants to focus on the simple need for empathy. Truth, especially in very sensitive situations that are fielding assault allegations, is difficult to discern while public judgment is easy to pass. The focus (instead of criticizing Kesha’s claims, blaming her for being the victim, perpetuating trends of discrediting and disregarding the voices/opinions of women, robbing her of her agency, etc.) should perhaps be more on listening to Kesha’s story and respecting her feelings as a victim. I imagine it took a lot of courage for Kesha to come forward about the abuse she felt, so I think it appropriate to respect her desire to want distance herself from and bring justice to the man that embodies oppression and pain for her.
Also, here is a cool article that relates to the case (covers celeb response): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jillian-gutowitz/the-feminist-gray-area_b_9294466.html