Of Apologies And Sexual Misconduct – Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ansari is back on tour after the whole sexual misconduct episode. Aziz Ansari is an American comedian, who was accused of sexual misconduct, by a photographer he went on a date with. Ansari’s initial reaction to the episode was that he was shocked that the person felt this way because he could not decipher the non-verbal clues that she was uncomfortable. Sounds a little unbelievable coming from someone who has been labeled as the certified woke bae, no? (We refer to people as woke who are aware of and alert to injustice in the society.)

Anyways, Aziz Ansari has done a Netflix special after a year, “Right Now”, addressing the entire controversy and how he feels about it.

Spike Jonze is the director of the film and he does a great job at opening the sequence by panning the camera parallel to Aziz while linger on plays in the background. The camera shows him as someone mellow and quite in reach, as opposed to the Aziz we all remember. Aziz gets right into the show and does this piece about how a fan confuses him for Hasan Minhaj and eases into the discussion about sexual misconduct. He says that in the last year, he has felt different emotions – embarrassment, humiliation, scared and ultimately sad that the person felt this way. However he says that what he takes away from the entire experience is the hope that it has created him a better person and others around him too who were forced to reconsider their actions.

While this stands true that his actions did make him and many others around him reconsider what they consider consent, it also points out how people have unique justifications or emotions attached to sexual encounters. It reaffirms that even woke persons cannot take verbal and non-verbal cues due to the inherent belief that a woman can be convinced to give in. Aziz is known for his woke ideas and several comedic sessions on women choosing partners who treat them wrong and men who constantly engage in an exhibition of toxic masculinity. This is a huge reminder for people to constantly keep a check on their privilege and if such an incident occurs, offer nothing but apology.

Many have criticized Ansari’s attempt at talking about the issue because it is empty of an apology for the victim.

And while that is true and maybe even reflects Ansari’s lack of comprehension for what the person felt but his standup does talk about the fear he felt for losing his career and what he loves doing most. The entire experience, he says, has grounded him and that is reflected by the way he shares his personal journey of the last year and how he thanks the audience for taking out the time to come see him. And with this information, he delves into a larger debate on social media, wokeness, and the mob mentality online. While the points that he raises are right, the debate is much nuanced than how he pins it. Let’s try and dissect a couple of ideas that he puts forward.

The 2019 Standards

Aziz commented on how fast paced the world is right now and while there is no denying the progression and the growth, not everything can be judged by 2019 standards. He quotes how several of the works that he took on earlier reflect a regressive mindset, which at the time seemed okay but cannot be take up now. While he is quite right in his argument, calling out regressive mindsets, behaviours or even pop culture is a part of the cultural revolution that we are undergoing. The criteria for penalizing someone can be different based on each unique incident, but calling out someone is definitely a step in the right direction.

Out Woke Each Other

Aziz also comments on how 2019 is the bandwagon in which everyone is trying to out woke each other and it has sort of become like a race to earn brownie points for doing something for equality. There is no denying that social justice warriors have always existed in the societies. Big corporations, celebrities and even day to day people are guilty of this act. This will probably always be the case, given the kind of collective consciousness that any society holds and it is the job of the people to fight such narratives to prevent them from doing any harm. However, despite recognizing this problem, one cannot demean conversations for equality. At one point, Aziz also comments on how he has recognized that the problem cannot be resolved in one setting and that he has learnt to let go of situations. While it is important to also create space, it is important to not decide on the behalf of people how they want to progress. It is important for opinions to be out there, how people respond to them is up to them.

Action Due To Packaging

Aziz points out a very important cultural revolution which is gaining momentum due to its packaging. He says people all of a sudden feel the need to take action because information is being packaged a certain way. While he mocks the development, what he fails to realize is that this packaging is bridging the gap between have’s and have nots. It is due to this development that several of the marginalized communities are able to voice their opinion and it is due to these developments that even woke people, such as Ansari himself, are also able to question their actions.

Lack of Discourse

He rightly points out the lack of discourse which is necessary to bridge the gap in this polarized world. He is correct that people often just want to point out someone who faltered and collectively gang up against him/her. He is right when he says that the reason why we are better than the times before is because we harbour more understanding, more empathy, and we should use it to our advantage rather than creating more cleavages as a result.

Timeline of Support

The last thing that Ansari also gets right is the fact that social media allows for dirt to be dug up against anyone. Since it is the space where people express themselves, often there is evidence of regressive beliefs and people tend to use it against one another, which is another form of cyber bullying. He is, no doubt, right about the fact that we should have more space to accept growth and change but at the same time, people internalizing that change should do so with no shame because more than anybody else, they are setting the examples for the world to see.

Aziz’s entire sequence opens up a more nuanced debate, which is a requirement of the times we live in. It is conversations with people like him that will push the debate forward.