Just want to pickup on a few points from earlier...
yeah, "just doing my job" and "not my problem"
a cog in the machine, nice one
Did
beesonthewhatnow have any more choice in whether to accept this work than the "hostesses"?
(I'm asking, not stating, here btw)
Yes, doing my job. I work at a huge number of corporate events over the course of any given year, of varying types. I almost never know what they actually are until I get there, and often even then I'm just looking at a rigging CAD plan and have no idea what the actual event is until you see a logo appear on a set. And even then it's often a mystery. You then might get to run though a rehearsal or cue to cue check, then you go live. Often you only really get a feel for what the event is as you;re halfway though it.
The vast majority of events I've done are fine, and usually rather dull. There have been a couple that were somewhat dubious - all male audience with table hosts from a local strip club being one that springs to mind. At that point I'm faced with a choice - I can walk away, mid show from an event that has cost someone a 6 figure sum or more to put on and I will never work in the industry again. Or I can press the buttons and take the paycheque.
I have once refused a show when by chance I found out beforehand it involved a certain racist, wife beating comedian however.
Do you have daughter (s)?
Worth thinking about.
Yes, I do. Who needs a roof over her head, clothes on her back and food on the table.
Accepting the work is irrelevent. Standing by witnessing sexual harrassment and abuse is another.
At no event I've worked have I ever witnessed harassment or abuse. There have been a few that were clearly on dodgy sexist territory attended by awful arseholes, but nothing that had ever crossed the line into whats been described at the event in the news today.
I doubt this, even if he was genuinely in the dark about the behaviour of some of the guests, I can't believe he would skip out on what was probably a chance for free food and booze, it' s not like he has a job where he has to get up early because he is on the early shift next morning.
Oh I believe he left at half elevs. Can't believe he saw nothing
I can absolutely believe he a) left when he said he did and b) saw fuck all.
Celebrities rotate round these events week in, week out. It's where they all earn a very large part of their incomes. Presenting an awards dinner, doing a "motivational" talk, performing 20 minutes of a watered down standup routine, whatever, is an easy way to earn 10, 20 grand or more in an evening. It also get very dull and very repetitive. So a lot of them simply stay in their hotel room or the green room until they're due on stage, do their thing then bugger off as fast as possible. If they're lucky an agent may have sent a script beforehand but most of the time the first they'll know of the event specifics is when they look at the autocue in rehearsal.
Oh, and when you're stood on a stage you can see nothing of what's happening in the room in front of you. Literally fuck all. Stage lights are bright.
So in this case I imagine he saw a room of blokes with girls waiting on the tables. Same as countless events he's likely done before.