The "redemption narrative" seems inevitable for the powerful men sidelined by sexual misconduct

Jezebel

The recent spate of stories on sexual abusers like Louis CK, Mario Batali and Matt Lauer potentially staging comebacks are all part of the redemption arc, says Stassa Edwards. "There’s a certain tick-tock already baked in the redemption story; a sense that there are correct steps done in a thoughtful order to restore temporarily suspended careers," she says. "The first is to admit wrongdoing and apologize. CK issued an apology, as did Batali (Batali’s, done through his newsletter, even included a recipe for cinnamon rolls). The second is evidence that a man has made some sort of effort to change. This is usually in the form of thinking or listening, perhaps even a kind of soul-searching." Edwards notes that these redemption narratives don't ask difficult questions, nor do they make difficult demands. "It’s revealing that such self-reflection never results in the conclusion that men who have spent careers harassing and bullying should not return to those careers," she says. "They never reach the conclusion that their past actions have permanently degraded their authority as cultural arbiters. It’s telling that they demand not just forgiveness but the continued public support that an actor or chef or journalist requires with giving so little in return. But then they would have to question the very 'self,' and its true capacity for reflection, they value so dearly. The work of making amends is messy and long; there is no room for such things in these swift and tidy narratives."

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