Johnny Vegas and Sexual Assault

Recently there has been a debate about what constitutes sexual assault, because Johnny Vegas brought a female audience member up to join him on stage and acted out a 'fairytale' he'd constructed, that would end with the said woman kissing him. All accounts agreed that she was carried onto the stage, rather than walking on of her own free will, all accounts agreed that he sat on top of her, all accounts agreed that they kissed at the end. Most accounts of people who could see agreed that he tried to pull up her skirt, which she resisted and that he groped her breast.

The dispute was aroused by differing interpretations of the woman's responses to what was happening. Some said she looked passive and frightened, like a 'rabbit in the headlights', others said that her visable fright was the same as any audience member when they get hauled on stage, some said she obviously enjoyed the attention. Most agreed she giggled while it was all happening. There were very passionate arguments from those who saw it as sexual assault, and also those who thought it was just funny. This shows there is clearly a huge spectrum of opinion as to the boundary between appropriate conduct and abusive behaviour.

Johnny Vegas' humour seems to have origins in bullying. Often comics say their quick wit was their saving grace to fend off the school bullies, but Johnny Vegas' humour isn't witty. It has a much darker feel. He obviously had early experiences that severely damaged his self-esteem and value of his own life and body. His defense against the bullies, was to bully himself worse than they did, to take the joke further that they did, to punch himself harder than they could, to degrade himself more than they could. It must have always made him an edgy spectacle - a chaotic 'nutter' who probably did get some respect and was included by the gang for his efforts.

A license that tends to be given to people who 'self-bully', is to allow them to bully others without censure. It is a warped version of the 'do as you would be done by' morality. For example Jonathan Ross does this in a very calculated fashion on his Friday Night programme: He will openly admit to something embarrassing that has recently happened to him and get the whole audience to laugh at him, which then gives him license to say something humiliating and offensive to the 'Four Poofs and a Piano' - who have to grit their teeth and smile along because its not the kind of gig they are going to get asked to do twice.

The thing that makes Johnny Vegas' stand up 'edgy' and uncomfortable for the viewer, is that he takes his self-abuse and (therefore 'justified'(?)) abuse of the audience a step further than other comics are willing to do. When I went to see him, he invited someone onto stage, who was obviously attention-seeking, then started to cut the guys hair - big chunks out of it. The audience member would have had to shave it all off the next day. My protestations to the people around me led to the response "well he is an idiot and he deserves it, he should know what to expect at a Johnny Vegas gig". I was aware of something ugly in the attitude of the men saying this - an element of sadism and diminished responsibility -probably not dissimilar to the attitudes of the original 'friends' of the comic that initiated the need for his 'sado-masochist clown' persona to defend against their bullying in the first place.

Johnny Vegas is not calculating in his self-bullying like Jonathan Ross (who makes no bones about his huge salary for being the 'edgy' family man). Vegas does not appear to be a man in control, the fact that he needs to be drunk to perform his stand up is testimony to that. He still seems to be acting out pain, as though he has not moved on from it. He seems to still see the world as a hostile place where he can only be accepted by doing spiritual violence to himself. He appears to have a genuine blind-spot where most people see the need for human dignity.

I think his actions towards the woman on stage were abusive - publicly sitting on a woman and lifting up her skirt when she tugs it in the opposite direction is a clear sign that she wasn't consenting, but I don't think he really understood this or actually intended it, as he is so accustomed to abusing himself that he simply has no idea what appropriate respectful boundaries are.

The confusion amongst the audience members as to whether the woman enjoyed the experience or not, is because of her nervous giggle, that most people let out when they are being bullied in a 'friendly' way - this is a lack of education as to what normal responses to sexual bullying/assault/rape are when committed by 'friends'. For those people that are adamant that nothing abusive occurred on the day, and that it is all good fun, I would say they are naturally more sadistic and less empathetic people than those who recognised the abuse for what it was. For people who care about the suffering of others, rather than laugh at it, even watching Johnny Vegas abusing himself is upsetting. You want to say "Please Stop! You don't have to do this anymore. You can be liked without attacking your own dignity". Johnny Vegas 'fans' are grown-up bullies that get a sadistic pleasure from seeing others degraded.

I have a feeling that the woman herself may have not even realised she was being abused at the time, and it may only hit her at a later date when she starts to have irrational fears and bouts of unexplained anger. Unfortunately for Johnny Vegas, her current silence on the matter is no comfort, because she can go to the police at any time to report it as a crime, so this misjudgement may come back to haunt him yet.