Daniel O’Reilly, the man now publicly attempting to atone for his ‘mistake’ of a TV show on Newsnight is the brains (or lack thereof) behind Dapper Laughs, the ‘geezer’ who tells us that ‘dating is out and pulling is in’, who endeavours to ‘teach’ young men ‘the tricks of the trade’ in order to get ‘sweethearts’ and sex. Waves of criticism and media attention have come crashing down on O’Reilly in the past few weeks since his show Dapper Laughs: On The Pull was broadcast on ITV2, and subsequently cancelled after the TV station received an overwhelming number of complaints, and over 55,000 signatures on an online petition that sought to ban it from the airwaves. Blogs are firing, open letters have been drafted, O’Reilly’s picture is all over our Facebook newsfeeds, and his name in countless news headlines. His show is being slated as misogynistic tripe that objectifies women in the extreme, and normalises sexual abuse, with uncomfortable undertones of rape sloppily masquerading as sleazy lad banter. It has even been dubbed a ‘rapists almanac’ by the Huffington Post’s Lee Kern. However, if you scroll down the YouTube comments, many attest that On The Pull is not as bad or offensive as the media is making out. So, are we overreacting? Was ITV right to cut the show?
Not so long ago, Robin Thicke asked ‘what rhymes with hug me?’, claiming ‘I know you want it’, and damning those polemical ‘blurred lines’ that separate a woman’s interest and her distaste for sexual advances. Sure, Dapper is sporting a bit more fake tan than Thickle, but his catchphrase ‘she knows’, which he laughingly spits out to innocent women on the street repeatedly throughout his show, seems to imply a similar assumption that all women want him, regardless of whether they show any signs of interest or consent. It is this ignorant, laddish mind-set which actively fuels everyday sexism, and seemingly makes it okay to shout out random and derogatory comments to passers-by.
On a basic level, this is harassment. However, it takes on a darker and more anxious precedent if you watch a short and shocking video clip of O’Reilly’s sold-out tour at the London Scala, in which he laughingly tells a female audience member that she is ‘gagging for a rape’. I could hardly believe what was coming out of his mouth as he discussed his new show, denying it was about teaching men about sexual assault, explaining: ‘If it was a guide to rape, it would have done one five-minute episode, come on and go “Oi oi, I’m Dapper Laughs, go down the shops, get some rope, bit of duct tape, rape the bitch, well done, see you later!”’. In what kind of a world do we live in if this is included in a stand-up comedy show?
ITV commissioning editor Kate Maddigan and acquisitions chief Angela Jain commissioned ex-cruise ship performer O’Reilly after his rise to internet stardom on Vine, whose six second snippets showcased his sleazy banter that hides in the shadows of blurred lines between offensive sexism and distasteful lad-banter: ‘Show her your penis. If she cries she’s just playing hard to get’. The show was made my Hungry Bear Media and Big Minded, and conceived by the team behind Celebrity Juice, with its makers making comparisons before the shows transmission between Dapper and the popular comedian Keith Lemon. Comics like Keith Lemon, the Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle have always shocked audiences with a sharp brand of comedic expression that sometimes is in danger of going a little too far. However, there is a stark difference between tongue-in-cheek comedy, and commissioning whole shows on the basis that women are not much more than ‘sweethearts’, ‘little princesses’ and sexual objects, and contributes to and endorses a prevalent predatory culture. Many may ask, how was this show even commissioned?
After the video clips of O’Reilly’s stand up show surfaced, ITV made the decision to cut the show, removing it from ITV player. However, their initial response to the complaints to the show was much more relaxed:
We realise that all humour is subjective and accept that Dapper’s humour is more risqué but feel that his unique brand of banter and brash charm is neither sexist or degrading to women and that his approach to pulling is based on displaying the right attitude to women in order to succeed.
(Source: Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/08/dapper-laughs-itv_n_6125744.html)
Is On The Pull the right way to ‘succeed’ with women? Lets talk for a moment about the terminology of the word pulling. This implies an inherent violence and forcefulness towards women, and Dapper’s show appears to be exactly that. The self-professed ‘swankilicious fanny-magnet’ parades himself as the god of pulling, and teaches lesser men how. Not only is this offensive to women, as it objectifies them in the extreme, but it also instils uncomfortable ideals about contemporary masculinity.
So, ‘she knows’. She knows what, Dapper? She knows that your sexist, misjudged and offensive ‘jokes’ seek to normalise rape culture and simultaneously numb our brains into sludge with cheap, trashy one-liners? With over 55,0000 people signing a petition against this sorry excuse for a show – It seems obvious that yes, Dapper. We do know.
Photo source: The Guardian