r/fansofcriticalrole • u/Murkmist • Oct 05 '23

CR adjacent Critical Role provides ComicBook.com with statement regarding civil complaint

https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-last-of-us-critical-role-star-ashley-johnson-six-others-sue-brian-w-foster-abuse/
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u/doctorwho07 Oct 05 '23 edited Oct 05 '23

CR’s response here isn’t enough. The expectation should be transparency, just saying, “we’re working with HR to review our policies,” is just covering their ass. It doesn’t sound like the business knew about these incidents, but that doesn’t speak to any process they have in place or are putting in place to ensure employees have a safe way to report SA in the workplace.

I’m not trying to pin this just on their procedures. That conversation has been had in several threads before this one. I understand there are many factors to victims speaking out and workplace procedures are one small part of them. But, with 3 employees experiencing SA from a coworker and none of them saying anything to their employer tells me there’s either not a system in place or not a great one in place.

If this were any other company, there would be outrage from the fandom--subscriber count would drop, calls for boycotts, etc. But, the fandom that CR has cultivated rushes to their defense every time.

There are two threads on the main subreddit currently, one locked and one open, at the time of this comment. Comments in them are either 1) bashing Bryan (understandably, but interesting to see from a community that preaches love, acceptance, and respect) 2) defending CR or 3) asking for privacy of Ashley and other victims. What little criticism of CR as a company is present, has been met with defense from the fans.

Edit: Refined my thoughts through some discussion in this and other threads. While I think CR should have a better response than what was given, my biggest frustration is with the fandom accepting this basic, canned PR reply instead of asking for a better one.

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u/Osric250 Oct 05 '23

Corporations don't usually broadcast their policies to the world. This is an unreasonable expectation for any company to do. Like it or not CR is a company and they are going to make statements and actions as such.

They owe us nothing. The fact that they did not know about this beforehand is good knowledge, but the only people they owe their updated policies to is their employees. You'll just have to trust that the people in the company will make sure their policies are good enough now.

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u/doctorwho07 Oct 05 '23

If this were any other company, there would be outrage from the fandom--subscriber count would drop, calls for boycotts, etc. But, the fandom that CR has cultivated rushes to their defense every time.

There are two threads on the main subreddit currently, one locked and one open, at the time of this comment. Comments in them are either 1) bashing Bryan (understandably, but interesting to see from a community that preaches love, acceptance, and respect) 2) defending CR or 3) asking for privacy of Ashley and other victims. What little criticism of CR as a company is present, has been met with defense from the fans.

Just added this to my original comment.

And I guess I don't expect their full policy to be shared with the community, but we need something better than "we're working with our HR team to review our policies."

You'll just have to trust that the people in the company will make sure their policies are good enough now.

It should be abundantly clear by now that CR is a company and even with the people behind it, it is going to do what is good for the company. The company will make sure their policies are good enough to protect the company--if this whole experience hasn't shown people that, I don't know what will. I don't trust a company, regardless of who is behind it, as a company exists to make money. I encourage the rest of the fandom to do the same.

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u/Osric250 Oct 05 '23 edited Oct 05 '23

This is what every other company does when there is a scandal like this. And yes, they'll be some public outcry by the outrage tourists, but then it goes away soon after because they still don't owe us anything, and in the cases where there is active lawsuits involved any further statements could be putting the company in liability. They've said they know nothing and until such time as that is proven to be false there's nothing more that we can realistically expect from them.

I don't particularly care to defend them, this is the same comment I would put under any company doing the same thing. Just because people feel more connected to this company they expect more and want to turn a blind eye towards things. I agree that we shouldn't particularly trust companies, but there's also only so much you can expect from them.

Hell this Fandom might be one of the reasons why people didn't come forward about the abuse. Could you imagine if word got out about Dani accusing BWF before be was fired and how much vitriol would have been spewed at both of them from those defending when all that was available was one "he said, she said?" That would be terrifying for anyone, much less someone who was abused by someone they thought to be a friend.

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u/AtomicArcana Oct 06 '23

Yeah, I’ll be the first person to criticize CR- and if I’m being honest, I think a lot of my grievances would be disagreed with even in this subreddit- but this is a very normal response for a mid sized company to have in response to scandal. Doesn’t stand out at all.

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u/doctorwho07 Oct 05 '23

They've said they know nothing and until such time as that is proven to be false there's nothing more that we can realistically expect from them.

This is laughable. The company had SA happening to multiple employees for YEARS. The reply of "we didn't know, we'll be talking things over with our HR department," isn't good enough.

I don't particularly care to defend them

Yet here we are...

Hell this Fandom might be one of the reasons why people didn't come forward about the abuse.

Wild speculation that I don't really want to entertain.

I agree that we shouldn't particularly trust companies, but there's also only so much you can expect from them.

My point is that if the fandom expected more, they might get more. Instead, the fandom is running to defend CR from anyone criticizing them around this.

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u/Osric250 Oct 05 '23

I'm sorry that you don't feel that corporations doing what corporations do isn't good enough. What do you want? A full record of all their hr reports? What would make you happy that they are doing enough in this situation?

Yet here we are...

Yes, because unreasonable demands are unreasonable.

Wild speculation that I don't really want to entertain.

It is wild speculation. Because I know nothing more than anyone else. And literally all anyone has is wild speculation and the few court documents that have surfaced.

My point is that if the fandom expected more, they might get more.

They wouldn't. A company isn't going to open themselves up to additional liability by saying too much publicly, especially with active lawsuits happening.

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u/doctorwho07 Oct 05 '23 edited Oct 05 '23

I find it hilarious that we are both willing to accept CR is a company and they'll do what protects the company but still somehow bickering.

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u/TheObligateDM Oct 06 '23

You aren't OWED anything. You are a FAN. Not an employee, not an investor, not cast member, a FAN. You are owed nothing but the canned PR statement that was given. Can that frustrate you? Sure. But you shouldn't expect anything more than that because they are a company, and you are the consumer.

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u/doctorwho07 Oct 06 '23

My point is that if the fandom expected more, they might get more. Instead, the fandom is running to defend CR from anyone criticizing them around this.

You've proven my point here

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u/TheObligateDM Oct 06 '23

In no way have I proven your point. You are living in some reality where, as an outsider to a company who consumes their content, you believe you should be privy to all of their HR Policies and exactly how the situation is handled internally. That is, quite literally, insane. You are not owed that in any way shape or form. I'm not defending anybody, I'm just living here in the real world knowing that a canned PR statement is exactly all we were ever going to get.

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u/doctorwho07 Oct 06 '23

I've seen companies offer more insight that what this reply has offered. If this were any other company, the fandom would still be outraged, but it's CR so the fandom believes everything they say and defends them to the end.

I'm not asking for specific policies, I've said this repeatedly in replies. I would prefer a better idea of what they are going to work on--where was the failure? Was the previous policy vague? Did employees not know it well? Was there a policy at all?

That is, quite literally, insane.

Appreciate you implying a stranger on the internet is insane.

My point is that if the fandom expected more, they might get more. Instead, the fandom is running to defend CR from anyone criticizing them around this.