# Robin Williams was a groper **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976 "2018-03-21T17:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/81 "2018-03-25T15:48:56Z")
Everybody else is emotionally crippled but not me. I’m fine. :nervous laugh: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/82 "2018-03-25T19:03:56Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Anybody who was actually around and female in that era knows that there was a lot of pressure on women to **treat** harassment as though it were harmless fun, but that doesn’t mean that they necessarily enjoyed it. > . When you are joking around of the set with _Robin fucking Williams,_ and you SAY you enjoyed it, then maybe, possibly you were having fun, no? Or was that badwrongfun? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/83 "2018-03-25T22:50:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > When you are joking around of the set with _Robin fucking Williams,_ and you SAY you enjoyed it, then maybe, possibly you were having fun, no? Sure. Like **astorian** , you seem inexplicably fixated on trying to argue with me about a claim I haven’t actually made. I haven’t seen anybody in this thread claiming that Pam Dawber was lying or mistaken when she said she enjoyed Williams’ sexual joking, and I’m certainly not making any such claim. But the crucial part there is that Dawber said that she enjoyed the joking. Not the fact that the joker happened to be “_Robin fucking Williams_”, or any similar star-struck credulous assumption that because the joker was somebody famous and funny then obviously whatever he did must have been okay. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/84 "2018-03-25T23:48:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Sure. Like **astorian** , you seem inexplicably fixated on trying to argue with me about a claim I haven’t actually made. > > I haven’t seen anybody in this thread claiming that Pam Dawber was lying or mistaken when she said she enjoyed Williams’ sexual joking, and I’m certainly not making any such claim. > > But the crucial part there is that Dawber said that she enjoyed the joking. Not the fact that the joker happened to be “_Robin fucking Williams_”, or any similar star-struck credulous assumption that because the joker was somebody famous and funny then obviously whatever he did must have been okay. :rolleyes: If so, what is your point? My point is that Robin wasnt a "groper’ he was a funny man who did funny things and Pam thought those things were OK. So exactly what\* is\* your point here? Are you talking about the general issue? If so, that’s really Great Debates time. What we are talking about is Robin Fucking Williams and what he did. And what he did wasn’t wrong, wasnt sexual harassment, and wasnt “groping” as we consider it today. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/85 "2018-03-26T01:54:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If so, what is your point? My point is that Robin wasnt a "groper’ he was a funny man who did funny things and Pam thought those things were OK. So exactly what\* is\* your point here? Have you read the whole thread? I didn’t start any of these subjects that I’ve posted on in this thread: I replied, first to posts by **aceplace57** and **astorian** , and then to posts by others who in some cases seem to have misunderstood my replies to **aceplace57** and **astorian**. If you want to know what the “point” is of discussing any of these subjects in this thread, ask the people who originally brought them up. If you’re just junior-modding with complaints that posters in this thread shouldn’t be discussing anything except the behavior of Robin Williams, well, thank you for your input and it has been duly noted. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/86 "2018-03-26T22:26:56Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > One of the things we’re learning nowadays is that many women who “seemed to love” the harassing behavior of certain men who had power over their careers did not actually love it as much as they seemed to. Who’da thunk, right? There were plenty of plantation owners who were shocked in the latter part of the Civil War when the American Army passed by and their slaves ran off to follow them. The shock was because the owners had “known” that their slaves were happy on the plantation. They never complained and if you asked them, they always assured their owners that they loved the plantation. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/87 "2018-03-27T01:08:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If so, what is your point? My point is that Robin wasnt a "groper’ he was a funny man who did funny things and Pam thought those things were OK. So exactly what\* is\* your point here? > > Are you talking about the general issue? If so, that’s really Great Debates time. What we are talking about is Robin Fucking Williams and what he did. And what he did wasn’t wrong, wasnt sexual harassment, and wasnt “groping” as we consider it today. As per Mod instructions, my reply to your post is [in this thread in The Pit.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20868438#post20868438) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/88 "2018-03-27T02:44:45Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > As per Mod instructions, my reply to your post is [in this thread in The Pit.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20868438#post20868438) Here’s the story: > **[Robin Williams’ co-star never took offense at his groping](https://pagesix.com/2018/03/21/robin-williams-co-star-never-took-offense-to-his-groping/)** > > “I had the grossest things done to me by him,” the late comedian’s “Mork & Mindy” co-star Pam Dawber said. “And I never took offense.” Show me where Pam said she minded, or was offended. Or needed “prior consent” (which, you never know she may well have given.) - “I had the grossest things done to me by him,” Pam Dawber told New York Times writer David Itzkoff (via The Daily Mail). “And I never took offense. I mean I was flashed, humped, bumped, grabbed. I think he probably did it to a lot of people … but it was so much fun.”\* I dont go to the PIT. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/89 "2018-03-27T02:56:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ve said this before, but will repeat myself. > > At EVERY job I’ve ever held, there’s been a guy who talks trash, drops sexual innuendo, and mock-molests women. In EVERY case, the women seemed to love it. They all laughed hysterically, and none ever complained. > > If I had ever attempted anything similar, every one of those women would have kicked me in the shin, complained to the boss, and gotten me fired. > > Is there a lesson? Well, SOME guys can do that kind of thing and come off as charming or funny. MOST of us would just seem creepy if we did it. > > Apparently, Robin Williams was the kind of guy who could show his schlong to a nun and make her laugh., rather than offend her. Very few of us can do that. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And there’s these guys who never have to work. But they always have money. > > They just go out on the street or into a business and point a gun at somebody. And then those people just hand them money. > > How is that fair? I have to go to work every day for hours and hours to get some money. And these guys just have people giving them money. > [@astorian](#): > > You think I was complaining? You think I WANT to expose myself to co-workers? Guess again! > > Most of us have no desire to talk trash, reveal our privates, or proposition female colleagues. I sure don’t. But even if I WERE ever tempted to do so, I know dang well it wouldn’t come across as charming or playful. It would come across as creepy, and I KNOW it. > > There are guys who can talk dirty and get away with it, but most of us can’t. The guys who can’t should KNOW they can’t, or they’ll get in big trouble. > > If the average guy talks dirty, female colleagues think “What a jerk.” A select few guys can unzip their flies, and everyone will say, “Oh, that’s just Bob.” You seem to be implying there are two different standards. That it’s okay when some men do this but it’s not okay when other men do it. That’s not true. It’s always wrong. It always has been wrong. But some men got away with doing wrong because of their power. That was my point. If you point a gun at somebody and tell them to give you your wallet, they probably will do it and you’ll walk away with their money. But the lesson isn’t “How come it’s okay to take somebody’s money when you have a gun but it’s not okay when you’re unarmed?” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/90 "2018-03-27T04:19:47Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > As per Mod instructions, my reply to your post is [in this thread in The Pit.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20868438#post20868438) What you seem to be saying is that Ms Dawber isnt allowed free will, that she should refrain from enjoying and having fun in activities that to are badwrongfun. You know telling woman that they arent allowed to enjoy certain activities is also male harassment. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/91 "2018-03-27T14:00:53Z")
It’s always wrong to do these things without the other person’s consent. But some guys have a lot easier time getting consent than others. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/92 "2018-03-27T18:07:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s always wrong to do these things without the other person’s consent. But some guys have a lot easier time getting consent than others. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/93 "2018-03-27T19:12:06Z")
\<\ I keep parsing this thread’s title as “Robin Williams was a grouper”. As a result, I keep picturing him as a large fish. ---
**Author:** ![Just1Lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Just1Lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just1Lurk)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/94 "2018-03-27T23:08:02Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > \<\ > > I keep parsing this thread’s title as “Robin Williams was a grouper”. > > As a result, I keep picturing him as a large fish. And if you had told him that, he’d have given you 10 minutes of comedy gold. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976/95 "2018-03-28T01:10:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What you seem to be saying is that Ms Dawber isnt allowed free will, that she should refrain from enjoying and having fun in activities that to are badwrongfun. You know telling woman that they arent allowed to enjoy certain activities is also male harassment. No, s/he is saying that women do not always feel free to express displeasure. But \*\*I will \*\*go on public record as saying women should not engage in or promote inappropriate contact in the work place, whether they enjoy it or not. I have no doubt that Mr. Williams was very entertaining on set. I can believe Ms. Dawber found him entertaining. But … that (total imaginary) little 18 year old production assistant that got flashed and grabbed? Maybe not. S/he’s the one I worried about. Because no one, including Ms. Dawber, seems to have said, “Hey, Robin? The line?” and pointed two feet behind him, as I had to do at times. Or told the [imaginary] PA, “You know, **I** can complain about a hostile work environment because of the way **you** are being treated. … No, I know you’re not offended, but I still might, if it gets worse, because it is unprofessional.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-was-a-groper/810976.md?page=4)