# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 257
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5423 "2025-07-15T19:34:22Z")
This is what you claimed: “an independent investigation commissioned by AMC in conjunction with a major law firm found that Dysktra tried to smear Hardwick with unsubstantiated accusations,” The facts available to the public do not remotely support this assertion. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5424 "2025-07-15T19:49:24Z")
I believe this is all we know about that investigation. > **[AMC to reinstate Chris Hardwick to 'Talking Dead'](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-amc-chris-hardwick-20180725-story.html)** > > AMC has announced that it is reinstating host “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick to his network duties following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, effective immediately. > “Following a comprehensive assessment by AMC, working with Ivy Kagan Bierman of the firm Loeb & Loeb, who has considerable experience in this area, Chris Hardwick will return to AMC as the host of ‘Talking Dead’ and ‘Talking with Chris Hardwick,’” read a statement from the network released Tuesday. > > “We take these matters very seriously and given the information available to us after a very careful review, including interviews with numerous individuals, we believe returning Chris to work is the appropriate step.” I haven’t found anything else aside from online speculation on places like Reddit, which don’t mean anything. It sounds like AMC and their team might have reached out to Dykstra but she didn’t want any part of it. > **[Chloe Dykstra Says She “Chose Not to Participate” in Chris Hardwick...](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/chloe-dykstra-says-she-chose-not-participate-chris-hardwick-investigation-1130237/)** > > In a new statement, Chloe Dykstra says that she "chose not to participate" in the investigation of an ex-boyfriend she alleged had emotionally abused and sexually assaulted her in a June essay. The boyfriend is widely believed to be 'Talking Dead'... And that seems to be it. She alleged some things, whatever AMC found wasn’t enough to be a concern, and that was it. Nothing was proven and nobody was exonerated. It’s just an allegation that only resulted in a brief suspension. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5425 "2025-07-15T19:50:45Z")
The facts of the case are that after the article was posted in “Medium”, Hardwick’s career ended. Every aspect of it. It was only after the investigation that it was all restored. An investigation in which Dykstra refused to participate. Do you really expect anyone to believe that Dysktra’s claim that “oh, heavens to Betsy, I never meant to harm his career” has any shred of credibility? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5426 "2025-07-15T19:54:29Z")
I make a point not to cast fact free aspersions or implications on women who have done nothing more than speak about their personal experiences. Maybe you should too? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5427 "2025-07-15T20:02:42Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The facts of the case are that after the article was posted in “Medium”, Hardwick’s career ended. Every aspect of it. It was only after the investigation that it was all restored. An investigation in which Dykstra refused to participate. I think saying his career “ended” is a bit dramatic (and the investigation didn’t take an extremely long time to conclude either), but other than that, this seems like a fair summation. > [@wolfpup](#): > > Do you really expect anyone to believe that Dysktra’s claim that “oh, heavens to Betsy, I never meant to harm his career” has any shred of credibility? I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t care about him either way and just wanted to get it out there. Maybe she _did_ want retaliation after abuse, which I think would be an understandable human reaction if the allegations were true. And it would be smart for her to deny it even if she did mean to hurt him, because I’m sure she’s already received plenty of threats. Maybe what she said was a lie. I really don’t know, because we don’t know what AMC found in the investigation. I do agree with @iiandyiiii that attacking a woman for speaking out when there is no evidence that she was being dishonest is pretty reprehensible. It’s a difficult thing for anyone to do, and unless we have proof that she lied (I’m sure we’ll never know either way), it just shows other women that they better keep their mouths shut or they’ll also get attacked for daring to speak up. Also, full disclosure, I’m something of a Chris Hardwick fan. I’ve probably watched every _Talking Dead_ episode and I’ve even seen him live doing standup. So if I have a bias, it would be an inclination to defend him. Yet, it seems unfair to attack the person who accused him without knowing if those allegations are lies. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5428 "2025-07-15T20:07:52Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Been drinking a little tonight? So, your response to ‘your fly is open’ is to drop trou and really show your (you’re an) ass, interesting. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5429 "2025-07-15T20:16:00Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The facts of the case are that after the article was posted in “Medium”, Hardwick’s career ended. .. for all of a month. Some ending. Dramatic much? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5430 "2025-07-15T20:30:59Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > it just shows other women that they better keep their mouths shut or they’ll also get attacked for daring to speak up. And there’s plenty of that around. A friend told me that his cousin said privately that she was also sexually abused by judge Kavanaugh. But she knew that speaking up would destroy her life. So she didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5431 "2025-07-15T20:44:22Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But she knew that speaking up would destroy her life. So she didn’t. Sometimes the world just fucking sucks. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5432 "2025-07-15T20:51:34Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And there’s plenty of that around. A friend told me that his cousin said privately that she was also sexually abused by judge Kavanaugh. But she knew that speaking up would destroy her life. So she didn’t > [@Atamasama](#): > > Sometimes the world just fucking sucks Oh, yes, there’s a poster here who’s still convinced that Anita Hill is a liar because Hill didn’t seem upset enough when she testified about Clarence Thomas - clearly she’s a scorned woman out for revenge. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5433 "2025-07-15T20:54:54Z")
Depressing; and even more so that I can sympathize with why she stayed silent. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5434 "2025-07-15T21:55:10Z")
I finally had to put Der\_Thris on ignore. His judgement on how parents grieve the loss of their children, or rather MAGA parents don’t is absolutely repugnant and the ultimate in ignorance. Interestingly enogh the other person in that thread doing that is Czarcasm who I also have on ignore but not for that reason. I was simply tired of his disinginuous way of badgering posters with questions while refusing to answer any, ignoring when he was caught being wrong and when presented with obvious facts countering with, “Cites? Prove it.” Look I know many of you here don’t like me and that’s OK when I know that as much of a jerk I can be, I don’t come remotely close the the depths of being an asshole those two can reach. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5435 "2025-07-15T22:00:25Z")
The haters gonna hate. Always. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5436 "2025-07-15T22:26:31Z")
St,Cad, I see nothing unlikable about your posts, but then I don’t read all of them. There are many posters here who nobody dislikes. They are fun to read and don’t argue constantly, claim they are never wrong ( I could be wrong). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5437 "2025-07-15T22:55:53Z")
CC made it sound like someone actually said that God drowned those camp kids in Texas, but the first line of the OP was: > [@Just curious how drowning a bunch of kids can be considered God's will](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-curious-how-drowning-a-bunch-of-kids-can-be-considered-gods-will/1020860/1): > > So, I presume the folks who ran that camp in Texas are trying to figure out how it was that God saw fit to drown a bunch of little kids. I replied: > So, no one’s actually said this… you just PRESUMED it, and presumed it often enough and strong enough that you just had to start a thread that implied that someone actually said it. Someone called it “Manufactured Outrage”… I’d call it unresolved issues that we have to deal with because CC hasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5438 "2025-07-15T23:30:36Z")
I said “Manufactured outrage” No one that matters has said “these kids drowned because god willed it” And I’ve looked. The only ones “outraged” are YouTubers. I don’t know Reddit or X or Facebook. If its being said there, I wouldn’t know and don’t care to find out. Either way its fake. Along with all those T&Ps handed out like beads at a parade. Worthless. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5439 "2025-07-15T23:34:59Z")
People it’s fake because the people that did say it do not matter! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5440 "2025-07-15T23:38:33Z")
> [@digs](#): > > CC hasn’t. CC hasn’t even come back to the thread. Posters who create threads with inflammatory OPs then don’t return are usually trolls. I don’t care if CC has been around for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5441 "2025-07-15T23:53:50Z")
They don’t matter. They are the scourge of social media. Trolls. If Trump said it out loud, yeah I’d be particularly enraged. It may happen, but as far as I can tell it has not. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/5442 "2025-07-16T01:23:46Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@digs](#): > > > > CC hasn’t. > > CC hasn’t even come back to the thread. > > Posters who create threads with inflammatory OPs then don’t return are usually trolls. > > I don’t care if CC has been around for a long time. Minor disagreement - if a poster creates an inflammatory thread in most forums (especially FQ, P&E, GD) and never comes back, I’d generally agree. Even in CS, MPSIMS and IMHO, I’d still _mostly_ agree. But the Pit? Sometimes someone just wants to get a rant out of their system, and then they’re done with it, or regret bringing it up and hope it just goes away. It’s still not a _good_ look, but may not be _trolling_. And of course, you were careful to add an (accurate!) qualifier of “usually”. So you’re still good! Speaking _only_ as a Poster, not as a Mod. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=256) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=258)