Weed Scandal Aftermath - Part 7 - LouisLouisLouisLou Why?

[cujoy]

I’m just wondering now. I’m sitting here in Peru wondering will this come back to me? Who knows? Maybe, maybe not.  <---  Louis Tomlinson's most amusing quote from the Weed Video

 <-- More innocent days.


As I sat down to write this post, I realized that it is the hardest one to write. That video is really unpleasant to watch. And though Louis is not the main focus of the camera, he was the instigator of it, and it is mostly his voice that is heard.

Here is a sample of some of the sparkling dialog:

Louis: ‘That’s the police. That’s the po po… Nice. I’m trying to blow it into the camera. Smokescreen baby!… That’s just Zayn warming up there before the show. Zayn takes his job very seriously. He makes sure he goes through a two-hour intense warm up regime before every show, just to get himself in the zone. One very, very important factor to Zayn’s warm up, of course is Mary Jane herself. In fact I’m presenting it to him now for some fantastic singing

Louis: How is it Zayn?

Zayn: Nice

Louis: That’s the po po. One nil

Louis starts filming out the window

Louis: Get a bit of the culture. How’s that kind of culture?

Zayn: It’s great culture this. It’s going to be even greater culture when we get to Jamaica

Member of crew: I just got an update. We got chicken in Chile

Zayn: Chicken in Chile! Chile chicken

Louis: Yeh baby. That’s the po po. Two nil

Louis puts on an exaggerated dopey voice and sways the camera around

Louis: F***ing ‘ell bro, I’m chillin. Oh my God bro. My ‘ed’s a wreck

Louis: It’s green only! N**!

*****

Louis made a lot of mistakes the morning he decided to record himself and Zayn doing what they do. The video doesn't paint a picture of two guys living the high life. It paints two guys in a cramped van surrounded by security and trying to make the best of a claustrophobic existence. (The opposite of what One Direction is supposed to be.) But the words he speaks and the attitude he exhibits, are horrendous. Both guys seem very, very unhappy.

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So, in that light, every fan has a quandary. To forgive or not forgive? Louis crossed a LOT of lines in that video. We're talking one of Fandom's third rails with the N-word. Given that truth, I'm going to say something some might take as controversial. I do not believe that Louis is a racist because he said that word, or that saying that word makes him one.

I believe that Context matters. I believe that Intent matters.

I know a lot of Fandom disagrees with that. They would say that appearance or reality is reality. But that is bullshit. There must always be room for forgiveness, because without it, there can be no tolerance. And also because it trivializes actual offense when it is clear and intended.

I know that Louis fucked up. I'm not happy about it. But I know the context of the situation (Louis knows and works with rap musicians, he admires them, and he was emulating them.) I also know the intent. Louis was not using the word in a derogatory way. He was not using it as in insult, or to characterize anyone in a negative light. He was using it in a very uncalculated, unfortunately casual way.

I see this, and can make my own judgment call on it. Therefore, though I am frowning and waving my finger at Louis for his thoughtless attitude, I can and will let this instance go. That will change if new evidence turns up.

If others see it differently, so be it. But this is my view.

But Louis, consider yourself on a short leash.
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Sorry for the heavy start to this post. But I wasn't comfortable talking about Redemption for Louis until I first covered the issue of how to forgive him, given how angry the fandom is at him, and how sensitive this topic is. I'm scared I'm going to get angry comments just for speaking on the subject. Forgiveness and fandom don't mesh very well.
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So, with that out of the way, onto the Rehabilitation of Louis Tomlinson.

With Zayn, we had a natural starting point: Young Love. And hey! Louis has a girlfriend too. And he's been dating her for three years! Yay!

 <--- Meet the lovely Eleanor Calder. Fandom ship name is Elounor.

So, surely in the wake of the scandal, there must be some new pictures of the happy couple. Because pictures of Louis with his girlfriend would certainly be a delightful image. And Eleanor did attended the 1D concert in Manchester, (where, she like, actually lives;) And she and Louis stayed in the same hotel that Sophiam did. Remember them?

 <-- Liam Payne and Sophia Smith (Sophiam) leaving the hotel together looking happy and cute.

Oh, and here's Eleanor leaving the hotel;

 <---Ummm. Louis? Where are you, man??  It looks like you made her do a walk of shame.  Seriously?

So, maybe there are some nice quotes about this couple in some articles. Wait, she's going to be on the tour with him as his MINDER?? they're calling Louis' GF his MINDER??? Oy.


How about this? Wait, now it's back to LONG DISTANCE?? He says he's deliriously happy with the relationship. But no new pictures?

I'm getting a sense that there is a lot of telling in this relationship, but not so much with the showing. Just saying. YMMV.

Truth be told, there have only been two photos of this couple together in all of 2014. Here is one of them:

 <--- They took a Ski Trip in January. Other than that, there was a blurry picture of the two of them at the Britt Awards...

Not seeing an abundance of good PR material here. :(

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So then, lets try something else. How are things going in LARRY Land? Larry (Louis/Harry) is the ship name for the biggest ship in all of 1D Fandom. And Louis has the good fortune to be half of it.

And Remember, Zayn got a nice ZIAM hug, right up on stage at Wembley arena in front of 90,000 people.

 <-- You can feel the forgiveness.

Louis is half of the only ship in all of 1D fandom that is bigger and more popular than Ziam. So surely we can get some nice redeeming Larry moments that ooze forgiveness too. A huge block of fans will LOVE that and forget all about any scandalous things that might be going on.

 <-- Crickets

Well, that’s too bad.

So, neither of Louis' ships, whether they are real or imagined, are yielding much at the moment. :(



But there was a nice LILO hug. There's that at least.




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There must be some good news, somewhere for Louis.

Well, as it turns out, there is! Remember how Louis is a huge football fan. (That's soccer so as not to confuse my fellow Americans...;)

He participated in a lovely charity match with his hometown team, the Doncaster Rovers earlier this year.





Clearly he has a real love for the Doncaster Rovers. And today he proved it by... BUYING THE TEAM!


 <-- Pictured here with new business partner John Ryan, who once employed him as a waiter. John Ryan admits they are on "opposite sides of the age range".

Watch on YouTube

Here's the video of his press conference today, announcing the purchase. He looks really HAPPY. Trust me, this video is a lot better than his last one. ;)




What an opportunity, to be 22 years old and a sports entrepreneur. Perhaps he's already planning for his post 1D life?*


 



Funny how the wheel of fortune turns. So, looks like he's back on track. And don't you feel better giving someone a chance, instead of, you know, just writing him off?

Happy Days!

I think I have one more post left to wrap all this up. All about Rays of Sunshine...

*Update - Yes, in case you are wondering, that deal later fell through.  But it was a nice thought.  Louis is still a devoted fan of the Doncaster Rovers.