The Disturbing Secret Behind An Iconic Cartoon

This is an incredible piece of journalism by Ariane Lange at BuzzFeed:

Old letters, emails, and transcripts of AOL conversations between the women and Kricfalusi back up many of their claims. They each have witnesses to parts of their stories. Yet both women worried that they sounded “crazy.” For years, they chose to keep their experiences private, because coming forward didn’t seem like it was worth the risk. Rice feared retribution from his many supporters. Neither woman thought they’d be taken seriously.

It’s sad to realize the creator of something I like is a scum bag. Ren & Stimpy was a joy for me in the 90’s. I attended many of the Spike and Mike animation festivals as a kid and Ren & Stimpy making it into the mainstream validated my nerd-love for this new kind of art. But, now I can’t share the show with my kid because Kricfalusi doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t deserve to be part of her story. He doesn’t deserve to be an icon.

Now they believe the world has changed. Byrd feels the time has come for Kricfalusi to be held accountable, particularly, she said, after the police told her in December that Kricfalusi’s alleged crimes against her were too old to investigate. “He shouldn’t be able to get away with that,” she said.

I’ve wanted to write about this awakening in American society all year. I always pull back for two reasons: As a white man, it’s not about me. I’ve also said things as a stupid young white man that were crappy and insensitive. I have no standing.

It’s satisfying to see the world change for the better in a time that feels so dark. My hope is that other young stupid people see what’s happening as a long overdue correction and recalibrate their internal dialog to match. I believe it’s important to discuss what has been hidden so we can all share in this new moral compass.