Author’s Note: Some of the feedback received on this article has suggested that I am drawing an equivalence to the actions of Louis CK and James Gunn. I am not drawing an equivalence and that is not the point of the article (I imagine it’s a criticism of only reading the title – which is now changed – as I also group my own behavior in as well). The examples are there only to examine whether one can ever redeem themselves and when and why we should forgive rather than seek retribution. If anything, they are meant to be juxtaposed as many feel the response to Gunn was unfair, while the backlash to Louis CK was reasonable.

Last year ago, I received a seemingly random text message from a friend. It read: “Do you still remember your ICQ ID and Password?”

ICQ was one of, if not, the first big online messaging platforms, predating MSN messenger, and utilized about 20 years ago, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I was in high school at the time. The reason for this odd, cryptic message was that he had recently re-downloaded ICQ and was looking at everyone’s old profile and thought I should see what I had written. Amazingly, I did remember both my login ID and password and it was an easy process to get back my account.

What I saw – horrified me. It was plastered with homophobic messages such as my phone number: 1800-Your-Gay [Sic], my Country: URGAY, and so on.

Looking at this old profile filled me with a surreal out-of-body-like experience. On the one hand, I remembered writing it; on the other hand, I had this feeling that the person who wrote it wasn’t me.

It was almost as if someone else had hijacked my body and wrote those things.

I had grown and changed since then. I had been the first person in my friend circle to advocate for not using gay as a synonym for stupid; condemning others for using it (often at the expense of being ridiculed myself), I had worked with and assisted pro-LGBTQ groups, and I have happily accompanied friends to Pride and gay bars. I could no longer even intuit those homophobic ideas.

On the one hand, I remembered writing it; on the other hand, I had this feeling that the person who wrote it wasn’t me.

However, it made me think – what if someone else came across this old relic of my past. Could they use it to smear me? Would the defense: ‘it was a long time ago, I’ve changed since then, It’s horrible, and I’m sorry’ be an adequate response? Or would I face retribution from these past actions? Should I?

A little while later, the ‘#Metoo’ movement began and Louis CK was one of the first people to have his transgressions brought into the limelight and his production deal with FX was cancelled. What struck me is that these events dated back to 2003-2005. From what I can gather, Louis CK has not engaged in any similar acts since then, and his comedy is often highly supportive of women and women’s issues. His apology admitted to the wrong-doing and did not make excuses. Everything about Louis CK suggests he has changed[1][2]

Any yet the defense that it was a long time ago, he’s changed since then, and that he agrees it is horrible and he’s sorry was not an adequate response. Louis CK faced retribution for these past actions. Should he?

A new story involving James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy, has followed a similar arc. Old tweets of his, dating from around 2009-2012, joking about paedophilia, rape, AIDS, and molestation have come to light and he was promptly fired by Disney. Like Louis CK, these actions have stopped. James Gunn even explicitly noted this in his apology – that he has changed and developed.

Any yet the defense that it was a long time ago, he’s changed since then, and he agrees it is horrible, and that he’s sorry was not an adequate response. James Gunn faced retribution for these past actions. Should he?

These events remind me of the philosophical problem known as ‘The Ship of Theseus ’:

First, suppose that the famous ship sailed by the hero Theseus in a great battle has been kept in a harbour as a museum piece. As the years go by some of the wooden parts begin to rot and are replaced by new ones. After a century or so, all of the parts have been replaced. Is the “restored” ship still the same object as the original? Second, suppose that each of the removed pieces were stored in a warehouse, and after the century, technology develops to cure their rotting and enable them to be put back together to make a ship. Is this “reconstructed” ship the original ship? And if so, is the restored ship in the harbour still the original ship too?

Whatever your answer, the problem draws attention to how we think and conceptualize of identity. Like the ship, we are all changing and are not the same people we once were. And yet, we are inconsistent in how we think of this change. Virtually no-one (I assume) would condemn a 25 year old for something they said or did when they were 5 years old. But should we condemn a 45 year old for something said or did when they were 25? Is there an age when one’s self becomes crystalized and all actions deserve to be punished? Is there an amount of time that can pass before it reaches the statute of limitations in public opinion? Does the length of time affect the magnitude of the punishment?

Similarly, this sort of condemnation flies in the face of any sort of rehabilitative justice. If we are to be held responsible for our acts forever, then is there any room for redemption or forgiveness? Why let people out of prison, if they are forever a criminal? Why trust someone with a licence if they have been caught speeding? Do we really need punishment and retribution for every wrong doing – and if so why? What’s the goal?

Sometimes punishment is important. It protects society from the worst offenders, serves as a deterrent to others, and hopefully can act as a process of rehabilitation. Other times, it serves only the motive of retribution.

Ultimately, we’ve all done or said some shitty things in our lives. But we learn from those things. We feel remorse and shame. Develop empathy. We grow and change.

Should we all be judged indefinitely for the worst things we’ve ever done or said? If so, then we are all guilty and we all deserve to be punished accordingly.

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[1] I received some feedback which has made me rethink the use of Louis CK as an example. The poster pointed me to the fact that he had denied the allegations in the past, rather than admitting to them and trying to make amends. Ultimately, this throws into question, the extent to which he was truly apologetic or truly has changed. Although I take the fact that the latest allegations were 13 years ago (2005) as evidence for the change, I do grant that his denial is wrong and troubling.