Lena Dunham is that friend we all have who says the first thing that pops into their head with not a lot of self-editing, and that's why we love her. It also gets her into trouble.
In an interview conducted by Girls showrunner Jenni Konner in Time Out New York, Dunham was asked how she felt about filmmaker (and Girls producer) Judd Apatow calling out Bill Cosby on Twitter for the allegations of rape and assault that swirl around him, and if she felt he was "obsessed."
"It's sort of like saying someone's obsessed with the Holocaust," Dunham said. "It's not 'I'm so angry about Hulk Hogan's sex tape.' This is a huge issue, and it speaks to the way that we abuse power and the way that celebrity allows for injustice. Everyone else has gone, 'Let's hope it's not true.' Chris Rock, who's an incredible guy and who has a strong sense of social justice, has basically said, 'We'll see.'"
Dunham's making a strong statement here: We tend to look the other way and give powerful men a free pass to abuse that power, and often discredit the women making claims against them. It is a huge problem, and comparing suffering is never an easy analogy to make. But it's troublesome to draw lines to mass genocide.
Presumably realizing her mistake, Lena posted an Instagram image of her Time Out cover with a brief message. "I'm already aware comparing Bill Cosby to the Holocaust wasn't my best analogy. With Love from your special rape-hating Jew friend LENA."
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