Thread by @onlxn

the coordinated push to rehabilitate Chris Hardwick is one of the scummiest things I've ever seen. let's just quickly review

this is Dykstra's essay. definitely merits a trigger warning, but if you're okay w/ that I'd recommend reading it. it's disturbing and detailed and concrete and coherent. notably Dykstra takes pains to point out mistakes SHE made as well medium.com/@skydart/rose-…

we can caveat things all we like: memories can be faulty, people can exaggerate certain details, etc. but on a basic level you either believe Dysktra's claim that Hardwick was a cruel and abusive boyfriend or you don't. if you don't, here's what you have to believe:

1) you have to believe that Dykstra made up an incredibly vivid and specific story to hurt her ex-boyfriend, a story that would not help her career one bit and would engender the widespread nerddom contempt she's currently getting

2) you have to believe that she planted the seeds of this fake story SIX MONTHS EARLIER on Reddit, in this thread where she describes how scared she is to out her abuser reddit.com/r/TrollXChromo…

3) you have to believe that Hardwick, despite almost infinite financial resources, has a PR team so inept that they forgot to dispute any specific claim in Dykstra's account, opting instead for the weaselly unfalsifiable "accusing me of conduct that did not occur"

4) you have to believe that Hardwick, despite twenty years of savvy navigation through the entertainment industry, couldn't think of a better place to leak texts than the outlet that famously carries water for Harvey Weinstein and literally DONALD TRUMP tmz.com/2018/06/19/chr…

5) you have to believe that Hardwick's texts demonstrate her dishonesty, despite the fact that they CORROBORATE Dykstra's account that she cheated on him and he was gracious during the breakup

essentially there are two possibilities here:
1) Dykstra is telling the truth, so Hardwick can't convincingly rebut her
2) Dykstra is a "Hand That Rocks The Cradle"-esque diabolical supervillain and Hardwick has happened to slip on eighteen straight banana peels

Hardwick's exes have said he was nice to them. I'm glad! is it possible that a guy would treat a less-famous partner 17 years younger than him differently than he'd treated partners that were roughly as old and famous as him? absolutely. come on. of course it is

they're not all going to be Harvey Weinstein! it's easy to #BelieveWomen when there's 30 of them... more often there's just going to be one. I don't know Dykstra but I don't see why she'd make all this up, or why Hardwick would react this way if she had. I believe Chloe Dykstra