As everyone who is on social media knows by now, slowthai hit the headlines for groping Comedian Katherine Ryan onstage and starting a fight with the audience at the NME Awards on Tuesday. He was awarded Hero of the Year for his ground-breaking sincere political debut album, Nothing Great About Britain, making this news headline ironic as he promotes equality whilst actively harassing a woman.
Katherine Ryan handled the situation amazingly, but the point is she shouldn’t have to; the idea that his behaviour was caused by a drunken spree does not make it okay, and slowthai doing this on a global stage can hopefully give more people an insight into what some women deal with on a daily basis.
Ryan has commented on Twitter proclaiming she wasn’t uncomfortable with the situation as she handled it the way any comedian would do, and though she wasn’t made to be uncomfortable many women in the country have dealt with a similar issue and it has effected them on a much wider scale.
The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy commented on the event during their live performance at the NME Awards saying “Everyone, send your thoughts to slowthai, f*** knows where he is, but god bless the boy… f****** nightmare”. The atmosphere of the awards after was apparently uncomfortable and awkward, and although we all felt uncomfortable watching the footage of slowthai groping and using sexual language towards Ryan we should know by now that this happens often, and will continue to be uncomfortable. Hopefully seeing this can promote society to change the way we view such events and maybe he and many other men (and women) can think about their behaviour before acting in such a way.
He didn’t make me uncomfortable.
This is why we need women in positions of power. I knew he had lost from the moment he opened his mouth like any heckler coming up against a COMIC – not a woman – a COMIC. I was operating 2/10. What a sweet boy. I defused it.
Tonight was fun! ❤️ https://t.co/BBMPZpIvhy— Katherine Ryan (@Kathbum) February 13, 2020
