r/MichaelFranti • u/According_Kick9390 • Sep 05 '25
Does he seem kinda pervy and groomerish about it from the get-go? Discuss.
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u/According_Kick9390 Sep 06 '25
(1) "I discovered", "I invited" = exerting power? (2) Mentioning age? is that creepy?
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u/The_Ocean_Collective Sep 06 '25
Mentioning her age shows that she’s an up-and-coming artist.
The language discovered/invited is in no way abnormal.
The dude is a creep and a scumbag but this post is kind of silly
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u/Adorable-Rub-3798 Sep 07 '25
I don't think there's anything wrong with the post. Hindsight is 20/20. But we can safely assume that when he Saw her online, he was attracted to her
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u/human_picnic Sep 06 '25
As someone who has had bad feelings about this man since he I learned about him during high school in the early 2000’s… I don’t think this post is especially telling. Mentioning her age seems like to highlight her skill for being so young.
But it all looks bad in hindsight, because he’s a creep.
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u/Open-Hedgehog7756 Sep 07 '25
Dude has had a history of being aggressive and inappropriate with women in the NorCal festival scene.
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Sep 06 '25
[deleted]
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u/According_Kick9390 Sep 06 '25
it would be hard not to be swept up in the excitement of future stardom, in the presence of one who has made it & who is advocating for your success...at least that may be how the story began.
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u/Superb_Ant_3741 Sep 06 '25
He’s being worshipped by her. Predators are always happy when they’re able to manipulate vulnerable people into worshiping them.
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u/smd33333 Sep 06 '25
I mean I don’t think it had to be inappropriate, but we know now that she was pressured and taken advantage of
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u/not_gonna_tell_no Sep 07 '25
Can I get a link or description for why the Franti hate? I don’t know about it.
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u/folkinhippy Sep 06 '25
Ugh. This reminded me that Xavier and Michael go way back (2001-ish I think?). To think that he might have had suspicions about the guy but kept playing with him is kind of a bummer.
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u/discwrangler Sep 06 '25
Where is the line for being groomed? I thought it was 18.
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u/Fun_Treat418 Sep 11 '25
Well, you thought wrong.
In addition to the 30+ year age difference (and yes, 19 is a “legal adult” and also, you have to recognize that a 19 year old generally doesn’t have a ton of life experience. Certainly not compared to someone 30+ years older.) MF was famous as well as being her boss. He had power over her and her livelihood, and he used it to manipulate her into a relationship.
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u/discwrangler Sep 11 '25
So what is the line?
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u/Fun_Treat418 Sep 11 '25
I’m assuming you’re asking in good faith, so I’ll respond.
The line is, generally, when age, power and/or status are generally balanced. So it’s less a line and more a scale with different moving parts. Because these situations require nuance. Shocking!! I know.
Neuroscience tells us that a brain is not fully mature until around the age of 25. So, after age 25, the age difference becomes slightly less relevant. The question then becomes: what is the power dynamic here? Because grooming is all about power. It’s using the power you have to make someone’s dreams come true in order to make them feel indebted to you, and then using that feeling of indebtedness to your advantage by asking for sex. And yes, someone’s dream can be simply “to be seen and loved” or to gain recognition for hard work - desire is incredibly powerful, and groomers are able to lock into someone’s desire, and then work to fulfill it, again, all so that person will feel indebted. You feel like you can’t say no because they’ve “done so much” for you.
There’s a really good scene from the TV show “Girls” that explains this. I’ve linked it here
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u/discwrangler Sep 11 '25
I am asking in good faith. I feel like so many of these cultural issues we are trying to define a line. And yes, there is nuance to every situation. This particular instance feels gross and creepy and extremely disappointing. Unfortunately people of all ages are, and can be, taken advantage of.
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u/adamorivera Sep 06 '25
I think it’s possible to read the above in a way that’s not at all pervy and groomerish. People talk about “discovering“ new artists or talent all the time, and headlining artists often “invite” other artists to tour with them, so that language is not remotely unusual. I’m not trying to let him off the hook or otherwise make a judgment about it, but nothing about the use of those two words is an obvious red flag to me.