Lindy West:
“I wish I could still listen to those podcasts. I wish I could still follow Ricky Gervais on Twitter. I wish I could bring myself watch Derek (kind of). I mourn that loss. But if there’s one thing I took away from the Office and Extras, it’s the importance of never losing sight of people’s humanity. Even David Brent, the irredeemable, is redeemed, and I always took that as a clarion call for empathy, a challenge to see people more deeply. I hold the media I consume to a higher standard now, because of Ricky Gervais.
”
It's a great article and pretty much sums up my feelings on Gervais.
People make terrible decisions and say awful things. I know I do, but I like to think I learn from them and apologise. When Gervais gets called out on these things (like the 'mong' business and the recent tweet about celebrity nudity referred to in the linked post) I think he knows he's messed up. He sees that he was wrong but like a child cannot admit it and ends up making him look even more like a dick.