It's a good week to have brought up the private-lives-of-public-people topic (see post below). But any given week might be the right week. I'd been meaning to broach the topic weeks, maybe months ago, but hadn't gotten around to it until an actor's arrest for DUI this week reminded me of the general issue. Now Isaiah Washington isn't coming back next year to "Grey's Anatomy," and Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak brings up the questions sparked by "Isaiah-gate" over at the magazine's Popwatch blog.
I don't watch "Grey's" regularly, and this year not really at all, so I can't say how it would affect me as a viewer. As a person in the workplace, I think some situations depend on the individuals involved. If they come to a resolution and the offended parties are OK with the offending person keeping his job, then that seems like the way to go. But, then, some language strikes me as obviously fire-worthy, such as the word Washington used. What do you think?
Friday, June 8, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
private lives, public people
Does it matter to you what stars do in their personal lives?
Drinking and driving.
Using racist or anti-gay slurs.
Cheating on their spouses.
Calling their kids derogatory names.
Going to jail for rape or murder.
Smoking pot.
How about if they hold different beliefs than yours about homosexuality, abortion, God, politics, etc.?
I can think of celebrities who have done, or been accused of doing, the things listed up above. Some continue to have successful careers, sometimes with very little public attention to their off-screen actions. Others haven't held up so well. As a society, we're fond of the backlash and we like to get riled up about what strangers who happen to be famous do. But we're also pretty sick of the Adventures of Lindsay Lohan by now, aren't we? Aren't we?
With Lindsay, though, it's more like watching someone with promise and talent waste herself on bad choices. She hasn't directly hurt other people so much as she's hurting herself, as far as we can see. Sometimes bad choices are something we immediately regret and are embarrassed to have made. Most of us don't have cameras on us when we do and say stupid things.
Sometimes bad choices are part of our lifestyle, and once we've begun the slide it's hard to stop. Being rich, catered to and famous isn't necessary conducive to being a healthy, grounded person. Not that being famous is an excuse; fame just doesn't insulate people from the pain of public scrutiny, or from doing stupid things you'll regret 5 seconds from now.
So, where do you draw the line? Once someone is labeled a child molester or is arrested for possession of child pornography, it's hard to listen to their songs anymore without feeling yucky inside. O.J. Simpson is pretty much tainted forever by public perception that he killed his ex-wife and Ronald Goldman. Mike Tyson has found work, though, since serving time for a rape conviction.
And then there's the lifestyle stuff. Do you listen to music written and recorded by people who believe in things that are very different than what you believe in? Did you stop listening to the Dixie Chicks after the "we're ashamed the president's from Texas" business? Do you avoid celebrities who stand up for causes — be it about the war, the poor or AIDS in Africa — because you're sick of them? Or do you make your decisions based entirely on the content of the movie/TV show/music?
What sort of behavior rubs you the wrong way enough that you've held your own mini-boycott of a person, network or product? Have you ever backtracked and decided you were being petty? What's your gauge?
Drinking and driving.
Using racist or anti-gay slurs.
Cheating on their spouses.
Calling their kids derogatory names.
Going to jail for rape or murder.
Smoking pot.
How about if they hold different beliefs than yours about homosexuality, abortion, God, politics, etc.?
I can think of celebrities who have done, or been accused of doing, the things listed up above. Some continue to have successful careers, sometimes with very little public attention to their off-screen actions. Others haven't held up so well. As a society, we're fond of the backlash and we like to get riled up about what strangers who happen to be famous do. But we're also pretty sick of the Adventures of Lindsay Lohan by now, aren't we? Aren't we?
With Lindsay, though, it's more like watching someone with promise and talent waste herself on bad choices. She hasn't directly hurt other people so much as she's hurting herself, as far as we can see. Sometimes bad choices are something we immediately regret and are embarrassed to have made. Most of us don't have cameras on us when we do and say stupid things.
Sometimes bad choices are part of our lifestyle, and once we've begun the slide it's hard to stop. Being rich, catered to and famous isn't necessary conducive to being a healthy, grounded person. Not that being famous is an excuse; fame just doesn't insulate people from the pain of public scrutiny, or from doing stupid things you'll regret 5 seconds from now.
So, where do you draw the line? Once someone is labeled a child molester or is arrested for possession of child pornography, it's hard to listen to their songs anymore without feeling yucky inside. O.J. Simpson is pretty much tainted forever by public perception that he killed his ex-wife and Ronald Goldman. Mike Tyson has found work, though, since serving time for a rape conviction.
And then there's the lifestyle stuff. Do you listen to music written and recorded by people who believe in things that are very different than what you believe in? Did you stop listening to the Dixie Chicks after the "we're ashamed the president's from Texas" business? Do you avoid celebrities who stand up for causes — be it about the war, the poor or AIDS in Africa — because you're sick of them? Or do you make your decisions based entirely on the content of the movie/TV show/music?
What sort of behavior rubs you the wrong way enough that you've held your own mini-boycott of a person, network or product? Have you ever backtracked and decided you were being petty? What's your gauge?
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