What are the rules of success? How many more stipulations do we put on people in highly successful positions? Is humility a requirement or a virtue every human being struggles with? The fact that celebrities have to hire a PR team now is the dumbest thing on the planet. I am a firm believer that any judgement made on a socioeconomically triumphant person should primarily revolve around their work. Yes, sometimes winning involves bending the rules or finding loopholes. Some folks have better starting points in life such as a trust fund or nepotism. Some use illegal substances or practices to either assist their goals in life or reward themselves. Some would do anything to not face the wrath of failure and throw ethics or courtesy in the recycling bin for others to follow. I totally understand. But enough of this cancel culture. And, if the personnel in power are using wealth or reputation to slip out of proper penalization, then the issue should primarily focus on tightening up the specified judicial system instead of stripping anybody’s occupation.
Should Harvey Weinstein be punished? Absolutely. That is textbook sexual harassment. Should Will Smith be punished? Absolutely. That is assault; but the Oscars should have done something about it. But should Chapelle be punished for “validating antisemitism”? Give me a fucking break. You cannot deny somebody’s freedom of speech. Racism is abhorrent and should be frowned upon; but the common public should realize that xenophobia is natural. It is impossible to completely rule it out. And, let’s not pretend like some of the stereotypes aren’t true. If James Cameron’s Oscar speech pissed you off, don’t watch his movies; guess what, Avatar is still going to make billions of dollars whether you go or not. If Tiger Wood’s infidelity pisses you off, don’t cheat on your spouse. But don’t make him get on a podium in front of his family and apologize to the whole fucking world. Something more precious than gold is a man or woman’s privacy and ability to say what’s on their mind. Once your private life is out in the world and is constantly being scrutinized, every step you take is forced to be around a million eggshells.
I’ll leave with this note: I bet somebody in your office is doing cocaine. Cocaine is an illegal substance and that person is technically a blue collar or white-collar criminal. But do you really give a shit? So why do you give a shit if Charlie Sheen goes on a bender? And if you say you do, your life just fucking sucks and you’re a judgmental piece of shit.
