Sarah Morgan
If a guy beat his girlfriend, why would anybody ever want to hear him sing a love song?
And yet: Chris Brown.
Not only does he not serve a day of jail time for punching and biting Rihanna – who he used to open for – so badly that she was hospitalized, he goes on to release an album about him forgiving other people, and in promoting it, throws a violent fit about how nobody can forget about what he did.
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If a father of five was arrested for using heavy drugs, and hiring prostitutes, and regularly was publicly, obviously out of control, to the point of being fired from his job, why would anybody find that funny?
And yet: Charlie Sheen.
He set a record for the fastest time to reach a million Twitter followers, and another one for selling out Radio City Music Hall in 18 minutes.
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If a man who calls himself devoutly religious was found spewing hatred, wouldn’t people realize his hypocrisy and let him disappear?
And yet: Mel Gibson.
Newspapers, magazines and television interviews have quoted his homophobic, anti-Semitic, misogynist comments, and a recording of him screaming obscenities at his girlfriend spread like wildfire. He’s not getting jobs, but he is getting attention.
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These men are on the cover of tabloids, on the front page of gossip blogs, trending on Twitter, and on everybody’s lips. They’re some of the best-known men in the world. They’re also absolutely repugnant.
Can we please stop confusing rubbernecking and entertainment? Awe-inspiring isn’t necessarily a positive term.
