Within the last few weeks, entertainers like Soulja Boy and Tracy Morgan have been sending themselves into poor PR redemption overload with all of their apologies and excuses for saying some seemingly discriminatory things in the public.
However, unlike most people, instead of my problem being with the discrimination aspect of it, my problem lies with the whole apologetic aspect of it. What I mean by that is, these celebrities spoke their piece. We’re content with that, yes? No. The industry has to find any and everything under the sun to fault someone about, and what do these celebs do? They feed right into with all these apologies. Quite frankly, I feel like it’s a load of crap. The fact that an apology is issued immediately after creating a stir is the thing that gets under my skin, because it’s obvious that it was done as a means to not lose their fan base.
Although I would not have agreed with their statements 100%, I can honestly say that I would’ve had nothing but the utmost respect for them had they stood their ground and not tried to “do over” their statements or cry “hacked” as a means to dig themselves out of a hole. Obviously, what they said came from the heart, and everyone is entitled to their opinion so I can’t hold their beliefs against them but what I will hold against them is the forced apologies that are an extreme insult to my intelligence.
What’s more is that since when has it been wrong for comedians to do their job, which is to make people laugh? Nobody is perfect, and though it’s not right, many of the things Morgan said in his controversial comedy set were things that we or someone closely related to us have thought, felt or even stated at some point in our lives. Even you. Not everyone will agree on same-sex relationships. And almost every comedian has made at least one or more jokes about those that are handicapped. I’ve even seen handicapped comics make fun of their disabilities. Don’t believe me? Check it out here. While it doesn’t make it right, it is also a common thing for comedians to do.
It all started with Bill. Bill Clinton first started this public apology craze with the Monica Lewinski scandal. After that it seemed as though celebs like Tiger Woods, Chris Brown and, most recently, Soulja Boy and Tracy Morgan have felt the need to join the “I’m Sorry” campaign. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to go into redemption mode when at the end of the day, they were totally aware of their actions and/or how they felt. And they most likely would NOT have had this sudden epiphany that what they did was wrong until the public said so.
With Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods and Chris Brown, none of them personally hurt me; therefore, is it really necessary to apologize to the people you hurt directly AND the public as well? Eh…Not really. Will life go on after these actions were made? Absolutely. Will they lose a fan or two in the process, it’s possible. But if they continue to do what made us a fan in the first place, chances are we’ll get over it. Ultimately, what I am saying here is, no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. However, if you are going to apologize for something, let it be for speaking what you truly felt and speaking your mind. That is all.
Your thoughts?
For more, check out uptownmagazine.com Mum’s The Word: Celebrities & Homosexuality
UPDATE: Soulja Boy: “I’m No Racist Homophobe!”
Tracy Morgan’s Co-Stars “Disgusted And Appalled” By His Statements
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