Analysis of Public Celebrity Apologies in America

Analysis of Public Celebrity Apologies in AmericaDevin sw cunninghyJulia TofantukTheir percentage and effects via analyzing specific casesIntroductionRecently, I clear compose awake(predicate) of a trend that has been sweeping across America the glory acknow directgment, or precisely, the non- acknowledgment. I think I have always been aw atomic number 18 of the constant apologies make by celebrities, just it has only been in the late(prenominal) year when I have actually paid attention to the lyric poem they were using to apologize, and under what circumstances they were apologizing.In fact, the exact moment when I became infatuated with the repute apology was when I was listening to a aerate of the Opie and Anthony Radio submit in March 2014 and the hosts were discussing the numerous repute apologies that had been made during the previous week. Their discussion almost famous person apologies began to consume the show daily, until they officially established an Ap ology Clock on June 5, 2014 (Apology Clock, 2014). The experiment was to see if they could go ten age without a glory apology. The results showed that they could not, as there was at least one new apology a day and much often than not there were apologies from multiple celebrities. Their research ended haply one month ulterior when one of the hosts became a victim of the celebrity apology. I give discuss more closely this later in the paper.For the purposes of this paper, I will begin by defining the terms and oscilloscope the paper covers. Secondly, I will present slightly cases from a large range of circumstances which celebrities apologized, and the results of their apology. Finally, I will discuss Americans reaction to the celebrity apology.DefinitionsAccording to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a celebrity is defined as a item-by-item who is famous. For this paper, the definition will be narrowed to only a person who is recognizable in North America and bro adened to include corporations, as these argon considered individuals under the law.An apology is defined as an expression of regret for having through or said someaffair wrong. For this paper, we also study to consider the definition of a non-apology apology, which is defined as a statement that has the form of an apology but does not express the expected contrition. An example of a non-apology apology would be saying Im sorry that you feel that way to psyche who has been offended by a statement. This apology does not admit that there was anything wrong with the remarks made, and additionally, it may be taken as insinuating that the person taking offense was to a fault thin-skinned or irrational in taking offense at the remarks in the first place (Lazare, 2005).Case Studies of celebrity apologies and the results of the apologythither are hundreds, if not thousands of examples of celebrity apologies. For this paper, the time frame of the case studies of celebrity apologies exam ined will begin in 1998, well after the advent of the Internet. This beginning point was chosen beca subroutine the Internet disseminates information al around effortlessly, therefore more nation would be aware of the apologies devoted by celebrities.Furthermore, the case studies offered are examples of the wide range of circumstances under which a celebrity has had to apologize. there are countless more examples to choose from, but the following examples forget a general overview, so the scope has had to be narrowed.Case field 1 tear Clinton apologizes for having an affairIndeed I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong I misled masses, including tied(p) my wife. I deeply regret that.On idealistic 17, 1998, President Bill Clinton stood in the White House pressroom and apologized to the American pack for having an affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. When the affair first became earthly concern, Bill Clint on denied having a inner relationship with Ms. Lewinsky tied(p) though she offered circumstantial evidence to a Senate look into committee. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation pillowcaseually led to the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998 by the U.S. House of Representatives and his subsequent acquittal on all impeachment charges of bearing false witness and obstruction of justice in a 21-day Senate trial (Posner, 2009).This apology most likely saved his presidency. His apology was emotional and appeared sincere. He was able to interrelate with Americans, time at the same time admitting he was wrong and inquire for forgiveness (Bill Clinton apologizing for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, 2008).However, what makes the circumstances of this apology important is the fact that the policy-making indigences of the Republican Party forced President Clinton into a position where he had to apologize. The results, politically, led to the rise o f the Republican Party from 2000 to 2008, and an ever increasing motivation to use the personal affairs of politicians as a weapon in elections, and politics in general.Case rent 2 Janet capital of Mississippis wardrobe give outOn February 1, 2004 during the half-time show of Super till XXXVIII, Janet capital of Mississippi and Justin Timberlake were performing when suddenly Timberlake removed an member of Jacksons clothing, revealing an exposed breast to a live telecasting audience. This event has been termed Nipplegate by the media (Apologetic Jackson says costume reveal went awry, 2004). The next day Jackson apologized to the public to anyone who was offended. This is an example of the non-apology apology. in that respect are several reasons why the circumstances surrounding this particular non-apology apology is important. First of all, a wardrobe malfunction is considered to be an accident, so the question remains why an apology was even necessary. Secondly, the American s ensitivity to nudity is revealed to have a low threshold, while their sensitivity threshold to a violent sport, American football, is high. This means that Americans are more offended by nudity than violence. Finally, the results of this apology led to the federal Communications Commission to impose higher fines and regulations concerning obscenity in dispense media on public airwaves, which still continue today (Ahrens, 2006).Case study 3 Michael Richards nigger rantDuring a November 17, 2006 performance, Michael Richards, a stand-up comedian who became popular for the role of Krammer he played on the successful American sitcom Seinfeld, shouted a racially charged response to benighted hecklers in the audience, shouting Hes a nigger several times and referring to kill (Farhi, 2006).This is only one example of an apology or non-apology apology found on racism, religion, or sexual orientation. Other celebrities who have had to apologize for racial rants or, more importantly, op inions based on race include Mel Gibson, Gary Oldman, and many others (Hare, 2014).However, what makes this apology most interesting is the publics initial reaction and later action. Richards made a public apology on the Late Show with David Letterman, when Jerry Seinfeld was the guest, sayingFor me to be at a comedy club and to bye out and say this crap, Im deeply, deeply sorry. Im not a antiblack, thats whats so crackbrained more or less this.What happened next is surprising the audience initially laughed during uncomfortable pauses in Richards explanation and apology, unable to decide if the interview was a comedy art object at one point Seinfeld chided the audience, Stop laughing, its not funny. (CNN news programroom, 2006)Later, Richards called civil rights leading Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to apologize. He also appeared as a guest on Jacksons syndicated piano tuner show. This began a new trend in apologizing the blamable party had to personally apologize to repre sentatives of the groups who might be offended (Sharpton Comedians apology not exuberant, 2006).Case study 4 Various integrated apologiesSince corporations, as well as celebrities, are extremely vigilant when protecting their brand, it is no surprise that they find themselves in situations where they have to apologize. Most corporate apologies are sincere because they have directly affected the lives of individuals or the environment. However, many corporate apologies are non-apology apologies because the circumstances around which they have apologized usually involve small matters that would not normally offend the majority of the population.One example of a typical corporate non-apology apology involves Delta Airlines. During the 2014 World Cup competition in Brazil, Delta Airlines affix a message on Twitter congratulating the United States association football team for their defeat over Ghana. In their message, they posted a belief the Statue of Liberty with the number 2 su per-imposed over it and another picture of a giraffe with the number 1 super-imposed over it. These graphics symbolized both the earth and the score of the game. The problem with this is that giraffes are not to be found in Ghana (Mendoza, 2014).Critics found the Twitter post to be ignorant and queasy, and some even considered the post racist. Delta Airlines felt they had to apologize the next day on their website saying the tweet was both inaccurate and inappropriate and that the company was reviewing its procedures to attend that future images and posts reflect both our values and our global focus. (Delta Air Lines Apologizes for camelopard Gaffe, 2014)Case study 5 Celebrities who do not apologizeThere are many times when celebrities say or do things which people find offensive, and the public usually waits for an apology a few age after. However, some celebrities refuse to apologize. What makes these cases interesting is the effect their refusal to apologize has on their car eer. ii recent examples of this scenario involve Charles Barkley, a former NBA basketball player and Anthony Cumia, a popular radio presenter.In the first scenario, Charles Barkley was commenting on his travels to different cities in the United States while he was an NBA player during a live television broadcast. During his narrative, he described women from San Antonio, Texas as being big old women, referring to their weight. When people from San Antonia demanded an apology, Barkley replied that he will apologize when hell gonna (sic) freeze over. (Dater, 2014)There was no negative fallout from his response. In fact, he continues to be a sports referee and presenter today. Many retrieve that Barkley did not have to apologize because this doings is what is expected from him. The story eventually left the news cycle and is often forgotten.On the other hand, the situation is different for Anthony Cumia. Cumia was one half of the radio show Opie and Anthony, the same show that had the aforementioned Apology Clock experiment, which lasted from June 5 to July 4, 2014. During the shows holiday break for Independence Day, Cumia was walking in Times Square, New York City late at night photographing the metropolis lights. While he was taking one particular photograph, an black woman happened to walk in the frame of the picture. She heard the cameras mark off and immediately began to accost Cumia, and she was joined by a group of African-American men.Later that evening while he was at home, he began posting the pictures and his comments on Twitter. Many of these comments were charged with emotion, and some of them were construed as being racist and violent towards women. The posts were noticed by a blogger, and the incident was reported in the mainstream press a couple of days later (Perex, 2014).Cumia refused to apologize. In fact, he appeared on various news programs to explain and defend himself. The only thing he admitted was that he should have cooled down before posting his draw on Twitter. His refusal to apologize lead to his firing from SiriusXM radio four days later (MacNeal, 2014).Americans response to and attitudes towards celebrity apologiesSocial Justice WarriorsCurrently, the trend in America is that celebrity apologies are increasing. This can be attributed to the importance of accessible media not only Twitter and Face Book, but also public blogging sites that act as mainstream media, such as TMZ or The Huffington Post. These blogging sites have given rise to the social justice warrior.A social justice warrior is a blogger who uses social media to fight for the rights of the minority, under-privileged, and under-represented (Internet Observation understand). They actively seek out celebrities, in general white males, and search for things that they say or do which are considered offensive to the people they want to protect and then write about the circumstance. Their blogs are read by a few and then linked in Twitter, where the article is read by many. more than often than not, the mainstream press will report on the story if the blog post has been shared enough times.There is much criticism towards the social justice warrior. Many believe that they are nothing more than gossip columnists who do not have the talent to write for established tabloids. Most social justice warriors move in money when people view their blog and/or click the advertisements posted on the site, so it is in their interest to write about contentious topics. Furthermore, social justice warriors do not have to answer questions about their sources, and usually hide themselves if there is an attack against them (Roosh, 2014).Backlash against celebrity apologiesMore recently, many people are starting to question why celebrities need to apologize, particularly for an unpopular opinion they may have voiced. An example of this flinch is when the actor robin redbreast Williams committed suicide. After this tragedy, many celebr ities voiced their opinions about suicide, and one celebrity who voiced unpopular opinions about suicide, the singer and causality Henry Rollins, particularly received a lot of criticism (Joyce, 2014). This led to the question, Do we now have to apologize for our opinions (Norton, 2014)?Finally, the celebrity apology has live on embedded in humor. A recent example, and one that defines how ridiculous the celebrity apology has become, is the Twitter IAmSorry started by actor Shia LaBeouf, which celebrities now have to use when posting their apologies. He has stated that the celebrity apology has become an art form now, and should be instructed in every drama class (Hare, 2014). resultThe celebrity apology is more than a humiliating moment for an individual or a corporation. The reason why many Americans are preoccupy with celebrity apologies is because maybe it is a reflection of American sensitivities. When they see someone apologizing, it makes them feel better, maybe even more perfect. Also, it may be easier for people to look at others shortcomings and mistakes instead of looking at their own.After complete my research, I noticed that their further investigation can be done. For example, it would be interesting to know if there has been a real increase in celebrity apologies recently, or if the publics backlash toward celebrity apologies has increased, which in turn makes it expect like there are more apologies. Also, a more quantifiable analysis of celebrity apologies would reveal more about the phenomena. Finally, I honor if the apology culture is only prevalent in the United States or is it common in other parts of the world.Works Cited(2006, November 21). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from CNN NEWSROOM http//transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/21/cnr.01.htmlAhrens, F. (2006, June 8). The value for On-Air Indecency Goes Up. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from The Washington Post http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/07/AR2006060 700287.htmlApologetic Jackson says costume reveal went awry. (2004, February 3). Retrieved October 2014, 11, from CNN http//edition.cnn.com/2004/US/02/02/superbowl.jackson/Apology Clock. (2014, July 4). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from OApedia https//oapedia.com/oa/Apology_ClockBill Clinton apologizing for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. (2008, August 2). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from You Tube https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPxwKS12TXEDater, J. (2014, May 11). Charles Barkley wont apologize for his comments about San Antonios women. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from SB Nation http//www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/5/11/5708198/charles-barkley-wont-apologize-for-his-comments-about-san-antoniosDelta Air Lines Apologizes for Giraffe Gaffe. (18, June 2014). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from NBC News http//www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/delta-air-lines-apologizes-giraffe-gaffe-n134106Farhi, P. (2006, November 21). Seinfeld Comic Richards Apologizes for Racial gush. Retrieved October 11, 201 4, from The Washington Post http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/21/AR2006112100242.htmlHare, B. (2014, June 9). Celebrity apologies The good, no-account and uncomfortable. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from Time http//edition.cnn.com/2014/06/09/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/celebrity-apologies-best-worst-uncomfortable/Hare, B. (2014, June 9). Celebrity apologies The good, bad and uncomfortable. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from CNN http//edition.cnn.com/2014/06/09/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/celebrity-apologies-best-worst-uncomfortable/Joyce, C. (2014, August 25). Henry Rollins Is Still Really Sorry for His Comments About Robin Williams Suicide. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from Spin Magazine http//www.spin.com/articles/henry-rollins-suicide-comments-la-weekly-column-robin-williams/Lazare, A. (2005). On Apologies. Oxford University Press.MacNeal, C. (2014, July 13). Anthony Cumia Wont Apologize For Twitter Rant It Wasnt Racist. Retrieved October 12, 2014, fro m Talking Points Memo http//talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/anthony-cumia-no-apology-racist-rantMendoza, D. (2014, June 17). Deltas giraffe gaffe. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from CNN http//edition.cnn.com/2014/06/17/travel/delta-tweet-storify/Norton, J. (2014, August 27). Its Time for Celebrities To ApologizeFor All Their Apologizing. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from Time http//time.com/3196100/suicide-apology-culture/Perex, C. (2014, July 4). Shock jock fire for racist Twitter rant. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from The New York Post http//nypost.com/2014/07/04/shock-jock-anthony-cumia-fired-for-racist-twitter-rant/Posner, R. A. (2009). An Affair of State The Investigation, Impeachment, and struggle of President Clinton. Harvard University Press.Roosh, V. (2014, October 6). What is a social justice warrior. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from Roosh http//www.rooshv.com/what-is-a-social-justice-warrior-sjwSharpton Comedians apology not enough. (2006, November 23). Retrieved October 20 14, 2014, from CNN http//edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/22/sharpton.richard/index.htmlSocial Justice Warrior. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from Internet Observation Project http//internetobservationproject.com/social-justice-warrior-definition/