Jada Pinkett Smith wrote a Facebook post asking if the media is bullying young celebrities.
She posted a thoughtful and heartfelt post asking if the media had any right to pass judgment the behavior of young stars. Though she didn’t name who she was talking about (besides nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis, who was called a c**t in an ironic tweet satirist publication The Onion,) she did post up a collage that included of Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift.
Are we bullying our young artists?
How can we ask for our young stars to have a high level of responsibility if we are not demonstrating that same level of responsibility towards them?
This last week, I had to really evaluate the communication in regard to our young artists in the media. I was trying to differentiate cyber-bullying from how we attack and ridicule our young stars through media and social networks. It is as if we have forgotten what it means to be young or even how to behave like good ol’ grown folk. Do we feel as though we can say and do what we please without demonstrating any responsibility simply because they are famous? Is it okay to continually attack and criticize a famous 19 year old who is simply trying to build a life, exercise his talents while figuring out what manhood and fame is all about as he carries the weight of supporting his family as well as providing the paychecks to others who depend on him to work so they can feed their families as well? Does that render being called a c**t by an adult male photographer as you try to return to your hotel after leaving the the hospital?
Talking about Taylor Swift and Rihanna:
Or what about being a young woman in her early twenties, exploring the intracacies of love and power on the world stage? And should we shame a young woman for displaying a sense of innocence as she navigates through the murky waters of love, heartbreak, and fame? Are these young people not allowed to be young, make mistakes, grow, and eventually transform a million times before our eyes?
What do you think? Does the media and internet comments take judgment on young celebs too far?
