Lohan Walking Back her ‘MeToo’ Critique
Years ago, actress Lindsay Lohan watched her brand peak, as she was on the fast track to becoming America’s sweetheart. Then, a series of decisions to shift her brand backfired, and Lohan ended up being more of a tabloid target than a Hollywood draw. Recently, though, the actress chose to re-enter the public conversation. She spoke her mind in an interview with The Times, and the backlash was almost immediate. Lohan’s comments centered on her thoughts related to the MeToo movement, about which she said she was “very supportive” of women, but “can’t go along with the ‘attention seekers’ or trial by social media…”
Read MoreThe NFL Message Remains Confusing and Conflicting
When you take a step back and look at it from a long-range PR perspective, the biggest takeaway from the ongoing NFL “anthem protest scandal” is that it’s a PR nightmare that should have long since been dealt with. From the very beginning, it was clear that some NFL fans were not going to be happy no matter what decisions were made about players kneeling in protest during the National Anthem. Some group of fans, then, were going to “lose” in this situation. That much was crystal clear from the very first time Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the preseason in 2016.
Read MoreWhy Do We Care So Much About the #SummerOfBreakups?
Back in 2015, a new hashtag jumped onto the Twitter scene, pushing people to question everything they thought they knew about love and romance. The #SummerOfBreakups hashtag was the beacon for every celebrity breakup that took place that year. Importantly, the breakups didn’t just happen throughout summer either, the hashtag continued to trend well into Autumn too. While obsession over celebrity love lives isn’t anything new for the modern world, the rise of social media has drawn extra attention to just how much time people spend thinking about the relationships of their famous idols. Psychologists and other people in the media have been left to wonder why people care so much about things like the #SummerOfBreakups. Now that summer is…
Read MoreTwitter Defending Stance on Jones
When a significant number or percentage of your customers make certain demands, how should a brand respond? That’s the question being answered all across social media these past few weeks. Many users want bad actors booted, but others say to do so would infringe on the free exchange of ideas upon which social media is ostensibly based. Each of these sides has been busy building a narrative of layered messaging in support of their position. Now, when a company makes a related decision, they are linked with that entire apparatus of connected messages. It’s no longer an isolated incident, it’s being seen as taking a public stand on an issue. That may not be fair or even accurate, but that…
Read MoreWWE Takes Big Step in Evolution
You would be hard pressed to find another more testosterone-drenched entertainment niche than pro wrestling. Buff superheroes have been bashing, slamming and vanquishing evil “heels” for generations as fans ate up the show, with its mix of acrobatic spectacle, soap opera theatrics, and carefully-scripted good versus evil morality tale. For most of those storied decades, the women of pro wrestling were sideshows: props reduced to peripheral antagonists or eye candy. Even in-ring performers were used more for the spectacle than the athletic prowess. It was not said, but it seemed self-evident, that the industry did not feel women brought the same booking power as the men. That may still be true, but it’s much less true than it once was,…
Read MoreSimpsons Creators Respond to Criticism
The Simpsons is one of the longest running and most popular animated programs on television. The show has also spawned countless pop culture icons and references, even adding to our language in certain circumstances. The program has also built its reputation for smartly-crafted satire that, at times, cuts very close to the bone. When engaging in that level of satire, offending people can be par for the course. But there is one aspect of that offense that keeps coming back around and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. That topic is Apu, the Kwik-E-Mart clerk that, some say, promotes negative stereotypes and is harmful to certain segments of the population. Some are even calling the Apu character…
Read MoreUrban Meyer on Hot Seat at OSU
The skinny on iconic college football coach Urban Meyer is that he is so driven to win his heart nearly gave out on him. A hero coach at the University of Florida, Meyer left the game “for his health” only to return a few years later, to helm the powerhouse Ohio State program. Meyer was back, prowling the sideline, focused and intense. But the rumors that plagued him at UF were still stuck to him at OSU. Meyer would do anything to win, up to and including “tolerating misconduct” from players and coaches as long as it meant winning the SEC and competing for national titles. Years ago, it was so cliché as to almost be assumed that many top-tier…
Read MoreBarr Trying to Battle Back After Firing
After several weeks of defiance, Roseanne Barr appeared poised and contrite in her first major network TV interview since being fired from her eponymous sitcom due to some tweets about former Obama advisor, Valerie Jarrett. It’s a new look for a comedian who has built her career stepping across the line with sharp satire and humor directed at social norms and political trends. Barr has always been edgy, even when her popular sitcom was not, yet, when Twitter users reacted with outrage over tweets deemed to be racist, Barr was quickly ousted by ABC.
Read MoreLovato Uses Personal Struggles to Inspire Fans
It only took moments after the news broke saying Demi Lovato was being hospitalized for a drug overdose for critics to jump on social media and condemn the singer. At the same time, well-wishers flooded the ‘net trying to drown out the trolls with their support of a young woman in crisis. A few days after the hospitalization was revealed, it was announced that Lovato would be entering a rehab program to help get her off the drugs that nearly took her life. This will be the second time, this decade, Lovato went through a professional substance abuse program.
Read MoreParamount TV President Fired Over Racial Remarks
While it’s true that socio-cultural norms change with time and environment, there are always going to be some things one cannot say, in any context, in a business setting. Or, rather, you can say them, but it will lead to consequences. These consequences could be a loss of respect, a loss of opportunity to advance, the loss of a job, or, in affect, career suicide. In recent years, in-context comments or ‘jokes’ that would have been given a pass – if not a laugh – not that long ago, have led to major consequences for even some of the most powerful people in their professions. From Roseanne Barr to “Papa” John Schnatter, it’s become pretty clear that racial commentary is…
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