WONDER why some celebs make careless utterances, when the social media affords them the opportunity to think them over in their heads before spilling. It only goes to show that not many are schooled in the role model tradition. But I think that the function of responsibility (social or otherwise) is to the extent that one understands that whatever is said or done has immediate or remote effect on one’s neighbours.
You don’t have to be a celebrity to be conscious of your environment. And this is not about the trash of abstaining from buying ‘boli’ and groundnut by the roadside. This is the limit to the self-esteem that most of our stars know, including living a pseudo-ranking lifestyle that has pushed many into drugs.
Perhaps, the neighbours of the celebrity are so plenteous and diverse such that in a moment they forget and make input on the social media, as though they were in a chat-group of close friends.
When controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh, recently showed off a gun, threatening to shoot rumour mongers if they do not mind their business in the new year, her post did not attract much reaction from fans probably because the actress is known for crazy stunts. Her case has long been decided and closed by discerning minds and not all “The Future’ awards in this world will make any difference.
Jude Engees Okoye, elder brother and manager to twin singers, Psquare, was not as lucky. When he attempted to make a statement, two days after, by showing photos of him loading a pistol with two other firearms and live bullets sprawling in his repertoire, fans took him to the cleaners.
The Instagram social media noted for photo show-reels offers a platform for mute statements. The trend appears to have gone crazier, with celebrities showing off nude photos, weird tattoos and some other bizarre part of their lifestyles.
Okoye, even without a complementary statement, gave commentators room to speculate. They dismissed him as a bad role model.
I was inspired to pen this topic, having read comments that followed comedian Basketmouth’s joke on rape.
His joke was interpreted in some quarters to mean that the African girl is a too-hard-to-get and deceitful gold digger who would leave her suitor with no other option but rape.
Though Basketmouth’s joke appears to favour the white girl in his joke, the irony of the matter is that the same comedian was, in 2007, accused of being a racist over a joke he cracked in Austria. Even then, what he thought was a harmless joke, I remember, gave him some sleepless nights.
Basketmouth, in front of a capacity crowd in Austria, reportedly said ‘jokingly’ that he did not like Austrians because they are racists.
The crowd made up of Nigerians and their Austrian counterparts were said to be aghast with the way he toyed with a sensitive word such as racism in the host country.
Like his recent joke, the comedian claimed the report was blown out of proportion.
Perhaps, what Basketmouth didn’t realise was that his comments smack sexual violence in a continent with high prevalence of abuse against women. Even though he apologised, swearing with his mother, wife, daughter and sisters as reason his joke should not be taken seriously, commentators were already asking for the telecommunications company, Globacom, to relieve him of his position as their brand ambassador.
Yes, it can be as punitive as that, in a clime that understands the effect of questionable public comments on their image.
Recall also that some years back, a South African PR executive was fired by her company for making a careless statement about AIDS, as it relates to Africa.
Justine Sacco was on a flight to South Africa, when she tweeted: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS.”
Her tweet went viral on the Internet, catching the attention of her employers who, in no time, showed her the door.
Despite Sacco’s plea that she is a South African and would not want to insult her continent; despite her claim that she was tipsy when doing the tweet, all fell on deaf ears.
The lesson is that of sensitivity. Perhaps, the issue of AIDS in Africa is not less sensitive as rape. The public’s understanding of Sacco’s comment was that she insulted a race of people, a nation and an entire continent. This type of tomfoolery by a PR executive at a media company reflected more than just the ability of those who lack common sense and decency to climb the corporate ladder.
Do we recall also that singer Madonna was slammed for showing her 13-year-old son with a gin bottle? This is how serious public perception on issues can be.
Madonna landed herself in hot water, after posting a photo of her son holding a bottle of alcohol. Her son, Rocco Ritchie, was just 13, but was shown holding a full bottle of gin with two friends with the caption: “The party has just begun! Bring it!’”
After the photo was posted on Madonna’s official Instagram account, the comments exploded with outraged fans who were shocked that she was allowing her son to have alcohol.
In Switzerland, where Madonna was holidaying at the time, the drinking age is 16.
Fans think no responsible parent would do that. It robbed on the singer terribly because, according to a commentator, “Would I let my 13-year-old drink? No! I am a responsible parent. My kids will not drink before legal age. It’s just about perception and this gives a bad image /perception on mother and son. It was begging for negative publicity.”
Madonna was forced to respond to the negative reactions by denying that her son was not drinking any of the alcohol in the picture. But no one cares anymore! “No one was drinking; we were just having fun! Calm down and get a sense of humour! Don’t start the year off with judgment!” she said.
