Remember the Miley Cyrus racist photo scandal? That's the one where she was photoed with some friends pulling slant eyes for the camera. Well that hasn't blown over yet. In fact it's gone legal. Lucie J. Kim, on behalf of the Asia Pacific Islander population, has launched a class action suit for 4 billion dollars against Ms Cyrus. Kim claim that Cyrus "knew or should have known that her image would be publicly disseminated via the media, which Cyrus knew focused on her private life, specifically TMZ." Expecting self awareness from a celebrity is asking a lot.
Now that thing was launched back in February. It's been kicking around for awhile but finally some determinations are starting to get made. For instance Disney's high powered legal team are claiming that LA's civil rights statutes don't apply to Ms Cyrus mildly racist hi jinks. Since the civil rights statute is the lynch pin of the complaint, that would mean that 'Kim is allowed to complain all she wants about how Cyrus slighted the Los Angeles County Asian-Pacific Islander population. Unfortunately for her, there's nothing in the lawsuit that entitles her to "redress for racial insults."' So basically no 4 billion. Asians do have a right to be offended though - so that's something. She's becoming aware if the consequences of her actions, if not genuinely self aware.
AS for Ms Cyrus, she's still sorry, sort of. Ms Cyrus has officially stated that "I really wanted to stress how sorry I am if the photo of me with my friends offended anyone." She didn't say that she was sorry for making the face, or for being photographed - which is fundamental to the complaints against her - only that people got upset. So that high powered legal advice is starting to rub off. So we're back to feelings again.
Perhaps it's for the best. If the case stuck the precedent might have opened up grounds against TMZ and other sites. If Ms Cyrus should've been aware of the results of her goofing, then shouldn't savvy gossip journalists have been even more aware of the effects of publicizing those photos? What about the possibility that they could be encouraging others to emulate Ms Cyrus, on grounds that she is some kind of trend setter? TMZ doesn't have Disney legal shock troops to go to bat for them.
Besides if Miley was expected to pay some huge reparations for her tactlessness and thoughtlessness then she'd have to come up with the loot quick. That could be mean more bad albums and more tacky semi nude magazine covers (sorry Annie Liebowitz). Now no one wants that. In fact why not just say that celebrities are basically idiots who can't be held to the same standards as everyone else. Non compos mentis. That work's for me. Besides that's the reasoning behind those rehab and community services sentences they get handed after some major breach of social norms - like drunk driving. So maybe Miley could be published the old fashioned way, by being sent to some kind of rehab and having her career taken away. That seemed to work for Isaiah Washington. Why not make her do reality TV until she learns to behave herself? That is show business purgatory.
Bogus Zen:
What would get a sane person out of bed in the morning? Then what is the problem.
A boddhisattya is a being that has failed to realize the absurdity of their position. A buddha is a person who's arrived at nothing worthwhile. Remember that it's failure that defines success.
Daily Dharma: http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=buddism&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#q=buddhism+and+nirvana&hl=en&emb=0&dur=3
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