When Iain Stables, the New Zealand disc jockey and TV celebrity, lost his cool on March 20, 2012, he was not thinking of the consequences of his actions. The incident happened when the family of his partner, Kimberley O'Hagan, tried to evict him from the flat he was sharing with her because of alleged damage they found there. Although Iain Stables denies assault and threatening to kill, he admitted "pushing" Kimberley's brother in "self defence" and deliberately ramming his car into her mother's, which he was said to have done repeatedly. The jury has the weekend to deliberate and will offer their verdict on Monday.
"I have nothing left. I have lost my career, I have lost everything ..."
That people should pay for their wrongdoings is only fair. But that someone should lose everything for a minor crime or misdemeanor is as unjust as the offence itself. Tiger Woods, John Galiano, Prince Harry, even (though mostly protected)... Lynched. If I should kick you in the shins and decapitate your garden gnomes, you will deserve all the compensation you can get from me and I would deserve whatever else the law throws at me as well, assuming it is proportionate. But should I lose my job and reputation because of that? Stress or weakness sometimes pushes us to do stupid things: that is when society ought to help us, rather that indulge in pushing us over the edge. If I make delicious cakes, why should I be stopped from making them? How can making me unproductive help? Who would gain from that, other than a few smug bigots and vindictive fools?
Being a public figure does not mean being a role model: it means being good at whatever it is you do. And if you are not a public figure; then all the more so. Don't let them crush you.
No comments:
Post a Comment