Scandals: Why do people care about them so much?
Before, when a new update on social networks like friendster and facebook comes, or when a new product in a popular online store comes out, people would immediately flock in front of their computers to check these stuff out. However today as it appears, the things that will create this immediate reaction among people are scandals. Yes. Scandals that are the most humiliating, degrading and disturbing revelations about famous people that people naturally love to know and talk about. And lately, when a person speaks of scandals, the first thing that will easily buzz into another person's mind will surely be sex tapes.
Just recently, in Manila, Philippines, a young female celebrity, Katrina Halili, lost all
the fame and fortune that she previously enjoyed due to a revelation where the entire country feasted on for several months. This revelation as everybody knows is a very explosive and revealing sex video. Before the very talked-about sex video came in the scene, Halili and Dr. Hayden Kho (a former lover of a popular dermatologist/plastic surgeon in the Philippines) were already caught on another video doing an intimate and sexy dance together. This introductory video to the sex video was what made the song, "Careless whisper" very popular in the Philippines today - as it was what the two used as the background music for their intimate dance. And then the sex video bomb of Halili exploded after a couple of weeks. The video was said to be shot secretly in a hotel by Dr. Kho himself, as the actress selflessly gave up everything to the man, without any hint of what's really happening around. A 
close friend of Dr. Kho was said to have had access to the video file and that was how the spread of the video was claimed to happen. After this explosion, Katrina Halili's career was seen to fail. Her biggest endorsements turned her down, her sponsors turned their backs on her and the projects that were supposed to be offered to her were also said to disappear like mere bubbles in the air. This made Halili furious and she started fighting in legal terms against whom she calls "an animal" in the name of her former lover, Dr. Kho. And thus, the whole country 
shared Halili's agony while fighting for whom they believed is the abusive pervert. But still despite these issues, it appears that people seem to be getting more and more interested in watching and downloading Halili's scandalous video. If people are sympathizing with her as an abused woman, then why are they still enjoying such kind of profanity? Is this how people actually show sympathy and respect to the scorned woman, or is this plainly an effect of the media's sensationalism on the issue? During the past months, the media was not focusing on anything but these scandalous issues as if it poses a great significance in the country's progress and development. Considering this, people indeed cannot be blamed why they are having so much interest and curiosity about this video.In relation to this,
the international picture on the other hand focuses on another talked-about scandal which has conquered the internet lately. This act was starred by the Gossip Girl's It Girl herself, Leighton Meester. Meester, who was more popularly known in the show as Blair Waldorf has inspired a lot of young girls on being themselves, standing tall and proud against all odds and just being beautiful and glamorous despite everything. She was also looked up to by young girls as someone who remains beautiful and attractive despite her classic and conservative preferences in clothing and style. But this inspiration was suddenly morphed into disappointment and disturbance when the said scandal was spread through the world wide web. The sex tape showed nothing about conservatism nor anything about Blair Waldorf as how she was seen in Gossip Girl. A lot of people got surprised and apparently got disturbed understanding the views of affected Leighton Meester fans. But as compared to how Filipinos reacted in Katrina Halili's sex video, people in the United States seemed used to it as if its nothing but a typical occurrence in American showbiz. And yes, that might be true. But what these two cases of sex scandals seem to make me wonder about is that, why are people so crazy about these things. Of course I am not an idiot not to think that these videos may give others that kind of pleasure and satisfaction, but don't they even think that their respect and good impression about these women are at stake? Don't they even try to consider that these women's dignity are at stake as well? Of course most people would not care. Respect, dignity? What boring things!-- some would even exclaim. But that is how i see it.
Humans are natural fans of voyeurism. They would love to peep through small holes into other people's lives- especially popular people's lives- just to see how different or how alike their lives and experiences are. And I think knowing about sensitive issues about celebrities like these of Katrina Halili and Leighton Meester's make people know that these people are not so different from them. That they are just mere humans like them who can do nasty things sometimes which makes them not so far precious than average people. Well, I think that's just the way it is. People love sticking their noses into other people's business es the reason why the mass media is still remaining to be very powerful nowadays. But the sad thing about this is, people never learn to evaluate what issues are worth peeping into and what issues are better left alone. Considering the aforementioned stories, or scandals rather, of two young celebrities, do people really think it is necessary to feast on their private activities more than the more important issues like charter change propositions of the government and US economy's recovery? Well I guess this is a nice thing to ponder on especially in these times when scandals appear more on the papers' front pages than in the entertainment sections.
Well, just a thought.
June 24, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Besides, there had been previous scandalous videos of celebrities like that of Booba and others but it didn't get much attention as that of Halili's. In my own unchartered and unsolicited opinion, it was able to catch public interest and media attention because of Sen. Bong Revilla's solicited participation and who acted as "Halili's saviour?"
Like any controversies, it will soon reach its death. However, I hope that this scandalous and much patronized scandal will leave one thing- strong law that will punish distributors of these morally disturbing videos and protection of women and children against pornography and sexual abuse. It is true that not anyone have the right to interfere or meddle into one's privacy. The "sexual activities" of Hayden and others are their own choice that is private in nature that no one has the right to judge. However, the distribution of the videos and the impact it has on society are the very things that the government and even the general public can rightly question.
In this issue, much anticipated is the result of the Senate investigation- well, aside from further videos from that "40 video" collections of Hayden ^-^
August 12, 2009 at 2:33 AM
40 videos? My goodness, that guy is a pervert....
BTW, following your blog now..