While most Americans spend time celebrating our country on the Fourth of July, Ariana Grande decided it was time to shake things up a bit. Unfortunately, she was not victorious.
Grande created quite an unforgettable scene in a donut shop located in California over the holiday weekend. Security footage depicted the pop star picking up donuts off the front counter, licking them and then putting them back, all while proclaiming “I hate America.”
The infamous scandal trended on social media for days and even prompted a lame yet lengthy apology from Grande herself. While many were outraged by her behavior, the most shocking and repulsive part of the story is yet to come.
Not only was Grande found innocent of criminal charges, but thousands of teenage fans remained loyal to the singer and even joined in with their supposed hatred of America.
Now, we all make mistakes right? Things happen. But to be real, disrespecting your country and prompting others to do the same is never okay.
Our society today puts celebrities on a pedestal that allows them to get away with certain actions because they are “under pressure” or “constantly in the spotlight.”
For instance, we can take a look at Khloe Kardashian. In March of 2007, Kardashian was charged with driving under the influence and sentenced to 30 days in jail. However, due to “overcrowding” within the jail, the reality TV star was released just three hours into her punishment.
Driving under the influence is a serious matter. In 2013, 10,076 people died in drunk-driving crashes–one every 52 minutes–and 290,000 were injured, according to madd.org. Not only did Kardashian endanger her own life, she put other people in harm’s way as well–a situation that seriously requires more than a public apology.
Due to the tremendous amounts of people that follow celebrities through the ins and outs of their everyday lives, their triumphs as well as their downfalls are sure to be reported by the media. It is up to fans and society as a whole to stop glorifying bad behavior and to take a stand against placing celebrities above the law.
While this phenomenon may never change, each and every day celebrities and regular people alike are presented with the opportunity to make the world a better place. This involves the voluntary choice to make good decisions, lead by example and constantly strive to be a better person–one donut at a time.
