Where Was the Outrage?

If you haven't been on the web or seen the news or read any headline in the past few days - in short you've been living in a cave and scrounging for berries - you probably haven't heard about the 100's of personal pictures stolen from the personal accounts of celebrities. These pictures and a few videos are extremely personal. This is not a scandal. This is theft. These people did nothing wrong even if you question the idea of storing such things in the cloud. Unwise decisions are not a crime. If it was, I know more than a few folks who would be forbidden to go anywhere near a computer.  Breaking into a private account and stealing things from that account is a crime. There is no scandal except the fact that the press seems intent on using the term instead of crime.


But this brings me to something even more insidious about the entire situation, and it is the outrage that followed. Not that we shouldn't be outraged by this act, but because we were not particularly outraged when it was done before. There is only one reason for this, and it is that one of the most universally loved stars was hurt and embarrassed. Don't believe me. Go ahead and type in the search box for news about the leaked photos, and you will see one picture appear in every article. The picture of Jennifer "JLaw" Lawrence. We've all known that Jennifer is unabashedly without filters as David Letterman observed following an interview. It is this why we love her. She is who she is and there seems to be no carefully laid image or press spin.  We will continue to support her even after the theft of her personal pictures.

This outrage about the theft got me thinking about where was the outrage when this happened before? Where was my outrage? I am not talking about the invasion of privacy by the paparazzi taking pictures of private moments.  That's another issue that sadly we have few if any laws to protect people from.  No, I am talking about would we be as outraged if it were just a couple of stars or someone who was not as loved as Lawrence?

Where was the massive disgust with the guy who leaked Pamela Anderson's tapes?  Well, it was Pamela Anderson. Right? She had been in Playboy. I guess that means she doesn't get a private and personal life. What about when Vanessa Hudgens had it done? How about when Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Blake Lively, Paris Hilton, Chris Brown, Kesha, Kanye West, Heather Morris, Olivia Munn, Christina Hendricks, Christina Aguilera, Annalynne McCord, CoCo, Adrianne Curry, Tawny Kitaen or Tonya Harding had their pictures and videos stolen and posted? This is just a short list of leaked photos.  Some were stolen and some were released by bitter ex's. Where is the outrage for these folks even if you have never heard of some of them or don't like some of them? Admittedly there are a few folks that have tweeted their own doom.  There have even been a few that it is widely believed leaked the material themselves as a part of shameless self-promotion.  Those are not the ones I am talking about.

There was very little coverage of the guy who stole Scarlett Johansson's pictures being convicted and sentenced to ten years.  Perhaps if there had been more coverage, then what is happening this week could have been avoided.  It's doubtful though.  I mean most criminals don't think they will be caught.  Shoot, Pam Anderoson's and Paris Hilton's videos were even sold as porn tapes.  No the outrage that should have been there for thefts and leaks, going back years, comes too late. What is more, tell me where the prison sentences and outrage are for those stolen and revenge pics of those who aren't famous?  You think there was little coverage of the guy who was convicted of hacking Johansson's pictures, there is no one, not FBI or local law going after the guys and girls posting revenge pics.  There are, in fact, entire websites dedicated to revenge photos.


So if you're less than pleased, disgusted, or outraged by the leaks this week, then maybe we need to stay that way for everyone and not just our favorite stars.  We all need to be angered by the new invasion into privacy.  But the fact is we should have been angered by it long ago. This includes me.  We cannot just say, "Oh well, it's the internet." We have to let folks who are spying on us and hacking us know that we are mad as hell, and we're not taking it any more.