Twitter and Tirades
So, we all remember M.I.A, right? She got really popular a few years back with her song “Paper Planes”, which I definitely listened to extensively the summer it came out. She’s always been known for being a little radical, like the time she performed on stage 9 months pregnant in a weird polka dot get-up. She’s been out of the spotlight for a while but now she’s being scrutinized for something other than her music: her custody troubles over four year old Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman
Earlier today on Twitter, M.I.A accused the father of her child, Ben Bronfman, and his family of conspiring to have her child taken away from her. She launched into a fiery tirade on the social networking site which may not have been the best choice concerning such a sensitive subject. There is another side to this story that makes things difficult. Ben Bronfman comes from an extremely wealthy, very well known family in Canada. This family founded Seagram (Think ginger ale), oil companies, and also founder of the Warner Music Group. So, if Bronfman wanted to take sole custody of his child on maybe not so justified grounds, he has the influence to do do.
This situation brings up many questions about custody battles. We usually tend to think that courts always side with the mother in cases like these but statistics say otherwise. In a study of US appellate cases (court of appeals), 51% of fathers who applied for custody won.
Obviously, all of the information on this case isn’t out in the open but hopefully all of the adults involved work out what’s in the best interest of the child. Comment below with what you think!
Read MoreOscar Pistorious: Lover or Murderer?
Oscar Pistorious. Handsome. Charming. World renowed track star. And possible murderer. The shocking celebrity news is that of the murder of Pistorious’ girlfriend Reeva Steedham. The Olympian claims that he mistaked the 20 – year old TV personality for a burgurlar and did not realize until after he shot her that she was not an intruder. Investigations and court hearings are already underway and the funeral for Reeva was also earlier this week. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on how you look at it, the media has been extremely lenient concerning this tragedy. Most seem to believe Pistorious’s account of events and paint him as the victim and not a possible assailant.
This news came as an extreme surprise to me. I mean, I cheered for this guy during the Olympics, he has no legs for god sakes and he still manages to win. Also, in case you haven’t noticed this man is extremely good looking. His accomplishments have made him a hero and success story for his country of South Africa. When I started to think about how these things may influence how people interpret the case I realized that Pistorious may just get off for this crime that he may have committed.
Perception plays a huge part in how a court case plays out. How a defendant looks or acts can have sway over the decisions of the media or even a jury. Earlier this week, Oscar Pistorious was seen crying uncontrollably during his court appearance. Real or not, it elicited a response from the judge who sympathized and let the man have a moment to collect himself. Pistorious’s general persona as a good looking yet humble start athlete has already influenced anyone who learns of his case. Even I had trouble believing that he actually shot his girlfriend dead. I still can’t fully wrap my head around it.
Hopefully can look past all the good this man has done and focus on the man who possibly committed pre-meditated murder against his innocent girlfriend. Afterall, Ted Bundy was the picture of attractiveness and he killed countless women.
What do you all think? Did he commit the crime or is that impossible? Is the media too weak with coverage of the story or just waiting for more concrete information?
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A Change of Face
So you may think that the pictures above show two completely different people. Unfortunately these are pictures of infamous rapper Lil Kim. The rapper appeared on the scene in the 90’s with her album Hard Core which to most is considered a classic rap album. Even though she may have faded into obscurity in the recent years her name has popped up with details of her feud with fellow rapper Nicki Minaj. You may have heard the song “Stupid Hoe”. However, Kim’s newest chance in the spotlight has nothing to do with music.
This isn’t the first time that Lil’ Kim has dabbled with plastic surgery. Since the 2000’s she has been making minor but noticeable changes to her face. A slimmer nose there, a butt implant there. Now, in 2013 Lil Kim has hit the trifecta of plastic surgery:
Not only does she have lighter skin but a larger chin and even cheek fillers. Why do people get such extensive plastic surgery? Even for Lil Kim who looked halfway decent before all of her procedures. I can understand maybe a bit of Botox once in a while but to so drastically change your body is an extreme. For one, it doesn’t look good and it’s incredibly noticeable and not in a good way.
Maybe this is a way for the rapper to reinvent herself . She has a new album coming out soon and this new scandal may be a way to drum up attention
Read MoreAnother Day, Another Court Hearing
This past week, singer Chris Brown has been dealing with the legal troubles surrounding his beating of Rihanna case. Brown supposedly completed his court–ordered 180 days of community service but recent reports suggest that not only did the singer fail to commit his service but also lied and said that her did. His lawyer stands by his position that Brown is being “tortured” by the DA’s office and being made an example of. I don’t know, I think that if you severely beat a person, then the slap on the wrist punishment you get should at least be completed. Another surprising aspect of these recent court dates is the presence of Rihanna. You may remember that Rihanna was Brown’s victim a few years back when he physically assaulted her inside of his car. It seems that Rihanna has put the traumatic experience behind her.
One would argue that because Rihanna has obviously forgiven Chris Brown for assaulting her, then the court system should as well. Statistically, a woman will return to her abuser 7 times before she leaves him for good. With those odds, Rihanna still has a long way to go. Should the judge let up on Brown because he has “changed his ways” or is it entirely too likely that he will commit the same crime sooner rather than later. It’s not like Brown has stayed away from violence following his assault charge. Just last week he was involved in an altercation with singer Frank Ocean and there have been documented incidents of his violent outbursts.
What do you all think? If a woman supports her abuser, should we assume that she just knows something that we don’t? Or is it impossible for the abuser to ever change from his previous actions? Comment what you think below!
Read MoreHomophobia at Halftime
If you’re not one to keep up on sports (like me), you probably don’t know this man pictured above. I didn’t know who he was either until some comments he made earlier this week started making headlines. This man is Chris Culliver and he is a player for the San Francisco 49ers. Instead of gearing up for the Superbowl on Sunday, Mr. Culliver has brought it upon himself to share his thoughts on homosexuality with the world. Here’s what he had to say:
“I don’t do the gay guys man. I don’t do that. No, we don’t got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can’t be…in the locker room man. Nah.
In addition to a clear lack of respect for grammar, it seems Mr. Culliver has no problem expressing his homophobia in public. If you look at the facts, there has never been an openly gay NFL player in the history of the league. Now, the NFL was founded in 1920, so does that mean that in more than 90 years there have been no gay football players on any of the NFL teams? Of course not. I definitely think that attitudes lie Chris Culliver’s contribute to the lack of openly gay players. If I was a gay football player I probably wouldn’t come out to my team for fear of persecution or violence.
It’s sad that there may be players who are in the NFL or aspiring to play football as a career who can’t fully embrace who they are for fear of people like Culliver. Homophobia in sports is such a big issue and it’s one that tends to be overlooked. As of now Chris Culliver has offered a half-assed apology in which he claims that the comments he made were, “a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel” As if that makes any sense, it’s also a bold-faced lie. His apology is just to save face and doesn’t even touch on the more severe issue at hand. That there is a culture of homophobia within sports and it is not only accepted but encouraged.
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