Are Celebrities Entitled to a Private Life?

It's a sultry afternoon, and you are strolling by the local store. On the shelves, you see the latest issue of The Stardust magazine, and the headline is reading that Chris Brown allegedly linked to a drug dealer. Just a few days earlier you were reading from People Magazine and once an apple in the pop world, Britney Spears has again overdosed on drugs and is back to the rehab. Whether true or false, such articles and many others are published day by day. The media might believe that they are bringing people the latest news updates, but behind the flash of media lenses, some real people are affected. Making celebrity lives a publicity harms them and the people around them. For this reason, the private lives of celebrities should be hidden from the public.

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Privacy problems are not well articulated. Consequently, the public lacks an account of what is at stake when an individual's privacy is exposed. Similar to freedom, privacy means so many different things to people who have lost it. In the light of evidence from a study, Rossler (2018) asserts that celebrities have suffered from psychological distress due to their lives being exposed in the media. What's more is that the people around them are affected as well. For example, the American society went berserk following the exposure of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewis relationship. The president popularity would go down as many people came to despise him. The worst of all is that the president became a laughing stock and a joke for every television host. This must have caused Clinton a lot of mental pressure, but he is just a human being who is susceptible to mistakes. The press even went further to interrogate his family in the quest to establish how they feel about the issue. His wife and daughter were the first to be interviewed. Asking a daughter how she feels about his father infidelity is uncalled-for. William, Sawyer, and Wahlstrom (2012) report that lousy parent's relationship can increase the risk of a child to develop psychological and behavioral problems. The daughters must have been mentally disturbed that the whole country knows of his father infidelity. Even though people believe that by becoming a celebrity you must give up your private life, but the privacy of people around them should be respected for the sake of the harm distress it causes.

Celebrities are also ordinary people who want to spend time alone. Characteristic of a human being, there are times when you feel that you want to be in solitude and stay away from other people. This is the times you lock up yourself in a room or take a trip to some far away land. Isolation allows for people to boot up their brain and calm down. Being 'on' continuously does not let the mind relax and replenish itself (Fritz et al., 2013). Unfortunately, celebrities do not have this choice of experiencing the peaceful break from outside world. Even when you think that a star will have a chance to spend a calm time at home, there is a paparazzi somewhere hidden in the bush documenting their moves. Not only do the paparazzi monitor these celebrities moves but also what comes out of their garbage. Taking a private vacation to the tropical island is not an option as well. You will wonder who even told the press that celebrity is traveling. They will be the first to welcome the celebrities with their camera flicks. Nothing in these people lives can be kept a secret. These people will have much stress on their shoulders not to make a fool of themselves and act per the expectation of the public. The fact that they do not have time to spend some time alone denies them some psychological benefits.

Even though it is argued that the media are going extreme in being involved in the lives of public figures, theoretically, the constitution does not mention any rights to privacy. Solove (2018) argues that the right to privacy is just conception of people who try to interpret the constitution. However, legislators believe that every citizen deserves privacy. Accordingly, some laws have been passed regarding taking pictures of regular lives or put differently documenting personal lives of individuals without their consent. For example, the state of Missouri recognizes three categories of violation of privacy rights apposite to taking pictures. These are invasion upon solitude, expose of private facts to the public and misuse of an individual's identity. A person found guilty of either of the above accounts will be held liable for trespass.

All things considered, it seems rational to advocate for celebrity right to private life. Lack of privacy has psychological effects on both the celebrity and their family. The distress can be overwhelming and perhaps lead to even worse mental complications. Even though the constitution does not spell out laws on privacy, just like average citizens, public figures deserve some secrecy. Even though some tort laws are developed to make privacy a right, it will be long before they make significant achievements.

References

Fritz, C. et al., 2013. Embracing work breaks. Organizational Dynamics, 4(42), pp. 274-280.

Rossler, B., 2018. The value of privacy. s.l.:John Wiley & Sons.

Solove, D., 2008. Understanding privacy. s.l.:Havard University Press.

Williams, B., Sawyer, S. & Wahlstrom, C., 2012. Marriages, families, and intimate relationships. s.l.:Pearson Higher Ed.