August 15, 2006

Humiliating Boy George.

Lots of photographers turned out yesterday to snap Boy George as he swept the streets in performance of court-ordered public service. George snapped back with obscenities, which look nasty in writing but sound fairly good-natured in the video clip. It was, as his lawyers argued, a media circus, and it did impose a much greater degree of punishment on him that the same work imposes on someone who is ignored. After 10 minutes, George is reassigned to indoor work, as if the spectacle with the photographers had not been predictable all along. I feel sorry for him and annoyed at the authorities for subjecting him to this, but only just very slightly.

7 comments:

SWBarns said...

This is similar to Ken Lay's "perp walk" in handcuffs. Sixty year old, overweight, arteriosclerosis . . . better cuff him” Maybe Layed would be a better verb.

Palladian said...

"Humiliating Boy George."

He's more than capable of doing that all by himself, than you very much.

cyberbini said...

I couldn't stand Culture Club's music in 80's but I have to admit that every interview or story about this guy is fascinating. I have no doubt that a throng of reporters following him around asking questions during his community service was a total hoot for an attention-seeker like Boy George.

Sanjay said...

I could, just conceivably, turn out as a good career move too. So I'd imagine the judge would have had to consider that as well -- yeah, a media circus, but yeah, that could go lots of ways.

I mean, now, if you could get _enough_ members of a band that had broken up -- and get them to perform community service _together_ --- hey, yeah. that'd be spectacular!

Robert said...

He missed a chance to gain some public affection back. If he'd clowned with his broom, smiled about being out there, made an earnest speech about paying his debt to society - ANYTHING positive would have played well.

Ann Althouse said...

Robert, he did clown with his broom. Watch the video clip at the link.

Jed Sorokin-Altmann said...

I'm quite irked at the authorities for putting him outside... We no longer have a system of humiliation, placing criminals in the stocks for the amusement and jeering of passersby. This was not fair to George.