Profiting from Crime or Good Deeds
Recently, there have been stories surfacing about those who profit from their crime or good deeds. Take the Runaway Bride, who just signed a million dollar deal for her story as the jolted bride. Who among us cannot forget how Martha Stewart, already a diva in her own right prior to her arrest, has now been courted by the Donald for a reality T.V. series. Or what about Mark Felt, also known as deep throat, who has exclusive book and movie rights for his now infamous story. There is also the famous witness, Amber Frye, who was writing her book as she was preparing her testimony against Scott Peterson. And then there is the heroic Ashlee Smith, known for her ability to talk a prisoner into surrendering after those horrible shootings in Atlanta. All people who are to make money from their 15 seconds of fame. (with the exception of Martha, who was already making money beforehand.)
So here is the question of the day: Do individuals, whether criminals or heros, have a right to profit from their acts of heroism or criminal behavior? Do you distinguish between profiting from crime vs. profiting from acts of heroism? Where do you draw the line? Please weigh in on the subject.
Thank you for your minds.
So here is the question of the day: Do individuals, whether criminals or heros, have a right to profit from their acts of heroism or criminal behavior? Do you distinguish between profiting from crime vs. profiting from acts of heroism? Where do you draw the line? Please weigh in on the subject.
Thank you for your minds.
19 Comments:
how would you know where to draw a line? i would assume in this country everyone has a right to "their" story, whether hero or criminal. i'm going to be optimistic and think that something positive could come from both. whether it's the "runaway bride" making money and using that to help herself or repay the places that are looking to be reimbursed for their searches, etc.; or whether it's a criminal talking about their whatever crimes -- maybe they get help, maybe someone else learns something positive or how to prevent something.
why are we so negative about these people profiting, when businesses and others profit from "questionable" practices all the time? i can see the point of a mother whose child was killed not wanting the murderer to profit from it; but on the other hand, the mother could tell her "story" and profit as well -- so how could you tell where to draw the line? i can't see how.
(i absolutely love you questions, but feel i go in circles pondering them -- it's good, makes me think! thanks!)
C'mon. Don't we all secretly wish to do something that is socially terrible, like robbing a bank and spending it all in Vegas? And then you get to write about it too, and bask in the glory of fame. How can you lose?
My husband and I were just talking about this yesterday -- the Runaway Bride thing. This is one of those things where I "feel" a certain way about it, but don't know that I can justify it logically, so I will leave my rants off for now. My reaction is more emotional than anything that I find it incredulous that this "bride" is going to cash in for a colossal lapse in judgment and obviously some planning aforethought, and now she is glorified. Elise makes excellent points, too, and since I don't know where I exactly land on the topic (My brain: "Yes, that's true...but oh, that's a good point, I hadn't thought of that..."), then I know that I am just thinking with my gut and my emotions instead of in an objective way.
Like Whit said, it is difficult to not have an averse gut reaction when you see someone profit from something as silly as getting cold feet before your wedding and having a serious lapse in judgement.
That being said, they have every right to put their story up for sale in the public arena, just like I have every right to completely ignore it and keep my money in my pocket.
TOUCHE' Godless Mom! You captured my sentiments exactly...rights or no rights; right or wrong; my money won't be lining the pockets of these ninnies!
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/
03/03/findlaw.analysis.hilden.profits/
Get rich schemes are the pulse of the American Dream and that's all
I say let them write their books/make their movies. They'll realize how fleeting fame is and I won't spend my money on them.
I agree with what everyone has said so far, but this still really bothers me. When the runaway bride was missing for several days, I was really worried. I thought about her often and hoped that she was okay. (BTW, I read that her deal was for $500,000, not a million.) It really pissed me off when I learned that she had duped all of us. How immature. And now she gets to profit from it? I'm not saying she doesn't have a right to do so, but I think it's in poor taste. I wouldn't mind a quick half million -- maybe I can think of some ridiculous stunt.
I believe the market will determine whether these publishers made a good decision or not. I find it hard to believe that anyone will want to see the story on the screen - we all saw enough of it on CNN and every other news story ad nauseum.
Another viewpoint - right now there are several companies which are making money off her escapades, naming their products, "Runaway Bride," or some nonsense (I believe one company sells hot sauces). Due to the media's choosing to overexpose her, she's getting used in a way that most folks don't. In other words, the media created a situation where her likeness can be used in such a way that she has no right to stop them. People are profiting at her expense and she has no recourse to stop such use. As such, it's only right that she profit, too, in the name of parity, fairness.
The market will say what there value is. How much someone is willing to pay etc. Unless you outlaw freedom of the press how can it be otherwise?
There is such a law in the UK that prevents media from paying criminals for their story.
Hey, it is capitalism!
And for the run-away bride, her punishment should be marriage to that yahoo, then exile to Alaska to be a deck hand on a crab fishing boat.
I would rather have freedom of the press than the British Nanny state. Letting the reader make the decision than the gov't nanny.
I'm not so sure as to whether or not it's a matter of "rights" or just simply the fact that: let's be honest, we LOVE that stuff. What is popular TV? Reality. Shockers. True to life events.
We don't want to see the house that was built for a family in need---we want to see how it was built. We don't want to see the person after they are made over -- we want to see each and every step of the process. We don't want to know which bachlor/bachlorette was chosen, we want to know which ones didn't get chosen, and why, along the way.
To relate it to the stories you brought up (which are a bit closer to "reality")...Why does anyone care that a woman ran off before her wedding day? The reason it's even possible for her to be payed a large sum of $ for the story is so that we, the veiwers, can see every detail of the process: thoughts before during after from everyone involved. We like drama. And life is dramatatic. But not my OWN life...just someone else's. I (the viewer) want to see the details of someone else's life.
This is a rough sketch of my thoughts on the subject, not well said! I apologize :) It's late!!
(I should mention: "we" and "I" were used VERY loosely in that comment and really do not represent fully what I personally think about reality TV!!)
I think godlessmom put it best vis a vis "the runaway bride". Checkout line tabloids are doing stellar business, even in the absence of MY financial support peddling JUST that sort of crap. It's her story and she has every right to make money on it. As for the extremes of the spectrum--heroes and villains--I believe that true heroes don't ask for compensation (but given that rent is due, and not even the beneficiaries of their heroism are lining up to pay for their groceries and car loan, I would never begrudge them an opportunity to make their good deeds pay). As a matter of public policy, criminals must be barred from any enrichment to be had in the telling of their tales, if only to prevent the more twisted from compounding their misdeeds in order to make the retelling that much more lurid.
Barb, whats up with all the blogs being deleted and then coming back again? I'm soooo confused ...
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It saddens me to think that people would do the right thing in hope that they'd be monetarily rewarded.
Without a doubt people who commit crimes shouldn't be monetarily rewarded! Is there no shame in commiting a crime? Are we thus teaching people to seek out unique ways to break the law in hopes for fame and fortune?
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