JENNIFER LAWRENCE NUDE CLICK HERE NOT A SCAM

Almost every headline you read this week has something to do with the recent slew of naughty photos of celebrities that have been leaked to the public. People are all babbling about Jennifer Lawrence and Ariana Grande and whatever other TV and movie stars have been hacked and are now able to be seen nude on the internet. Scott Mendelson's article on Forbes makes a very good point about this event that's got everyone talking. Although many people are calling it a 'scandal,' Mendelson believes it is a straight up crime.

In his article, Mendelson talks about how some are putting the blame for this huge leak of nude photos on the celebrities themselves. "It's their fault for taking those pictures in the first place!" they're all saying. Mendelson sees it another way, putting all the blame solely on the criminal who hacked and released these photos. This is made very apparent when he states "What occurred yesterday is a theft and a crime, plain and simple." He also says that "[t]he victims involved have committed no crime and committed no sin." He is arguing that in this day and age, it is not up to women to protect themselves from the perverts of the world, but rather to "[lessen] mens’ 'demand' to view women as purely a disposable commodity."

As I began the article, I undoubtedly shared the same first thought as any other college guy to read it: "I bet [insert female celebrity] looks damn good naked." However, as I continued, I found myself agreeing with the author on just about every point. I will definitely agree that what was done, with the hacking and publishing and humiliating, was a crime of pretty large proportions. Sure, the guy didn't murder anyone, but he has invaded the privacy of many women and stolen their private property and released it to the public for all to see. It's pretty hard not to agree with him on that statement. However, I didn't agree completely when he said "the shame of that act should be, nay must be, wholly on the perpetrator of said crime." Yes, the guy who hacked these photos and released them is a complete creep and should take most of the responsibility and shame. However, in a world of technology where everything can be accessed so easily and anything you say or do can never be erased, everyone knows that taking such scandalous pictures is very, very risky. I understand that they took them with confidence that they would be safe and hidden, but we've come to know better, haven't we? I mean, Jennifer, you couldn't have just taken something a little more classy?

 Mendelson also brings up a very good thought when he talks about how we, as a society, focus too much on how women can protect themselves, rather than focusing on how men can treat women properly. Personally, I am all for the notion that women are just as capable and deserving as men and should be treated as such. I agreed with just about every point he made on this topic; women aren't just objects or something for men to stare at. 

Scott Mendelson's evaluation of the latest celebrity 'scandal' was very interesting to read about. He makes some very good arguments and it's clear that he is firm in the stances he takes in his article. Reading it gave me a new perspective on the event and I found myself siding with him for much of the article.