It is annoying to have somebody you don’t know take photos of you. It’s a breach of privacy; but since the paparazzi have the tendency to stalk and engage in disregardful behaviors, they also pose dangers to security. Stealing a photo has been too personal.
Celebrities are the distressed victims of paparazzi. Reality TV personality Kelly Osbourne was hit by a cameraman and told “horrible comments” just to snap a reaction. Jake Gyllenhaal and Taylor Swift, Scarlet Johansson, George Clooney while on a motorcycle and Justin Bieber were all involved in a desperate car chase from paparazzi. Reese Witherspoon and her children can’t enjoy an afternoon in the Disney Park without the ruin of a following camera. The Royal couple William and Kate could not have a getaway without an intrusion. It’s like they’re never alone.
France has a law to prevent celebrity harassment in public. This is where actress Halle Berry wants to move her 4 year old daughter after paparazzi “terrorized” them. Yet we know that Princess Diana of Wales died in a car accident in Paris blamed on reckless paparazzi.
Should we have the same law in America? This will grant celebrities favored treatment, making them even more special than the average human. If every profession should have a law for their protection, then we should have a law against injury on carpenters or against cussing on customer service agents. There’s danger to the nature of every jobs.
The paparazzi’s living is to produce controversial captures of celebrities. It’s vindictive to think that they’re making money out of someone else’s privacy, but famous people make money from their publicity. It’s an exchange for one another, and they supplement each other’s profession.
Still, we can’t neglect the fact that competitive behaviors of paparazzi are dangerous not only to their target but also to the sidewalk and other uninvolved people. This is where the law has jurisdiction against illegal driving, physical assault, scrutiny and harassment. Those are enough laws for every person, celebrity or not, to have a right for protection.
Would you exchange privacy for fame?