Owen Wilson’s hospitalization following a reported suicide attempt sparked a particular fascination because, unlike meltdowns by self-destructive types such as Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears, no one expected this.
Here’s a guy who’s bright, funny, attractive to many (putty nose and all) and wildly successful in our culture’s most glamorous profession. He has what most people want.
Yet no matter how much we read about these folks, we never really know what’s going on with them — at least until we know too much, accurate or not.
So we find ourselves at the crossroads where curiosity and decency meet.
Wilson put out a statement asking the media to “allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.” It’s common sense that aggressive coverage might not be the best tonic for mental health issues.
So how much prying, if any, is appropriate or even moral under these circumstances?
Here are some questions to help draw the lines:
1. Do you think reporters should ask Wilson’s friends and family members about what’s been going on with him?
2. Would you read a story headlined, “Friends, family speak of Wilson’s behavior”?
3. Do you think media types should report which celebrities visit him?
4. When you see a story that Samuel L. Jackson visited Wilson, do you read what he said to reporters? (Reportedly it was “I came to visit Owen Wilson. Get the … away from me.”)
5. Should photographers wait outside the hospital to snap the first pictures of the actor after he is discharged?
6. If you saw an online headline that said, “Wilson released from hospital: First photos!” would you click?
7. Do you think Courtney Love is helping Wilson by publicly accusing another actor of supplying him drugs?
8. Did you talk to anyone about Love’s accusation?
If your answers to the even-numbered questions aren’t the same as your answers to the odd-numbered ones, we have an interesting dynamic here.
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Read Pop Machine, Mark Caro’s blog about popular culture, at bancodeprofissionais.com/popmachine
