Choose a famous, well-known person (dead or alive) who has been shunned
by society or who has been involved in a scandal. Discuss how this person dealt with the scandal and if he/she was damaged, rectified, or glorified for it. Decide
which "letter" this person should wear as a result, and what that letter stands for. Please DO NOT USE the same person as someone else. If it's posted first, consider it "taken."
Not really a "scandal" but a bit controversial and a breakthrough, and within the last year too, was when Jason Collins became the first person in major US sports to openly announce his homosexuality. It took him 11 years as a pro to do so, and it was probably because now was the only time where society would not consider it a "scandal". Maybe 10-20 years ago, if he would have dealt with it like he did now, by openly announcing and putting his pride out there, he would have been damaged and judged by many more people than today. There have even been cases in the past where NCAA players and pro players have been marked with an "H" for their homosexuality within sports and shunned by it by the social media. Now, Collins probably would wear the same H, but like Hester, changed it into a new meaning of pride for himself, "H"onor or something, as he knows it stands for whatever he makes it stand for.
ReplyDeleteAlright, some I'm gonna go a tad fanboy here right now, get over it. I absolutely love Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, ever since I first heard the song Otherside by them I've loved their music together. Back on topic now, so they release Otherside in 2011, the song becomes Macklemores first and one of his greatest hits ever, go look the orgional up now, its great, but that's beside the point. The song is basically all about how drugs really mess up your life and over the years it helps a lot of people get over their drug addictions, and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis kinda become beacons for not doing drugs. So a couple months ago, Macklemore has a huge scandal because he was caught doing drugs at a party after being almost 2 years clean. People are devastated and a lot of people lose faith in him. So, he releases another hit song called Starting Over apologizing for what he did, and releases a huge amount of public statements apologizing for what he had done, and even with all this negativity towards him he still manages to release the best album of the year, being the artist in 30 some odd years to do it without the backing of a producer. Macklemore would probably wear whatever letter he could find at the thrift shop to wear.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTwWB1T-zzc
Deleteheres the link because you know u wanna listen to this, also im a dirty liar, Otherside came out in 2009.
Richard Millhouse Nixon was accused of ordering men to spy on republicans which is now known as the Watergate scandal. He wasn't caught at first but suspicious activity and his Machiavellian behavior really gave it away. He hid this from Congress for more than a year until he was caught. Most Americans were infuriated by Nixon because of his actions and this led him to going on national television and saying... " I am not a CROOK". The scandal got so bad that Nixon tried to deny everything and acted really shady. Eventually this scandal was taken to the Supreme Court in U.S v. Nixon. And finally Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. Nixon would probably wear a big fat "L" because he lied to congress. Who in their right mind would lie to congress? (except Obama can't trust that dude).
ReplyDeleteOne very famous person involved in a scandal was President Ronald Reagan, who was involved in the Iran-Contra affair. On July 8, 1985, President Reagan told the American Bar Association that Iran was part of a "confederation of terrorist states." He failed to mention that members of his administration were secretly planning to sell weapons to Iran to facilitate the release of U.S. hostages held in Lebanon by pro-Iranian terrorist groups. Profits from the arms sales were secretly sent to Nicaragua to aid rebel forces, known as the contras, in their attempt to overthrow the country's democratically elected government. The incident became known as the Iran-Contra Affair and was the biggest scandal of Reagan's administration. The weapons sale to Iran was authorized by Robert McFarlane, head of the National Security Council (NSC), in violation of U.S. government policies regarding terrorists and military aid to Iran. NSC staff member Oliver North arranged for a portion of the $48 million paid by Iran to be sent to the contras, which violated a 1984 law banning this type of aid. North and his secretary Fawn Hall also shredded critical documents. President Reagan repeatedly denied rumors that the United States had exchanged arms for hostages but later stated that he'd been misinformed. He created a Special Review Board to investigate. In February 1987, the board found the president not guilty. Others involved were found guilty but either had their sentences overturned on appeal or were later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush. I think that Reagan should have been forced to wear the letter "D", as he deceived the American people and threw attention away from himself in order to blame others involved in the scandal.
ReplyDeleteA very recent scandal is the Edward Snowden scandal. Snowden released classified information about the US governments tracking of people at home, abroad and the collection of data. Snowden fled the country seeking asylum in foreign lands. Eventually Russia gave him asylum. If Snowden ever comes back to the United States, he will be put on trial and probably tried for treason. He was shunned from society and he created one of the biggest scandals in the 21st century. A letter that he should wear is the letter "T." He should wear this letter because it can stand for traitor, trial, or treason. If Snowden ever returns to the US, he will be put on trial for, most likely, treason, and he is already called a traitor.
ReplyDeleteWell, since the majority of these posts are about presidents and the government (which is very ironic), I think I'm going to pick a person who has nothing to do with the government. Unless you have been living under a rock, I'm sure most of the world has heard about Miley Cyrus' VMA performance. This performance, for obvious reasons that probably aren't appropriate for this blog, was considered scandalous by most people. While some may not consider this a true "scandal", I believe that it is. A scandal can be defined as "a disgraceful or discreditable action." The reactions received prior to her performance clearly proved her actions to be absolutely disgraceful and discreditable. The awards show was targeted towards audiences that included children, and her performance was definitely not kid-friendly. After her performance, Cyrus received a huge media backlash that went on for weeks. Still, today, people are talking about it! Her response was surprising to me. After the awards show, she went on numerous talk shows and TV shows like SNL and Jimmy Fallon to talk about her scandalous move. She politely explained why she did what she did, but didn't apologize for anything. I think that her response was mature, which sharply contrasts the event she had to defend and respond to! I think that her image was most definitely skewed and ruined after that performance. Despite her attempts at trying to publicize her "break-up" with Disney and her "good-girl" image, she ruined her reputation. Now, just like Hester in the Scarlet Letter, Miley will most likely always be associated with her scandal. As for letters, there are many, many letters that you could give Miley that could stand for a number of different, and maybe less-than-appropriate things. However, to keep it G-rated, I would say that Miley could wear the letter "B" for "Bold". Her actions were bold and the fact that she didn't apologize for any of it is even bolder.
ReplyDelete#TEAMMILEY
DeleteA scandal that occurred around 15 years ago was the Monica Lewinsky scandal in which Bill Clinton was accused of having an affair with a woman named Monica Lewinsky, an intern at the White House during Clinton's first term. Clinton's immediate reaction was to deny it and he even stated "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." For months on end the media and the public debated over whether this affair was fact or just lies. Those who thought that Clinton was lying lost respect for the President and in a way lost trust in the nation. He was despised so much that he was even put in trial for impeachment yet somehow was acquitted and remained in office. Therefore I feel that the best letter that would fit Clinton would be "I" for Impeachment because even though he wasn't impeached, he was one of the few presidents who was put on trial for it. The letter will show how there could have been consequences for his actions and that he could have been one of the few presidents to be impeached (a consequence that could scar a man for life).
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest and most outspoken scandals during this past summer was Paula Deen's admission that she has used racial slurs numerous times. But that was not even all of it. She has also planned to have African Americans dressed as slaves for a "Southern" wedding. She bluntly said "no" when the question "Are you a racist?" rose. Yet, she admitted in an interview that she frequently used the racial slur. After this scandal blew up and almost everyone knew about it, Paula Deen her sponsors cut ties with her. She took on her public appearance on June 26 and apologized during her interview on 'Today' and said "[...]please pick up that stone and throw it so hard at my head that it kills me [...] I is what I is and I’m not changin’." That last part caused an uproar because it almost seemed as if she was not going to learn from her mistakes and become a better Paula Deen, which baffled everyone. If she were to have a scarlet letter, it would be an "I" for "Ignorant". She was asked if using the n-word was hurtful, and she replied "I can't, myself, determine what offends another person," as if she did not know any better.
ReplyDeleteMichael Phelps was banned from USA Swimming for three months in 2009 after a photo of him smoking marijuana surfaced. Because of this, Phelps lost his chance to swim in the Grand Prix, and also his major scholarship deals with the Kellogg Company. In 2004, Phelps was arrested for drunk driving and spent 18 months on parole. A third scandal to hit Phelps was after his triumph in Beijing, when he was caught gambling and flirting with a stripper. These scandals led people to see and think about Phelps differently. The view of Phelps changed. He lost a lot of what he worked hard for.
ReplyDeleteThe letter I would choose for Phelps is the letter "M". The letter would indicate marijuana turned into Mature. When the scandal arose, Phelps did not try to flaunt anything about it, instead he apologized maturely and sincerely.
DeleteWell since I'm a huge fan of country music I had to pick the most heartbreaking scandal for me, which was when country singer Jason Aldean cheated on his wife. Jason Aldean had a squeaky clean reputation as a loving family man and a wholesome, down to earth southern boy. That changed in September of 2012 when photographs were released that showed Jason kissing Brittany Kerr, who was an American Idol contestant at the time, at a bar. This was a huge shock for all of Jason's fans, as many felt personally betrayed by him. He has many love songs on his albums about his wife, who was his high school sweetheart, and cheating on her made fans feel as if he had lied to them on those songs. To make up for his mistakes Jason tweeted to his fans saying, "Hey Guys – I wanted to talk to you directly, so you were hearing the truth from me. The truth is that I screwed up. I had too much to drink, let the party get out of hand and acted inappropriately at a bar. I left alone, caught the bus to our next show and that's the end of the story. I ultimately ended up embarrassing my family and myself. I'm not perfect, and I'm sorry for disappointing you guys." Jason's fans accepted his personal apology to them and the scandal was largely forgotten until Jason and his wife separated the following January and divorced in April. I think that Jason Aldean should wear the letter "C", for "changed", as his actions caused a change to his image, as well as forever changed him in the minds of many of his fans. </3 *tear
ReplyDelete:( <\3
DeleteClass, I am SO impressed so far. These are perfect examples, and I love reading about your knowledge of history, politics, and modern media. Just a reminder to not engage with our cute little troll. I am changing the settings this week so that this blog with be private for our class and he shall be vanquished!
ReplyDeleteOne surprising scandal was the conviction of Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart outwardly appeared to be a innocent business woman, talk show host and best selling author. She gained success through her many business ventures such as her own magazine, Martha Stewart Living. To the surprise of many in 2004 Martha was convicted of charges related to a stock scandal. She had sold a large part of her stock the night before it fell in order to avoid a huge loss. It is believed her broker gave her nonpublic information. Stewart dealt with the scandal by trying to avoid making statements. when questioned about the scandal she would not answer. She also rightfully stepped down from her CEO position. By Stewart not addressing the scandal she was able to retain some of her dignity. While she was obviously in the wrong she did appear to have her pride. While Martha Stewart's media empire was temporarily damaged by her scandal i think she handled the situation as best as possible eventually returning her business to earning profit . Martha deserves an "p" for perseverance after her mistake she retained her dignity and moved forward with her life
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if replies to removed comments go through
Deleteyes yes they do
DeletePresident Warren G. Harding's The Teapot Dome scandal, to me, was quite surprising. Within this scandal, Harding's Secretary of the Interior sold the right to oil reserves in Teapot Dome in Wyoming and some other select locations, all in exchange for personal profit. He was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to jail, as he rightfully deserved. The letter that best suits Warren for his injustice would most definitely be either a G for greed, or C for corruptness.
ReplyDeleteLance Armstrong is a classic example of scandalous. He said he had doped, beginning in the mid-1990s, through 2005, the year he won his record seventh Tour. He also said he used banned supplements including testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO. Armstrong had this bottled up and a secret for years. He had his Tour de France awards taken away, Olympic award, and Livestrong had dropped him. Armstrong 's career is done and is not allowed into many events due to his doping. I think the letter 'D' could represent him in that he is a Doper and his doping was the biggest in cycling ever. Doping is extremely frowned upon in professional sports.
ReplyDeleteA well known scandal in history is Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. When Tweed got elected into Tammany Hall he wasn't powerful enough to buy and use force to get votes, he also stole millions from New York city, he would bill the city millons more than the actually cost of something; a courthouse cost 3 millon to build and Tweed billed the city 13 million. The actually cost of the courthouse was leaked to the New York Times and Tweed and his circle were rounded up and put in jail for forgery and larceny. He escaped from prison and fled to Cuba but extradition forced the Cubans to give Tweed back to the States.
ReplyDeleteTweed's use of bribery and force to obtain power was typical of the Golden Era. Corruption and the rich dominated. I think a good letter for him would be B for Bully. All the power and wealth he got was from bribery and blackmail. He was a simple bully, to afraid to try without using force.
DeleteAlex Rodriguez is perhaps the most scandalous name in all of professional sports. He admitted to using Performance Enhancing Drugs in his years with the Texas Rangers from 2001-2004 during which he hit an average of 52 homeruns a year with a .305 batting average. These numbers alone are tremendous, but mean nothing when obtained through cheating. Alex admitted to this and has also stated that his career has been clean since 2004. However, this previous year his name was found among several other professional baseball players at the Biogenesis Lab in Florida. This lab supplied these players with Performance Enhancing Drugs, mainly Human Growth Hormone. Most of the players whose names were attached to the clinic served a 50 game suspension, however Alex Rodriguez was slapped with a 211 game suspension which he is currently appealing to overturn or shorten. I believe that A-Rod should wear the letter "C" for Cheater because stats in professional sports mean nothing if not obtained by pure talent and hard work.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, Casey Anthony was an infamous figure in the media. She was notorious for being a suspect to her own daughter's murder case. Famous radio stations, magazines, and television shows added to the gossip about the vicious murder that she may have committed. In America, the accused usually has a right of being innocent until proven guilty. Although, legally, she was considered innocent, the whole country was all up in arms accusing her of committing the crime. When the trial ended, and she was found innocent, the people doubted the verdict. What people do not understand is that the court system and forensic scientists, although sometimes wrong, are almost always correct. She was never guilty, but she had to take on all the shame society wrongfully placed on her. Not only was she grieving over the loss of her own child, but she was torn apart inside over how people could accuse her of such a heinous felony. Media made her out to be a horrible mom and a cold criminal, when no one really knows her. Even upon being found innocent, she received death threats from people all over the nation. She was forced to go into hiding, haunted by her daughters death and scared of the entire world. I suppose the letter that society would place on her is "M" for murderer. But, to her, the letter would always be "M" for misunderstood.
ReplyDeleteShe didn't seem too upset when she was partying when her child was missing.. She didn't even call the police, it was her mom who called a month after not seeing Caylee..
DeleteA huge scandal back in the 1800's, at the start of government mistrust and misuse was the "Corrupt Bargain". It was a presidential election, between Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, John Q. Adams and William H. Crawford. In this time, whoever received majority of the votes won the elections. Yet none of these four men did. Therefore the top three candidates were chosen be voted for in the House of Representatives, with each man receiving only one vote. Henry Clay fell short, receiving the least amount of votes. However he was the Speaker of the House, holding an immense influence over the other congressmen. Clay supported Adams and he ended up being elected for President. In return for the support and helping him with election, Adams made Clay his Secretary of State. Jackson and his supporters were furious, calling the whole deal a "corrupt bargain" between the two men. Adams received president and Clay was in position to get the next presidency as he now had foreign experience. People did not support Adams, refusing to let him do his job as they thought of him and Clay as cheaters. Neither would win another presidential election because of this mistrust, even though it is still questionable whether they ever actually had a deal. I believe people of this time would of forced them to wear either a C for cheaters or an M for misuse of the government to get what they want.
ReplyDeleteeach congressman only had one vote****
DeleteOkay i just found this and im laughing so hard about The Larry Craig Scandal. Apparently in June 2007 Senator Larry Craig was arrested for lewd conduct in a men’s restroom at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. A police officer was stationed in one of the stalls after multiple reports of sexual activity. Craig entered the stall next to the officer and began reaching under the stall to "signal" and the officer responded by putting his badge under the stall and pointing to the exit. Craig should wear a "P" for pervert because that's really quite ridiculous, like control yourself honestly. Peace.
ReplyDeleteJFK had several scandals. He was what we may a "ladies man." He had several affairs on his wife Jackie. She was aware of them, which im not sure why she stayed with him, like have some self respect honey. Any who, possibly one of his most famous affairs was with Marilyn Monroe. She famously sung "happy birthday Mr. President" at his bday gala. After, JFK came on stage and joked about the song, saying, "I can now retire from politics after having had Happy Birthday sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way," alluding to Monroe's delivery, her racy dress, and her image in general. So, he kind of played it off and joked about it. That's what he seemed to do with his other various affairs. JFK would get the letter "A" probably.. or "M-W" if ya know what i mean...
ReplyDeleteThere is one name that stands out to me as a scandalous person who has been in the media recently. That being George Zimmerman. He was, not too long ago, in the news for shooting and killing an unarmed, African American teenager (Trayvon Martin) while walking to his house through a gated community. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watchman who saw Trayvon Martin and thought of him as suspicious. So, he calls 911, and asks what he should do. The operator tells him not to follow Trayvon, yet Zimmerman does anyway. When he approaches Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman thinks that Martin is pulling out a gun when he wasn't. So Zimmerman pulls his gun out and shoots Trayvon Martin in "self defense". Afterwards, Zimmerman went on trial for the murder of the boy. He turned out not guilty Society, for the most part, hated him. Many called his actions, racist, and unethical. If he was to be given a letter, he would wear the letter M for Murder. Or possibly R for Racism.
ReplyDeleteOne scandalous person in history was Anne Hutchinson. In a time when women had little power or standing in society, she proudly proclaimed her beliefs and. Anne Hutchinson lived in a highly religious community, but she developed her own beliefs. Soon, she began holding religious gatherings in her house. A majority of the town and it's leaders were not happy about this and soon they banished her to Rhode Island. Anne Hutchinson left with dignity and continued her religious preaching in Rhode Island. I think the letter Anne Hutchinson should were is R because the scandal she was involved in was due to religion.
ReplyDeletea well known scandalous person is Britney spears and when she shave her head in a bath room. after her scandal and the uproar in society Britney laid low for a while almost as though she was ashamed by what she did because people thought she was crazy and she lost custody of her children. however she ended up making a impressive recovery and being a well known and liked pop star again so I guess in the end she just ignored it and got people to forget bee scandal. Britney should wear the letter C for come back because a lot of people thought she wouldn't be able to come back from that.
ReplyDelete#TEAMBRITNEY
DeleteImmediately prior to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the warship U.S.S. Maine mysteriously exploded in a stunning fireball of doom. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOM," went the warship, as it sunk beneath the waves in the harbor of Havana, sounding the death knell of Spanish control of Cuba. The true cause of the Maine's destruction was unknown, but the opportunistic newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst recognized a tantalizing opportunity to sell his papers by asserting that the barbaric Spanish orchestrated the blast. Merely days before, Hearst had published a letter written by the Spanish diplomat to the United States of America, Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, to the central Spanish government, which contained criticisms of President McKinley, so the American people were already spoiling for a fight with Spain before the loss of the Maine. Hearst's sensationalization of the facts regarding the destruction of the Maine caused Americans to truly thirst for Spanish blood, a bloodlust Congress satiated with the Spanish-American War (ROUGH RIDERS!). Anyway, Hearst's unethical, disreputable journalism practices were a contributing cause of a war, and benefited him financially. One could go so far as to deem it scandalous.
ReplyDeleteIn 2009, Tiger Woods publicly admitted to cheating on his wife. Previous to this, there had been rumors of affairs. Eventually, more than a dozen women came forward about affairs with the golfer, even releasing voicemails and text messages that Wood had sent to back up their accusations. Not only was Wood faced with divorce papers, he lost endorsements with Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade, and General Motors. It was even estimated the shareholder loss caused by Woods’ affairs to be between five and twelve billion. Woods was definitely damaged by the scandal. If Tiger was to wear a letter, it would be “I” for infidelity, for he was extremely unfaithful to his wife and even said he thought he could get away with anything he wanted too.
ReplyDeleteone scandalous person that is well known for their bizarre behavior is Amanda Bynes. Amanda Bynes quit her acting career and suddenly began to act strange. She wore a blond wig, said racial slurs to multiple people, charged with multiple DUI's and other scandalous things. She is not praised for the things she has done but it has also made her very popular once again. She is now in rehab due to her mental state. I think Amanda Bynes should wear the letter "C" for her crazy behavior and for her crucial comments that was made to other celebrities.
ReplyDelete