CeeLo Green landed himself in hot water after a series of controversial tweets about rape. After being accused of drugging and raping his date in 2012, Green pleaded no contest to providing her with ecstasy last Tuesday.
After his plea deal, Green immediately took to Twitter, saying, “People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!” The reaction against these and many more of Green’s tweets was immediate and harsh, resulting in him deleting and then rejoining Twitter. And as a result of his comments, two of his concerts were canceled.

The backlash CeeLo Green faced is exactly how rape accusations and insensitive statements should be handled by the public, especially in regard to male celebrities.
Often, when a woman is raped or abused by a celebrity, fans are hesitant to take him to task for the crime. Some cannot believe that their beloved singer, actor or athlete could do something so heinous. Others believe that said abusive acts are part of one’s personal life and should have no bearing on their professional work.

For example, when the initial video of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious then-fiance Janay Rice out of a casino elevator was released to the public, many people were still in support of the football player and his career.
It was only when a second video actually showing him punching her in the face was released that the Baltimore Ravens dropped him, the NFL suspended him and public outrage ensued. But even then, many still questioned Janay Rice, wondering why she not only stayed with Rice but also married him after he abused her.

This victim-blaming mentality toward those who have been abused by male celebrities is not uncommon.

When Dylan Farrow penned an open letter in The New York Times about her sexual assault at the hands of her adoptive father Woody Allen, many people blamed her. Some questioned why she waited so long while others outright accused her of lying. Many of the celebrities Allen has worked with, some of whom Farrow called out in the letter, did not comment.

However, the exact opposite has occurred in Green’s situation.

After his slew of offensive tweets, fans and non-fans alike addressed him directly. The backlash was so intense that he deleted the individual tweets then temporarily deleted his Twitter account.
Even after that, the backlash would not die down and Green rejoined Twitter to make a semi-apology, stating, “I truly and deeply apologized for the comments attributed to be on Twitter. Those comments were idiotic, untrue and not what I believe.” Or, in other words, it wasn’t me.

Thankfully, Green’s bogus apology did nothing to quell the situation, turning it from online backlash to real-world consequences. Just days after the tweets, Green has been dropped from two concerts. Green’s first performance was to take place during a Gretna Heritage Festival in Louisiana. Concert organizers have stated in a Facebook post that Green “does not represent the festival’s wholesome family environment.”
His second concert was to take place during a U.S. Navy-sponsored Freedom Live show. Navy Officials posted a statement via Facebook, saying that “the lack of sensitivity towards an issue that is one of the great challenges facing our Navy is unacceptable.”

It should also be noted that Green will not be returning as a judge on “The Voice” or his reality show “The Good Life.”
It may seem harsh to applaud another person’s downfall but considering the fact that the woman Green allegedly drugged and raped will live with this for the rest of her life, Green should see some lasting effects as well.
Let’s continue to hold celebrities accountable like we did with Green, because fame should never excuse someone’s actions.

Mandisa Shields is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter
@mandisashields.

Published on September 11, 2014 at 12:16 am