For the first time in ages the Academy Awards are to have no host this year. There was a host scheduled. It was supposed to be Kevin Hart. However after Hart was announced, somebody went to great lengths and effort to dig into his old tweets - from 2008. These tweets included sentiments of a homophobic nature.
On discovery of the tweets, the Academy asked Kevin Hart to apologise and disavow the tweets. He refused to this because he believed he should not have to say sorry again. He explained that he no longer feels the way he did back then and claimed he should be forgiven and allowed to evolve.
The age of digital media has brought up several examples like this. Tweeting the wrong thing has been a game-ender for many celebrities. The world has become so polarised and it is playing out online. The big question this kind of thing brings up is "Can celebrities ever be forgiven?"
What is politically correct now is not the same as what was acceptable twenty or even ten years ago. This is illustrated clearly when old sitcoms are rerun. TV shows that we might remember as 'woke' can be truly shocking when revisited and judged by today's standards.
Same sex marriage was only made legal under President Obama. 2020 Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has recently apologised for the previous conservative stance she held towards homosexuality when she was a teenager. She was even involved in supporting conversion therapy. Gabbard recently explained that she grew up in an extremely conservative and religious household. However for the many years she has spent in politics, she has only voted in support of LGBTQ rights. So how do we judge her? Do we forever hold her to how she felt while she was under the influence of her family? Or by what she believes today?
Kevin Hart and Tulsi Gabbard both want redemption, but the question is will the public give it to them? Well the Oscars decided they would not forgive Hart and as a result they will go ahead this year without him.
Can people really change over time? Most people would say yes. If everyone were to be put under this kind of scrutiny over everything from their pasts, it might well be a case of "those without sin should cast the first stone."
