The Sony Hack Will Define Hypocrisy Downwards

It was only a few months ago that everybody
was livid when A-list celebs were hacked and naked selfies flooded
the internet like Nigerian get-rich-quick emails used to. With the
hack of Sony and the exposure of terabytes of confidential data,
emails, and more, all we’re interested in is just how awful
Hollywood really is:

There is unapologetic prurience at the chance to get a real
behind-the-scenes look at an industry long notorious for its
wicked, backbiting, and hypocritical ways. Big-shot producer Scott
Rudin tells Sony co-chair Amy Pascal he thinks Angelina Jolie is
“a minimally talented spoiled brat”? A-List
director David Fincher is as difficult as Hitler was anti-Semitic? Tell us
more!

In
a new column for Time, I argue that as hacks become more common
and more public, expect people to become in general to become more
forgiving:

Even a few decades ago, the release of nude photos was enough to
cost Miss America her crown. However mortified they might be
personally, none of the celebrities outed in the nude picture hack
can claim much if any damage to their professional life. So it is
with Hollywood hypocrisy and scandalous personal behavior, which
has never been in short supply.

Short of revelations of serious crime—such as the
rape allegations Bill Cosby is facing—the public will simply
consume any behind-the-scenes drama as something akin to a bonus
track on a DVD. If anything, expect seemingly unauthorized “hacks”
to become strategically deployed to pique curiosity about projects.
Certainly,The Interview is a more interesting movie
when we know that studio executives wanted to tone it down.

And expect Hollywood players—phonies that they are—to be the
most forgiving of all. Rudin and Pascal have already apologized for their “racially insensitive remarks” and Pascal has
begun a ritualized apology tour by phoning the
Rev. Al Sharpton and promising to go on the tax-avoiding MSNBC
host’s show. Pascal has even managed to air kiss Angelina Jolie, the object of
withering scorn in one of the most widely discussed email exchanges
with Rudin. Most important, though, Rudin and Pascal have
reportedly also forgiven each other for their harsh comments.
Because in Hollywood, after all, it’s who you know that counts most
of all.

Read the whole
thing.