Lohan Bodyguard Kicks Photog Where It Hurts--Is Everybody Happy Now?

It's been a very tough week for the paparazzi, but I guess I'm the only one in  the country who cares. Judging from  my recent post on Sean Penn, most people agree with him that the paparazzi should be put in a cage and poked with sticks. At any rate, earlier this week Pierce Brosnan punched photographer Robert Rosen outside a restaurant in Malibu. Brosnan was there with his kids and objected to  being photographed. Rosen reportedly reacted by kicking the former James Bond in  the stomach. Police are investigating. Let me repeat, to all parties, that violence is not the right way to deal with this.
     And one thing I really don't want to see is what's contained in the video above. It happened last night. Basically what you'll witness is a day in the life of a celebrity--one Lindsay Lohan--and the pack of photographers who earn a living by following her around. Except that this episode ends with one of the photographers being kicked in the groin by a Lohan bodyguard. Paparazzi agencies are going to have to start paying these guys extra for combat duty.

    I've been hearing quite a bit from people who think that these photographers have this kind of injury coming to them because they intrude on the lives of celebrities. I do not share that opinion. In my view, the paparazzi are photojournalists. You may not like the way they do their job, but apparently a lot of people like the results of their work: The celebrity magazines and websites that feature their imagery are booming.
     I do sympathize with famous people who simply want to go out and have a private meal with their families. They have a problem though:  They  simply aren't private people--legally speaking, and  certainly within the common attitudes of our culture. They are public figures. And  when they're out on the street  photographers have every right to photograph them.
     In general, public figures such as Brosnan and Lohan benefit from being public figures. Indeed, they need the attention of the press (grimy photographers included) to sell the product they make--movies. Those movies make them (and other people) lots of money. Often, celebrities court the paparazzi in order to get that kind of attention. As they say, fame is a double-edged sword.
     For their part, photographers cannot and should not do anything to endanger the celebrities they cover, and I think respect should be paid to the privacy of celebrity children. (Of course, it is not uncommon for some celebrities to deliberately put their chlidren on display for the photographers. That is great press.)
     I don't see the photographers in this video doing anything to harm Lohan. Her bodyguard went off on this guy and hit him where it hurts. Somewhere, Sean Penn is smiling.
--David Schonauer

Comments

[J.M. Giordano]

hey dude.
two things:
1) the lohan pap kicked her first. WATCH and listen to the video.
2) the Brosnan thing looks like a fake:L
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22680302-5013560,00.html

Peace,
JMG

[Andy Frazer]

Comparing paparazzi to photojournalists is like comparing a loan shark to a bank executive.

And just because "a lot of people like the results of their work" doesn't make them legitimate. One could argue that a lot of unscrupulous people like the results of those sick child porn film producers, but that doesn't make them legitimate.

If a paparazzi was annoying me or my children in a public location, I'd have no problem kicking him in the balls myself.

Someone should start a website of clips like the one above. Now, *THAT's* entertainment.

Andy

[Yasuri Yamileth]

David Schonauer, in my view you're a moron:

"In my view, the paparazzi are photojournalists."

I think legitimate photojournalist should be insulted by that statement, they're covering real issues, important issues, like war, famine, environment, etc. Not following people around and harrassing them to make a cheap buck. I could pick up my SLR now and start following celebrities, but that wouldn't make me a photojournalist, it would make a stalker.

[Joe]

In a world where thugs, scum and criminals have too much power enforced with violence and scum-behaviour, no one who assaults a man like that should escape the law. Its a dangerous and vicious tactic, not appropriate or acceptable except in serious self defence.

That scum needs to be arrested and serve a few months in prison. This is not the kind of society we want.

[Marshall]

Sadly, the video isn't conclusive about the whole story. We have a horde of photographers approaching pretty closely, a bodyguard trying to protect Lohan's privacy with his body and an umbrella, and we do have a kick to a photographer. The video suggests that someone made contact with Lohan ("someone kicked me" - or something like that - is audible on the tape). If there was contact with Lohan, then at least one photographer overstepped his bounds. Whether that justifies a response like is shown on the tape is certainly debatable, and if the response is randomly shot (instead of clearly directed to someone who threatens the celebrity), that changes the story as well.

Photographers should never be subject to physical abuse while performing legal activities. Celebrities shouldn't be physically threatened or menaced by those photographers in doing their work. This video suggests strongly that the first occurred, and it also suggests (far more weakly) that the second may have occurred as well.

I think it's interesting to note where the video camera went, as well. It seems to get awfully close to Lohan and the bodyguard, but without much aim, almost as if it were held out at arm's length in an attempt to reach right behind the umbrella. Don't know enough to draw a conclusion, but still...

[David Schonauer]

A well-reasoned argument...I couldn't agree more on every level.

[e.]

I'M a professional commercial photographer... I am repulsed by the paparazzi. A real disgrace to the industry of legitimate professional photographers.

[David Schonauer]

As many people are, apparently. In fact, from the comments I'm getting here, I believe photographers are more repulsed by paparazzi than the general public that consumes their images so eagerly. The question I have for you is, do you agree with Sean Penn that they deserve to be the object of violence?

[Yasuri Yamileth]

I remember seeing a clip of one pap yelling at Rebecca Romaijn(sp?) "No wonder John Stamos left you!" ... This was in the same week they separated, she looked like she was either going to burst into tears or kick the guy's ass! And he would have deserved it.

The paps get away with a lot of harassment and sometimes that's really unfair. They know they can get away with it because few celebs will physically assault them (i.e. punch them in the face) because they don't want to deal with a lawsuit and even if the photographer deserved to be punched the media would spin it into "This overprivileged, rich celebrity assaulted this poor defenseless photographer."

I guess what I'm trying to say is that some paparazzi do deserve to be punched in the face or kicked in the balls.

[Me]

The bottom line in this whole thing is this..... If he was close enough to be kicked then he was too close. If he is in range of a kick then he has intruded on personal space and should be moved away. These guys are using $3000 cameras that can see a nose hair from 200ft, why is he in their face?

Paps who act the fool deserve every beating they get.