Ariana Grande has been on a career roll. She has enjoyed a string of chart-topping hits, accrued a huge fan base, and secured a starring role in a high-profile television show, which is set to air soon.
All of her success aside, the pop singer may now have caused irreparable damage to her brand, and in the process, earned herself a serious rap sheet.
In our ultra-technologically advanced society, most people realize that public places are, more often than not, under surveillance 24/7. However, in a single visit to a Southern California donut shop, Grande somehow let that factoid slip her celebrity mind.
She and boyfriend-backup dancer Ricky Alvarez maliciously tried to hurt people by contaminating with their saliva some of the confections that were within their reach in the shop. Additionally, Grande made derogatory comments about America and Americans. The disgusting behavior and offensive remarks were captured on video and splattered across the Internet.
After the social media erupted with understandable outrage, Grande proceeded with a first attempt at damage control. Unfortunately, matters were made even worse.
The singer’s statement indicated that she is extremely proud to be American, and while she apologized for her anti-U.S. statements, she also claimed that her words were taken “out of context,” alleging that she was expressing frustration over the problem of obesity in our nation.
“The fact that the United States has one of the highest child obesity rates in the world frustrates me. We need to do more to educate ourselves and our children about the dangers of overeating and the poison that we put into our bodies,” Grande said, adding that “we need to demand more from our food industry.”
It is interesting to note that Grande, who now purports to be so very concerned about the nation’s health and the issue of childhood obesity was herself voluntarily stopping at a donut shop that features maple bacon bars and gummy bear donuts.
Perhaps sensing that the first apology did more harm than good, Grande released a second statement of regret to “apologize again for the whole donut fiasco.” In it, Grande admits that her first apology fell short.
“I feel like the apology I posted, I kind of missed the opportunity to sincerely apologize and express how I was feeling because I was too busy preaching about my issues with the food industry which is like, not relative,” she said.
“I’m going to come forward and own up to what I did and take responsibility and say I’m sorry,” Grande said in a video. Donut licking was not mentioned.
As the terrible story of Grande’s misadventures was going viral, some celebrities were weighing in via their social media sites. The most irresponsible statement came from actress Susan Sarandon, who recklessly called for others to engage in the same deleterious behavior.
“Today, lick a doughnut in solidarity with @ArianaGrande. A sweet, talented, true American,” Sarandon posted on her Twitter page.
Criminal behavior is what Grande and her boyfriend perpetrated, and criminal behavior is what Sarandon encouraged Twitter followers to replicate.
Section 242 of the California Penal Code defines a criminal battery as “any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another,” and section 243 of the code makes the crime punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail.
Placing one’s bodily fluid on a food item that is highly likely to be consumed by another person is clearly criminal battery under California law, and the local police are acting accordingly. Police personnel, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, met with the owner of the donut shop to investigate “a report of deliberate food tampering.”
The surveillance footage from the donut shop should provide local authorities with the evidence they need to carry out their law enforcement duties, and if justice prevails Grande and her boyfriend will ultimately be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read more reports from James Hirsen — Click Here Now.
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