The ‘Coliseum Culture’ – The New Dynamics of Scandal Where No Sin Will Be Forgiven

[by Nora Jacobs]

Noted media commentator James Wolcott observed in a recent edition of Vanity Fair, “The Internet is an accelerator and force multiplier of opinions and perceptions.  Indignation is its rocket fuel.” Wolcott made the observation as part of a column dissecting the destruction of Bill Cosby’s reputation.  Almost concurrently, David Brooks penned a column in the New York Times entitled “Rigorous Forgiving,” which used Brian Williams’ meteoric fall as a jumping off point to discuss the “coliseum culture” that now pervades the public consciousness.

We indeed seem to live in an era when no sin will be forgiven – large ones committed by the likes of Bill Cosby, or smaller ones committed by private citizens.  That’s especially true when the sinner believes he or she can avoid retribution by lying low, obfuscating the truth or otherwise waiting for the problem to blow over.  Today, just one Tweet, one YouTube video or one Facebook post can create an unstoppable tidal wave of scorn and recrimination – something that will live forever thanks to Google search.  Given this new reality, is there any hope for the sinner?

In our business, we counsel clients to “Tell the truth, tell it all and tell it first.”  We know, when personal reputations and corporate brands hang in the balance, that this can be monumentally difficult advice to follow.  But in our experience, getting in front of a problem quickly and admitting – to whatever extent possible – that you have made a mistake provides the best hope of neutralizing the outrage that otherwise will inevitably materialize to one degree or another.

Illegal and immoral behavior can never be explained away, of course, but honest mistakes and even lapses in judgment can be put in context.  That’s especially true if the perpetrator combines his or her confession with a sincere apology and a promise to do better in the future.  There is no guarantee that employing honesty and forthrightness will magically restore a damaged reputation, but taking the alternative approach raises the distinct possibility that you will find yourself standing in that coliseum, awash in rocket fuel.

For more on this topic, read James Wolcott in Vanity Fair.

 

Photo Illustration:  Darrow, in Vanity Fair February 2015