Celebrities hit back hard at bashers

For a long time now, celebrity bashers and haters have been having a field day lashing out and vilifying stars whom they happen not to like.

The growing popularity of social networking sites has given faceless and nameless unknowns the power to “level up” to celebrities by cutting them down with their personal attacks, often in vile and scathing language.

Increasingly, however, some stars are fighting back, fed up with the abuse and denigration heaped upon them by total strangers, hiding behind the craven cloak of anonymity.

The latest stars to feel the opprobrium from cyberspace are Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, who were shocked at the snide aspersions on the physical appearance of their newborn son.

Outcry
There was a loud outcry from all quarters on the viciousness of hurling insults at an innocent and hapless infant. The angry reactions from Ogie and Regine were totally understood and expected.

Other stars have also hit back, despite the cautionary warning that, by doing so, they may open themselves up to further criticism, as well as satisfaction from the anonymous posters—the theory being that stars’ reactions increase these bashers’ sense of power because they offer proof that their intended targets read their virulent tweets, and are stung by them.

But the situation has degenerated to such an extent that the injured and libeled celebrities have thrown caution to the winds and gone on attack mode themselves!

Is there a civilized way out of this increasingly distasteful game of tit for tat? Some victims of below-the-belt bashing want our legislators and/or the social networking sites themselves to set legal limits on what can be posted on the Net. Pending legal restrictions, however, offended celebrities need to address the problem on their own terms, for clearly what works for one victim may not psychically satisfy another.

Stardom and privacy
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!” Attacks on personalities who live out their lives in the public eye are par for the course. There is an exchange for the perks of stardom, and that is the loss of privacy. Opening yourself up even more by displaying yourself on social networking sites increases your vulnerability to anyone with something to say about you, be it fair or foul.

The anonymous attackers have become so numerous that silent acquiescence is no longer an option. Therefore, offended stars should react, all the while bearing in mind that they must always retain the high moral ground and not allow their detractors to pull them down to the gutter level where these putrid bashers fester.