The news just broke within the last few hours of the Elmo Puppeteer, Kevin Clash, resigning from his role due to the rumors of him having sexual relations with a minor. We should state that these are rumors, but such an allegation could have a huge impact on a person's reputation. Especially if that person is the puppeteer beyond a beloved childhood icon of many youths like Elmo from Seasame Street.
Resignation seemed to be the ideal thing to do. It could prevent this scandal, whether true or false, from being more ugly than it is. Even if the accusations are ultimately proven false, this is a stigma that will follow Mr. Clash around for some time. What is proven in a court of law seldom does hold up in the minds of people. There is little doubt that there will be some extremely strong opinions regarding the guilt of innocence of the Elmo puppeteer.
When you hear something like this, there are two schools of thought. The one school of thought would be that this is just someone out to run a smear campaign, to get a quick buck. And the other makes you wonder if something really did happen. Without all of the facts out, and more information will no doubt come back, it's hard to make a judgment either way.
Regardless, Kevin Clash has offered his resignation. While some might declare this to be an admission of guilt, it is likely the best thing to do for both parties. Dealing with these allegations can have an adverse effect on all parties, and could cause some heat from the Sesame Street side of things. Likely the resignation was something that would have happened either willingly or forced.
It is unfortunate that the allegations are even out there. It will be even more unfortunate if there is some truth to them. The only thing for sure in a situation like this is that it will always taint a person, regardless of the truth. It is a hard stigma to escape from.
No comments:
Post a Comment