Sharon Stone Apologizes for Karma Comments
In a completely unscripted performance, she told Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News, "I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else."
That statement alone would not make Stone the most popular actress in China, but she didn't stop there. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"
These comments are pretty much a textbook example of how to offend and anger 1.3 billion Chinese. The Tibetan issue aside, it's extremely callous to equate the lives of 68,100 confirmed dead and over 20,000 still missing, with not being "nice." Furthermore, I highly doubt these victims had any influence whatsoever in determining China's government policies.
While these comments have incited significant outrage, Stone's not entirely alone in her feeling of karma. The earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 happened exactly 88 days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, which kick off 8/8/08, at 8:08 pm and 8 seconds, which has not gone entirely unnoticed within China. Superstitions regarding the earthquake's timing, which didn't happen 87 or even 89 days before the Olympics have gotten quite a bit of buzz on the Chinese blogosphere.
Of course, there's a huge difference between some superstitious conspiracy theories, and using a sensitive political issue to rub salt in the wounds of a grieving nation. These comments don't just influence the way Chinese feel about Sharon Stone, they also greatly affect the way millions of Chinese feel about Dior, who had Stone's face plastered on billboards across China. Since Stone's karma comments a few days ago, they've wisely been taken down.
Despite the insensitivity of these comments, I think they were more careless than malicious. Stone has since apologized, in a statement saying, "my erroneous words and deeds angered and saddened the Chinese people, and I sincerely apologize for this," said Stone. She also offered "to participate in any earthquake relief activity and to do my utmost to help Chinese people affected by the disaster."
Stone has a strong track record of raising money and awareness for charities, including a record $10 million for amFar at the Cannes Film festival last week, so her participation could prove extremely helpful for earthquake victims.
I would also not be surprised at all if Dior or its parent company LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) gives an extremely generous donation to the earthquake relief efforts in order to blunt any negative PR that Stone's comments have caused. LVMH was already the subject of a Chinese boycott early this year, and such comments by one of its models aren't the best way to endear itself to the Chinese public.
While these careless comments have sparked substantial outrage, they ultimately will yield a positive outcome. In an age chock full of entertainment news, the coverage of Sharon Stone brought news of China's earthquake to an audience that might not have been paying as much attention to the relief efforts as it was to the outfits on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.
They've also served to provide more resources to the millions of quake victims who are now homeless and desperately needing more tents, quilts, and other supplies.