If anyone needs an answer to whether the justice system works differently for celebrities, this would be it. Lori Loughlin, one of the several people that were caught in the midst of a college scandal not too long ago, is going to serve two months, that’s right, TWO MONTHS, for her part in the scandal and could be home by Christmas. Plus, there’s a rumor that she might not be completely ruled out for a return to When Calls the Heart, the show that she helped to make so popular for so long. This is a good example of how money and influence tend to go a long way when it comes to slipping away from a much sterner punishment for crimes that might send another person to prison for a much longer sentence, and while it might sound like a bunch of whining since there have been celebrities that have served serious time for crimes that were much more serious than this, the fact is that Loughlin is still getting off light in the eyes of many people, while her fans can’t help but stay by her side and hope that she’ll be back on the Hallmark Channel, which already feels as though it’s about to flop over and welcome her back. For the two months she’s in prison she won’t be able to film obviously, but it does appear likely that as stern as her sentence will be that it will be a stay at a resort compared to many other inmates. For those that are willing to keep supporting her, the law is the law, and when breaking said laws, it’s expected that people who are rightfully caught and have no justifiable defense are expected to pay the consequences.
The truly sad part of this is that her fans likely won’t expect so much as an apology from Loughlin, but it’s likely she’ll give one, or at least something approaching an apology, to get in the good graces of those that might still be on the fence when it comes to supporting or vilifying her. The mere fact that she’s only doing two months for this crime is enough for some people to simply walk away from the actress since the act of committing fraud could have come with a couple of decades’ worth of prison time. Even pleading guilty should have seen her spending more time in prison, but this is how our world, and how our legal system works. Loughlin could have been, and should have been, looking at a 40-year stint for something that she KNEW was wrong and tried to get away with anyway. But if anyone is still barking about inequality in any way in this country, it might be time to recognize that a great number of actors and celebrities from different venues have been allowed to balk and even scoff at the law and get by with a smile, a fine, and a slap on the hand in terms of punishment when they’re caught. Why is this? Part of it is because there are simply too many fans that will stick up for them and offer excuse after excuse as to why they’re innocent, that they’ve been shown to be horrible by the media, and so on and so forth.
Unfortunately, there’s very little accountability when it comes to being a celebrity since the moment they give to a charity, the moment they help others, and whenever they flash a smile and make people think that they’re decent people that would never, ever do something like this again, people forgive them. The idea is to forgive and forget, right? The sad part is that too many people do too much forgetting and it tends to set the precedent that was established a long time ago. In short, celebrities get to do as they please and get away with minimum punishment unless the crime is simply too big and there’s nothing else that can be done save to show that some crimes can’t be swept under the rug. Of course, it could be that at those moments the rug is being used to hide a few too many indiscretions for one celebrity or another to duck and cover. Loughlin is just one of many celebrities that have expressed sorrow and remorse after being caught doing something she knew was illegal, and the fact of the matter is that her crocodile tears have moved those that happen to think that she’s ‘not so bad’.
It’s way past time to hold celebrities accountable for the things they do, especially since the rest of society is expected to pull their weight when it comes to the law. Two months of prison time is an insult to pretty much everyone that makes sure they follow the law, especially those trying to help their kids get into college.
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