Hollywood has been deemed as corrupt for many years. From institutional issues in which actors had little say over their personal life after signing with companies from the 1920s-1960s to individual issues in the modern era, it is evident that there is a fundamental issue that arises with the prestige and fame found within Hollywood.
EARLY HOLLYWOOD corruption AND FEMALE MISTREATMENT
The beginning stages of corruption within the entertainment industry took place as soon as Hollywood was formed. However, this corruption was found within the studio system. Female actresses were particularly abused in this system. Actors would essentially become the studio’s “property” once signed to a studio. Forced abortions to prevent actresses’ like Judy Garland’s innocent character and perception from being invalidated were incredibly common. Women were forced to take “absences” to get these procedures done even if they were against it. On a similar note, predation upon young women in the industry was also highly prevalent. Star Marilyn Monroe referred to the men in Hollywood as “wolves”.Â
tHE DIDDY SCANDAL
This gender-specific hatred within the system may no longer be institutional, but corruption has never gone away. If you haven’t seen the Diddy scandal on social media yet, it is quite sickening and highlights the overarching corruption found within Hollywood now. It was discovered that he had been conducting “Diddy parties” in which children and sex workers were subject to sexual exploitation for days on end. Celebrities, politicians, athletes, and other affluent figures were in attendance. IV’s were discovered in the room because of the pure fatigue participants were subjected to. Additionally, over 1000 large bottles of baby oil used as lubricant for the parties were discovered next to the 50 foot long bed in which sexual activities would occur. An individual on Tiktok came forward telling her personal story, saying children from California’s foster system were taken to act as “goods” during the events Diddy put on. Why are the famous able to get away with such illegal behavior for so long or for their entire life?
OBEDIENCE TO AUTHORITY-OVERVIEW OF THE MILGRAM STUDY
The plethora of unethical activity found within Hollywood poses the question: does an increase in power lead to corruption? The Milgram study, while deemed against the ethics of psychology because of the lack of disclosure to participants, navigates the relationship between obedience to authority and disregard for moral behavior. Originally this study was to navigate why so many German citizens abided by Hitler’s heinous requests, but I believe this study could be applied to the hierarchy of power found within the celebrity network. This study consisted of 3 roles, the experimenter, the teacher, and the learner. The experimenter role was a figure of authority to guide the “teacher” in how to act during the study. The learners were actors that would pretend to react to whatever punishment was administered by the teacher. The teacher would ask the learner a math problem, and if answered wrong by the learner, the experimenter would advise the teacher to administer a shock. For each incorrect answer, the teacher was instructed to raise the shock level by 15 volts. It was found that every teacher administered up to at least 300 volts upon command, 65% reached the highest level. In plain words, this study found that individuals are highly receptive to command by authority.
Now, how can this be applied to Hollywood? Diddy was considered the “king” of producing music. Affiliating with him meant you would make it big without a doubt. Many celebrities interacted with him, turned a blind eye, or participated in heinous activities he deemed were necessary to gain the perks of being affiliated with him. Authority leads to obedience, even when immoral behavior is concerned.
AN UNFORTUNATE TRUTH
Overall, it is unfortunately too common that in places of power and wealth there is typically higher crime and a lack of moral behavior behind the scenes. That is the world we live in.
