I May As Well Join In

The first thing I thought of when I saw the photo of the adulterous couple at the Coldplay concert was this.

Obviously, Paul and I were not wrapped in each other’s arms, nor was there any funny business. In fact, if I recall correctly, Paul’s wife Stephanie was our boss who oversaw this photo shoot!

But back in the day, we found this photo in various places. On Go Transit trains. In a frame at a furniture store. In Chatelaine and Maclean’s magazines. A poster sized version hangs framed near my recording booth as a nod to my glory days. I grabbed the screenshot above from an Ebay listing. Yes, someone is trying to sell it for $20 plus shipping in the category of, “celebrity photos.”

One can also make an offer. But note, the seller doesn’t accept returns!

The Internet Means Forever

Like Bernie Sanders wearing mittens, this Coldplay concert couple photo will be around a long, long time. The man is the CEO of the company, Astronomer, who has since resigned. The woman, the company’s head of HR. Both are married to other people. It’s no surprise they jumped away from each other when the camera showed them to 66,000 concert-goers.

There are many takeaways from this incident. First, you’re not always anonymous in a crowd. Also, anyone can go viral at any time, for any reason. It’s difficult to predict, which is why it’s so hard to go viral intentionally. And actions have consequences beyond just oneself. Finding out your spouse is being unfaithful is one thing. Discovering it at the same time as most of the world, must be even more devastating. Those two piled public humiliation on top of what would have already been a terrible moment.

I say “those two” because ultimately, they’re responsible. If they hadn’t been having an affair and taking it to a public space, this wouldn’t have happened.

A Life Sentence

Public shaming is a ritual as old as dirt. But instead of being shown to the village while wearing a scarlet A, every person on social media saw them. Everyone has a moral objection or emotion about the incident. The punishment is so much more than the crime deserves. But that’s how people are anymore, especially online. They’re holier than thou about everything from body size to parenting. Pointing out someone else’s mistake is easier than examining their own flaws and shortcomings.

A CEO is supposed to be a leader. An HR executive is supposed to know better when it comes to office relationships. But we’re all just human and I like to think most of us are doing the best we can. Hopefully, these folks will decide they can do better. Unfortunately, they’ll never be allowed to forget what they did. Just imagine if your worst moment became something to mock around the world. (I realize I’ve joined in, above!)

These days, cameras are literally everywhere. If you expect privacy, you’ve simply got to stay home.