Letters: The public reaction to the couple caught by the Coldplay ‘kiss cam' is about values

Chicago Tribune

22-07-2025

I am writing in response to the editorial regarding the 'kiss cam' and internet reaction to the affair between the Astronomer CEO and his chief people officer ('At a Coldplay concert, a kiss cam catches a cuddle and ruins lives,' July 20). While I understand the Tribune Editorial Board's view that the outrage may seem overblown and misguided, I disagree with the suggestion that the public's reaction is unwarranted.
The primary concern is the ethical implications. The roles of the CEO and human relations head inherently involve power dynamics and responsibility. Their relationship, when visible in such a public forum, raises questions about professional integrity and the potential for conflicts of interest. It is not just about the affair itself, but also the optics of leadership behavior that could undermine trust in the company's management.
The board seems to be blaming the kiss cam and internet reaction and not the actions of the leaders of the company choosing to go to a large public event where they invited scrutiny from employees, stakeholders and the public. This doesn't just cross professional boundaries; it disrupts the image of leadership and corporate responsibility that any company should uphold. The Jumbotron is not the issue for 99.9% of the people who look forward to seeing their image at a large event like this one — most of us would be thrilled to be singled out and have Chris Martin make a comment about us at a concert.
The backlash is not about sensationalism; it reflects growing public demands for ethical behavior from corporate leaders. There is increasing societal expectation that those in positions of power should act with transparency, integrity and professionalism. The public response should be seen not as an overreaction, but as a reflection of this shift toward holding leaders accountable for their actions.
Leaders, especially in large organizations, must be aware of how their behavior impacts employee morale and the public's perception of their credibility. While personal relationships are private matters, the intersection of personal and professional lives in the workplace requires a higher standard of discretion.
I urge the board to reconsider the broader implications. The public backlash reflects concerns over leadership ethics, corporate culture and the responsibilities of those in positions of power. It is a discussion worth having, not dismissing, as it speaks to the values we expect from our leaders.The editorial about the couple at the Coldplay concert is nothing more than a classic example of 'blame the messenger.' Individuals are caught seemingly in an act of indiscretion, and yet it's social media's fault that their apparent humiliation is spread across the media landscape. As if paparazzi haven't existed since the term was coined in the late 1950s. And I note that major news organizations regularly request followers of their own social media platforms to send in pictures and videos. Clearly, the line the editorial board is trying to draw between acceptable and unacceptable social media use is murky at best.
Maybe the board could share its guidelines on how it makes decisions as to what is acceptable and unacceptable to publish on social media to tighten up that line for the reader. I, for one, would find that an interesting read.Seriously? The Coldplay concert's 'kiss cam' ruins lives? The Tribune Editorial Board message seems to be: 'Getting caught doing wrong needs to be stopped!' How about encouraging all of us to not do wrong?
How about taking every opportunity to emphasize that good morals and high integrity, in all facets of life, are a goal every citizen should pursue? How about pointing out that cheating, stealing and lying — even when you — are terrible choices that will catch up with you eventually and will hurt others in the meantime?
The problem is not 'getting caught.' The problem is choosing to do wrong. With all of the crime and malfeasance reported in the Tribune's pages each day, I would expect this fact to be obvious to the editorial board.
Do better. Society needs you — and all of us — to be better.I lack sympathy for any of the parties involved. Surveillance cameras are everywhere, which everyone knows. If you don't want your bad, or good, behavior out there on the internet, engage in it in private. Oh, I also lack sympathy for anyone who films themselves engaging in sex. Perhaps if people would think, they would not get themselves into trouble.
People are getting dumber and dumber, and if there are consequences, it is no one's fault except theirs.This editorial lays the blame for ruined lives on the fact that two knowing adults engaged in an illicit affair and were caught. The 'kiss cam' did not ruin their lives; it made their lives more difficult and the affair more embarrassing, but did not ruin their lives. They ruined their lives; they freely chose to have an affair. They freely chose to go to a public event and flaunt their affair.
Isn't it time that people take responsibility for their actions rather than blaming the 'media,' the 'internet,' or the 'kiss cam'?
This isn't cruelty on the part of the American people. Cruelty is watching children being deported and doing nothing; cruelty is not having due process; cruelty is stripping thousands of their health care benefits. Laughing after watching two adults make a bad choice is not cruelty.
They made the choice; they get to live with the consequences. I do feel sorry for their families as they did not have any choice in the matter.I find it ironic and duplicitous that an editorial runs on the first page of the Sunday Opinion section expressing how cruel America has become in the response to the Coldplay Jumbotron incident, and five pages later, the same story leads the news briefs and includes details that the editorial deemed an invasion of privacy.
It would seem that in this case, the Tribune is part of the problem that the editorial calls out and not part of the solution.
The Tribune is better than this.It was not surprising to see the 'kiss cam' editorial Sunday morning. It's apparently one of the momentous issues of our time that the Tribune Editorial Board believes its readers need to become informed about.
What would be surprising would be to see an editorial demanding that the Donald Trump administration stop enabling the Israeli genocide in Gaza that has been destroying life for Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians for the past 21 months. The Palestinian lives being obliterated by U.S. bombs given to Israel are the ruined lives worthy of a Tribune editorial.