Everyone makes mistakes, celebrities included.
Sometimes, they get #cancelled and hated on for ages but sometimes, the public is willing to forgive them and move on from the incident, as long as they sincerely. apologise for what they’ve done wrong
Benjamin Kheng was one of the lucky few who got to experience the latter.
Benjamin Kheng Apologises For Magazine Photo
Singaporean singer-actor Benjamin Kheng recently posted a public apology on 11 September 2019 after he was accused of exhibiting indifference towards suicide.
In his Facebook post, the 29-year-old revealed that a rock star-themed photoshoot with Men’s Folio magazine required him to portray the late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain.
The photoshoot was featured in the August 2019 edition of the magazine, with both Benjamin and fellow Singaporean singer, Nathan Hartono, dressed up as several rock stars.
Criticised For Indifference Towards Suicide
In Benjamin’s photograph as Kurt Cobain, he holds his hand up to his face in a gun posture, which was meant to look like a photo of Kurt holding a cigarette.
However, this appeared to be offensive to many netizens, and Benjamin received quite a bit of criticism for posing that way.
This is because Cobain shot himself in 1994 at the age of 27.
He struggled with depression and heroin addiction, until he decided to take his own life by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun in his house.
Took Responsibility For His Actions
In his Facebook post, Benjamin admitted that he was responsible for the mistake since he was also a guest editor for that particular issue. This meant that he actually had the “authority and opportunity” to change anything if necessary, before the publishing date.
He wrote, “Some of you have rightfully pointed out the offensiveness of this image. I’m deeply sorry. The blame is on me for this mistake, and not on Men’s Folio, who at numerous junctures allowed me the opportunity to review the issue.”
He also added that he had recalled the death of the actor wrongly, thinking that it was by natural cause.
Benjamin, and his sister Narelle Kheng, were both spokespeople for a suicide prevention campaign by Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) in 2015. Narelle is also involved in the SOS campaign this year, which was launched on 1 September 2019.
He included it in his apology message, saying ” My apologies to Samaritans of Singapore, of which I’ve been a spokesman for (in the past), and anyone else going through depression of any degree.”
Netizens have praised and applauded him for this apology, and for taking responsibility for his actions.
Clearly, this is very different from the infamous Logan Paul and the “suicide forest” video, which allegedly led to him becoming the “world’s most hated man” overnight, one said.
Well, it’s a good thing that Benjamin was able to handle the situation in the right way. Suicide is definitely not a matter that should be taken lightly, and it should never be portrayed that way either.
If you have recurring suicidal thoughts or are feeling distressed, you can call the Samaritans of Singapore 24-hour hotline to seek help at 1800-221-4444.
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