I first followed Russell Crowe over three years ago in 2010
and stopped in April of 2012. Previously I had followed a Russell Crowe
Facebook site that posted his tweets from Twitter. I was under the impression
for a long time I was friends with him and sending posts to Russell Crowe not a
fan page. I didn’t realise until much later he didn’t have an account on
Facebook and the only social media account he had was Twitter. I stopped using my Facebook account in 2010.
At the time I joined the village a fictional space in
cyberspace where he and followers known as villagers congregate and live by a
specific philosophy that promotes caring and kindness not only towards Russell
Crowe but to each other there were approximately 50 000 members. Russell Crowe was
on a break from making movies spending time with his family, involved in his
football club and doing the odd documentary. He tweeted American women (whose
description shall remain private), his mates from Australia and America and the
rest of us. Today gone are the young pretty women (whose description shall remain
private) and is now more interested in comments. Twitter was seen as tool of
amusement and relief for his boredom when away from his family and a way to
defend himself against the journalists and newspapers.
Part of me is grateful for his presence on Twitter and
social media. I have met many nice people and engaged in some delightful and
fun twitter conversations. I have shared in the delight people get from being
tweeted by him and his friends in particular more than once. (I was only
tweeted once by Russell Crowe over two years and I eventually moved on). I have
been introduced into some wonderful music through him for example Alan Doyle,
Great Big Sea and Scott Grimes. I have been introduced to some interesting
people that I would not have normally met like Allan Hawco who writes and
produces a wonderful television program Republic of Doyle in St John’s
Newfoundland. In 2010 Russell Crowe filmed an episode with his co stars from
Robin Hood and I have remained a fan of the show ever since.
Russell Crowe has done many nice things and made a lot of
villagers extremely happy. He has taken on the role of the birthday God wishing
people happy birthday some who once they got their tweet were never seen again.
He has retweeted for good causes, people have their questions answered, their
comments responded to, their artwork praised and become Twitter friends with a
famous actor/celebrity. I have seen him promote a range of musicians and artists
for example Alabama Shakes. His followers have shared in the making of his
movies, publicity stints and the ups and downs of his football club in
Australia South Sydney. Perhaps one of the really nice things he has shared was
his relationship with his children.
But for all the feel good stuff there has been a dark side
as there is with any engagement with social media. I have witnessed some
extremely bad bullying. I have seen people who as fast as they become friends
with a famous actor ignored, dumped and occasionally publically ridiculed to a
point they have to protect their Twitter sites. For anyone who follows Russell
Crowe knows he is extremely loyal and I imagine quiet generous to his friends
and business partners in his life. This is perhaps one of the most unspoken
rules of being in the village loyalty not only to him but his friends as well. Any
kind of criticism constructive or not may not be taken too kindly in particular
when he is having a bad day.
It can be quiet devastating to those who get blocked for
expressing an opinion. For many of them English is not their first language and
they can be quite blunt unintentionally with what they say. Non English
speakers are not as skilled as some Americans are at expressing themselves in
the way he wants to be tweeted to. They are often unskilled or do not know what is expected when tweeting an actor/celebrity like Russell Crowe. To be humiliated in front of more than a
million people can be a sole destroying experience to say the least and not deserved. Then there
are those that get away with a lot worse behaviour and are never blocked or
publically humiliated. People lose faith and move on very quickly. If they
are really keen they can just create a new account and off they go again trying
not to make the same mistake.
I have seen some other not so nice things. I have seen people ignored and blocked for no other reason other than their age or their photo or they might say the wrong thing on a wrong day when he is not at his shining best. Some women are more likely to get tweeted if they are young and pretty and have a nice looking photograph. And once tweeted off they go. So what is new in this world? And that is a frustrating thing for older mature women who tweet him regularly. There have been huge put downs and the total outright criticism of people’s art. Twitter no matter how controlled reveals a lot more than the user imagines. I didn’t like some of the things that were happening and I felt like a fool letting them take place unnoticed. There is a long list. Despite Russell Crowe revealing a lot about himself, there is part of me that remains loyal in not revealing what I learnt.
As the fan and the blocked fan’s followers and regular Russell Crowe
villagers tried to explain the unspoken rules of village and comfort her, her
apology seems to have fallen on deaf ears. If a villager speaks up they should be
warned they may be ostracised into the village wilderness in public or just
ignored not only with Russell Crowe but with other groups and individuals
associated with Russell Crowe as well. Yet there are people who continue to follow him in the thousands. What is interesting in watching the
Russell Crowe justice system in action is the number of villagers who just
stand by and watch it all happen, without speaking up and without defending the victim. All for the promise of
something as insignificant as a tweet. A tweet that buys silence to humiliation
and suffering of someone they may have called an online friend and the fandom associated with being an online tweeting 'friend'.
Over the years he has endured many sensational episodes from
what he has written on Twitter and reported by journalists. They range from
Jewish circumcision, to criticising the media, opinions of politics, his
separation from his gorgeous wife Danielle, to the heart break of missing his
children, to the release of nude photos and his weight loss journey. I found
this story about his Australian citizenship quest the most interesting.
'Oscar-winner Russell Crowe denied citizenship' by Vicki Roach News published by news.com.au on 26 June, 2013. ( No copyright infringement intended)
Because of this, he fails to meet the criteria for permanent citizenship under the Family and Community Services Legislation Ammendment (New Zealand citizens) Act 2001.
"Apparently I fall between the cracks,' said Crowe this week when asked about his citizenship status during an interview to promote the hit new Superman movie The Man of Steel.
Crowe intended to become an Australian citizen in 2006 at an Australia Day concert on the lawns of Parliament House, which was to be telecast live on Channel 10.
But the ceremony was canned at the eleventh hour because "the Government wasn't able to facilitate the process in time,'' according to a Ten spokeswoman. "He's keen but ... there are obviously certain protocols that need to be adhered to."
Seven years on, Crowe still hasn't satisfied those protocols.
"It's a very complicated situation,'' he said.
"This is the country I choose to live in, this is the country in which I spent my formative years, so it's kind of frustrating.
"But I am not the only person in that boat - there's a whole bunch of New Zealanders who have committed to a life here, who have had children here, who bought their first houses here, who have been productive, taxpaying members of society.
"I know why the rules are in place and I understand and respect that but there has to be some form of arbitration where you can sit down and state your case.
"These rules are not big enough to engage with the complexity of people's lives."
Crowe arrived in Australia in 1968. He has lived in Australia for 37 of his 49 years.
"As a young kid, I stood on the hustings at Watson's Bay and gave out pamphlets on how to vote for Gough Whitlam at the polling booth.
"I got a (Centenary of) Federation medal (in 2003). I was made into a stamp. Until recently I had an Australian wife. I have two Australian children. But I still fall between the cracks."
Crowe said while he identified as Australian, the most important reason for him to become a citizen was his two boys, Charles and Tennyson.
"If something goes down overseas we have to go to two embassies," he said.
But the actor also admitted that despite throwing his support behind Julia Guillard via Twitter last week, his current immigration status meant that he would be unable to follow that up at the polling booth come election day, since only Australian citizens can vote.
'Oscar-winner Russell Crowe denied citizenship' by Vicki Roach News published by news.com.au on 26 June, 2013. ( No copyright infringement intended)
"Apparently I fall between the cracks,' said Crowe this week when asked about his citizenship status during an interview to promote the hit new Superman movie The Man of Steel.
Crowe intended to become an Australian citizen in 2006 at an Australia Day concert on the lawns of Parliament House, which was to be telecast live on Channel 10.
But the ceremony was canned at the eleventh hour because "the Government wasn't able to facilitate the process in time,'' according to a Ten spokeswoman. "He's keen but ... there are obviously certain protocols that need to be adhered to."
Seven years on, Crowe still hasn't satisfied those protocols.
"It's a very complicated situation,'' he said.
"This is the country I choose to live in, this is the country in which I spent my formative years, so it's kind of frustrating.
"But I am not the only person in that boat - there's a whole bunch of New Zealanders who have committed to a life here, who have had children here, who bought their first houses here, who have been productive, taxpaying members of society.
"I know why the rules are in place and I understand and respect that but there has to be some form of arbitration where you can sit down and state your case.
"These rules are not big enough to engage with the complexity of people's lives."
Crowe arrived in Australia in 1968. He has lived in Australia for 37 of his 49 years.
"As a young kid, I stood on the hustings at Watson's Bay and gave out pamphlets on how to vote for Gough Whitlam at the polling booth.
"I got a (Centenary of) Federation medal (in 2003). I was made into a stamp. Until recently I had an Australian wife. I have two Australian children. But I still fall between the cracks."
Crowe said while he identified as Australian, the most important reason for him to become a citizen was his two boys, Charles and Tennyson.
"If something goes down overseas we have to go to two embassies," he said.
But the actor also admitted that despite throwing his support behind Julia Guillard via Twitter last week, his current immigration status meant that he would be unable to follow that up at the polling booth come election day, since only Australian citizens can vote.
