Because I'm truly confounded...

What is up with the rash of incidents of verbal insensitivity/stupidity a la celebrities lately? Have these people lost their sense of propriety? Their minds? Do they not have image consultants or publicists who can instruct them about when to speak and what to say?

I won't repeat any of the gaffes here because they were offensive the first time, so there's no need (and I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about), but come on!

Look, I'm not stupid. People say all kinds of things behind closed doors with likeminded friends. This is not a post about the beliefs that underlie what has been said. Too big a topic, so moving on.

But where is the filter that prevents stuff like that from coming out in a public forum? These people all have some degree of fame and have been groomed to always present well. So where's that Hollywood chip, that politically-aware mechanism that should be in place?

I just don't get it. How stupid do you have to be?