Dear Reader:

This will be a short letter reflecting on the world and why I no longer hold the opinion I did before regarding Thomas Gibson being fired from the NBC show Criminal Minds.

As someone that has been a faithful viewer of the show for years (seen all the seasons several times) it becomes a slippery slope into blind loyalty for viewers to not see beyond the characters on the show. As time passes however, and we reflect on the world around us it is no longer acceptable to be blindly loyal, we must look beyond the character on the screen and consider the individual behind the character.

We are in the midst of change and with this change comes accountability, NBC's choice to fire Thomas Gibson from the show after physically assaulting a member of production was, and still is, the right thing to do. NBC made the choice to remove the individual behind the character off the show who chose violence rather than communication and that is not acceptable. When we divorce the character from the individual we are able to hold the individual accountable for their bad actions that harm and impact those around them. It is also in that moment that we as the audience should reflect on those actions and see that no character or story plot is worth turning a blind eye to unacceptable actions and behaviors.

In the world or media and entertainment, we the audience have been sold too many times the narrative of outstanding celebrities which has provided them with the opportunity to have their bad behavior overlooked, but no more. Slowly, we the audience have begun to hold the world of media and entertainment responsible for protecting and glorifying unacceptable and poor behavior.

It's my hope that this continues, that we keep holding the world of media and entertainment accountable but also ourselves. To continue to recognize that it is much more important to strive for change and accountability rather than remain loyal to a character or story line. Violence is never the answer regardless of who the individual is.