Sharon Stone Apologizes For China Quake "Karma" Comment

BEIJING — French fashion house Christian Dior said Thursday it has dropped Sharon Stone from its Chinese ads and released a statement from the actress apologizing for saying China's earthquake may have been bad karma for its treatment of Tibet.

The 50-year-old actress said she was "deeply sorry" for causing anguish and anger among Chinese people with her remarks in an interview last week. Stone models for Christian Dior SA, and the company's Shanghai office issued the statement.

Stone's comments caused considerable anger in the Chinese media. The official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary Thursday she was the "public enemy of all mankind."

The public relations manager for Dior in Shanghai who gave only her surname, Guo, said Stone would no longer appear in the company's advertisements in China.

"Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people," Stone said in the statement. "I am willing to take part in the relief work of China's earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people."

Chinese media have erupted in indignation over foreign criticism of the country ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August. During the international leg of the Olympic torch relay, many Chinese reacted strongly to protests over China's rule of Tibet.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday he had taken note of Stone's apology.

"We hope that as an actress she should contribute to our two peoples' mutual trust, understanding and friendship," he said.

Stone's original comments were made last week during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview.

"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

Comments

[Jonahson]

There is certainly a wrong concept about karma and how it works. Karma originated in Hinduism. It is simply cause and effect or simply you reap what you sow. In Newton's Law every action has an equally opposite reaction. It is caused by your action.
If you slap someone it will cause an emotional response and the other guy may hit you back according to the strength of his emotional response or may sue you. That is immediate karma. If you are physically stronger than the other guy, then the response may be later because metal impression had already formed and it will not go away. If you are someone who like to go around slapping people you will meet your response earlier not from the same guy but from one of your pickings.
If you built your house near an active volcano the chances of your house being incinerated by lava or hot ash will be high. This is due to your ignorance and not punishment from heaven or a superior being and so forth. You don't mix natural disaster with your wrong action, ignorance maybe.

[DocManhattan]

Once again, people are missing the point of what she said and now she's being forced to apologize for her candour. What she said was actually quite humble, but probably a little too honest for PR purposes. She doesn't deserve this.

[Cathexis]

I disagree.

I believe I completle understand her point. And I maintain that it was still callous and misplaced. I suggest *you* are missing the issue: It doesn't matter how strongly one feels about the Tibet situation, conflating it with another tragedy of enormous magnitude (the earthquake) is not logically sound and it IS insulting to a large group of people. Even if one *completely* agrees with her stance on Tibet, her statement is petty, petulant, myopically-fixated, and incredibly insensitive.

I *am* pleased to hear that she apparently thought things through and realizes her gaffe. An apology was completely appropriate.

Let me give you an example:

If someone's son is killed by a train, you do NOT say "it is Karma, because the family sports GOP bumper stickers on their car." IMO, Bush is THE Worst President Ever ... but I would *never* conflate their rightwing support with their recent tragedy. It is a vulgar and barbaric act.

[DAVESEAN]

sharon.....does it mean all the tornadoes in America this year is as a result of KARMA.......maybe from Iraq
such fa oolish line of reasoning

[ElPerro]

Seriously, has this woman ever done anything of value? I guess the fight scene in Total Recall was kind of fun. But other than that, a total waste of skin.

[gfk]

I think it's great she is going to go over there and help. Let's get Mel Gibson out there helping the Jews. That will fix it.

[Witchitalineman]

I think it would be good if a lot of these so called celebrities kept their mouths closed. Stone's obviously not very sensitive and/or intelligent. Shame on her.

[marymansour]

Sharon Stone, due to excessive narcism, is sure that her remarks are important to the Chinese. She has always been a dick. I hope that, as many failing stars do, she had advertising contracts in Asia. I hope those are nipped in the bud. She crossed and uncrossed her legs again in the remake of her one hit movie and no one cared. Ha Ha!

[Jonahson]

The country is in mourning for the tens of thousands of deaths from the earthquake while rallying to help those still alive and here comes a smart alec actress who had her brain on the wrong end blabbering an inconceivable message. Talking about wrong speech, how inconsiderate can she be.

[ElPerro]

BTW, ask any real Hindu.... the "cosmic retribution" concept of Karma is just a fantasy held by westerners who grew up with the "God will punish you" nonsense version of Christianity and transferred those beliefs into pseudo-Hindu verbiage. Western monotheists have this silly notion that "God" punishes people for their bad acts or thoughts. Hindus believe that their various incarnations involve many experiences and lessons as their soul works it's way to perfection. The retribution version of Karma is just another example of ignorant and smarmy Americans bastardizing other cultures in accordance with their own prejudices and paranoia.

[raker]

This morning The Today Show reported on the anger in China over Stone's remarks and contributed their own mock outrage, but those scumbag NBC hypocrites are unfazed when conservative christian whackos blame every hurricane, every tornado, every calamity on gay people. They chuckle and smile when Ann Coulter says the most vile things about innocent victims of the attack on New York by Saudi Arabians on 9/11/01.

[marleysghost]

It isn't Karma, actually. It's just people dying from the natural movement of the earth. It happens because we are just little piss ant species with overloaded egos who think Earth should be all tea and roses.

[KPinSEA]

Poor choice of words Sharon, but Dior's kowtowing wasn't any more honorable.

Would have preferred if they'd started a new ad campaign with Sharon: "J'adore ... the perfect fragrance to wear when you're about to run over students with a tank."

[dgscol]

Why is Sharon using a Hindu concept, to direct against the Chinese government? Are all Asians the same? I think her comments directed against the government were taken to be against all Chinese people, and of course, that just was not true.

OF COURSE, the Chinese government has shown complete lack of regard for its people, as demonstrated by the various crackdowns involving many thousands of people, and a complete lack of regard for victims in Llasa and Burma, also. One of their central concerns is the suppression of change.

As suppressed people strive for independence, it is interesting that the country split from an earthquake before any of these groups have achieved independence.

[yexiaonan]

Conisder her forgiven - just a slip of the tongue and her open apology.

One would suspect Sharon Stone has never been to China, and ceratinly
never been to Tibet. Maybe she heard it all from Richard Gere.

[GBartrem]

Sharon Stone might try and think before inserting her head in her rear end.... from now on. But, then again she might dislodge her butt implants, when trying to dislodge her head from her butt.