In 2007, Britney Spears endured a very public downfall and quickly became a punching bag for the national comedy circuit. Skewering Spears for public gaffes — shaving her head, accidentally exposing herself while climbing out of a limo, marrying the backup dancer Kevin Federline in a shotgun wedding — became the kind of comedic layup that made late night show hosts salivate.

America’s gleeful schadenfreude is recounted in Framing Britney Spears , a new New York Times documentary about the pop-star, currently streaming on Hulu and HBO Max. The documentary’s crux is a focus on the conservatorship of Spears’ $US60 ($78) million estate , which her father, Jamie Spears, controls with sole authority. The movie also recalls the news cycle of public humiliation directed at Spears, who at the time was a 25-year-old mother of two who knew nothing beyond a life of performance.

With the country remembering the frenzy that followed Spears’ every waking moment, it’s worth discussing how one talk show host, Craig Ferguson, decided not to direct any barbs or zingers towards the singer out of respect for the state of emotional and psychological drudgery she was living through.

Never forget when Craig Ferguson refused to make fun of Britney Spears. pic.twitter.com/r8AuiNPW0L

— Britney Fan ???? (@BritneyHiatus) February 9, 2021

Putting humanity before cheap and pandering jokes, Ferguson refused to make fun of the megastar, despite most of us who found it pretty fair to “punch up” at the rich, popular, and successful. Ferguson’s monologue resurfaced for good, instructional reason: You, too, can recognise when it’s inappropriate to revel in another person’s despair, regardless of whether it’s a public figure or someone you know personally.

What is “punching up”?

In comedy parlance, to “punch up” means to skewer or mock someone who has a larger platform and public profile than you. Typically, punching up is kosher while punching down is gauche, though the circuses inspired by Spears — and later on, Tiger Woods — demonstrate how identifying which is which can be more art that science.

Personally speaking, everyday people tend to punch up towards similar figures: Maybe directing ire at a multi-millionaire performer who enjoyed worldwide adoration only to crumble beneath the spotlight, or cracking jokes at a sporting icon after their fall. There’s a psychological impulse to delight in the misfortunes of those more prominent and successful than us. It’s something of a psychological kink.

In a 2018 article in the Guardian , Tiffany Watt Smith distilled the cross cultural significance of schadenfreude — a German word that means delight in the misfortunes of others:

The Japanese have a saying: “The misfortune of others tastes like honey.” The French speak of joie maligne , a diabolical delight in other people’s suffering. In Danish it is skadefryd ; in Hebrew, simcha la-ed ; in Mandarin, xìng-zāi-lè-huò ; in Russian, zloradstvo ; and for the Melanesians who live on the remote Nissan Atoll in Papua New Guinea, it is banbanam .

Understand the nuance of the situation

There’s a psychological impulse to find solace in the tribulations of others. It’s only when you don’t understand the true situation behind someone’s erratic behaviour that the joke goes from seemingly harmless to vindictive. People don’t spiral without reason, so before we crack jokes at another’s expense, it’s worth asking ourselves if we adequately understand why someone might be behaving strangely.

To take the obvious example, Spears was moulded from the earliest stages of her life to become an empire, deprived of agency and thrust into megastardom. She was, in the words of Craig Ferguson, “a baby” in her own right, even when she seemingly had the world at her feet.

Ask who the person is hurting

Of course, our opinions can change if the person in question has done something terrible. But in the case of someone like Britney Spears, her meltdown came at the expense of herself and the people closest to her. It can be fun to luxuriate in the pain of someone who makes music you loathe, but it only makes us a bullies when we fail to see what’s causing someone to lose their grip, and the real-life effects that follow.

How to decide who’s worthy of ridicule

There are plenty of instances when punching up can be good, clean fun, and it includes lambasting people for their screw ups — especially when they’re unabashed arseholes about it. This works particularly well when it comes to political figures who aren’t always very becoming about their motivations and sometimes use words incorrectly . Know a celebrity who’s been blacklisted for doing something outrageous, only to double down on justifications for their behaviour? Disparaging people and situations like those are a bit different than reveling in someone’s meltdown, celebrity or not. There are plenty of villains who aren’t grappling with a toxic family or marauding paparazzi outside their door. It takes a little bit of effort to separate those worthy of playful ridicule from those who aren’t, but it’s worth it.

The post Who’s Worthy of Ridicule? appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

The release of the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears has sent the world into a collective tailspin this week. The production, which focuses on the career and tumultuous personal life of Spears, has driven droves of people to speak out in support of the pop star; calling out the poor treatment she has faced over the course of her time in the spotlight.

If you’re wondering when we’ll be able to watch the documentary episode in Australia, I’m sorry to report that we don’t have any news on that front just yet. For the moment, you’ll need a VPN to access FX and Hulu in the USA and watch Framing Britney Spears there.

While we wait for more on that front, however, I thought it would be worthwhile taking a moment to discuss one of the central points of the documentary, and the entire #FreeBritney movement: her conservatorship.

What is a conservatorship?

As Harpers Bazaar reports, a conservatorship is defined by the California Courts as:

“a court case where a judge appoints a responsible person or organisation (called the “conservator”) to care for another adult (called the “conservatee”) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances.”

In Spears’ case, her father Jamie Spears has stood as conservator for over 10 years. The court ruling came into place after Spears’ very public mental health crisis in 2008. After suffering a breakdown, Spears was hospitalised and spent a period in rehab. At this time it was believed her conservatorship would be temporary, but the arrangement doesn’t appear to have an end date in sight.

The results of this conservatorship have meant that Jamie Spears has long been in charge of all decisions pertaining to Spears’ finances, health, career and personal life .

As the NYT has reported, Mr Spears gave up his position as a personal conservator in 2019 due to health issues. A professional conservator has taken his place for the moment. This is a matter the courts continue to deliberate over now.

Can Britney take back control of her life?

According to court documents that emerged in August 2020, Spears’ conservatorship has been described as a “voluntary” one. However, Harpers Bazaar reports that the performer has expressed wishes to gradually regain control of her assets and personal life.

Back in 2020, Spears’ lawyer shared that the artist was “strongly opposed” to her father acting as conservator. It was requested that the professional conservator currently in place take the position permanently. This request was made with the caveat, as the NYT has shared that is instigated “without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future.”

It has been reported that more decisions will be made regarding the state of this arrangement in February 2021 (this month). At present, however, there’s no clear indication as to the likelihood or possible timeline around the end of Spears’ conservatorship.

The post What Is a Conservatorship and How Can Britney Spears Get Out of Hers? appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .