Celebrities. Athletes. People in the public eye. I've been saying for years that groups of people are not held to the same standards as us ordinary folk. They have babies out of wedlock, contract diseases their spouses don't have, get divorced after 72 days of hard work, and can drink and drive with the best of them. The difference between these celebrities and us is it never seems to ruin their lives. They keep their careers. They keep their money. It sometimes seems as if they go through life with little or no consequences. The problem I have with this is shouldn't they actually be held to HIGHER standards than the average Joe Schmo? They are in the public eye, and yes, I can imagine that's tough at times, but they chose that life for themselves. Which means there are millions of people watching them. Millions of impressionable people. Teens and children who look to our celebrities and athletes as role models. Someone to aspire to be. And what are they aspiring to? Talent on the field? Good screen presence? Or multiple baby daddies, infidelity and drug use.
I am reading a book this week that, rather ironically, reminded me of my thought on this particular topic. I say ironically because it isn't some intellectual novel or informative satire. It's chick lit. About a middle aged couple who have lost themselves and each other. The husband was an ex NFL player who blew out his knee, became addicted to pain killers, and has spent 15 years sober trying to work his way up as a sportscaster that no one wants to take a chance on. The book doesn't delve into any of these hot topics. But in an interview that makes him someone again he has this to say: "I'm angry. We've taken nineteen-year-old kids and turned them into multimillion-dollar celebrities. We've absolved them of responsibility for everything except perfuming well in the arena. They drive drunk, we slap their wrist. They rape women, we say the women should have known better. They bite off their opponents' boy parts, for God's sake, and a few years later, they're back in the ring, earning millions. When I was in the NFL, the world opened up for me. all I had to do was play well. I was unfaithful to my wife and unavailable to my kids. And you know what? No one blamed me for any of it. Everyone talked about the pressures of being a star quarterback. But life is tough for everyone. It took me fifteen hard years, but I finally learned that I was nothing special. I could throw a ball. Big deal. We have to quit letting our celebrities and our athletes live by their own standard. We need to become a nation of good sports again."
I am reading a book this week that, rather ironically, reminded me of my thought on this particular topic. I say ironically because it isn't some intellectual novel or informative satire. It's chick lit. About a middle aged couple who have lost themselves and each other. The husband was an ex NFL player who blew out his knee, became addicted to pain killers, and has spent 15 years sober trying to work his way up as a sportscaster that no one wants to take a chance on. The book doesn't delve into any of these hot topics. But in an interview that makes him someone again he has this to say: "I'm angry. We've taken nineteen-year-old kids and turned them into multimillion-dollar celebrities. We've absolved them of responsibility for everything except perfuming well in the arena. They drive drunk, we slap their wrist. They rape women, we say the women should have known better. They bite off their opponents' boy parts, for God's sake, and a few years later, they're back in the ring, earning millions. When I was in the NFL, the world opened up for me. all I had to do was play well. I was unfaithful to my wife and unavailable to my kids. And you know what? No one blamed me for any of it. Everyone talked about the pressures of being a star quarterback. But life is tough for everyone. It took me fifteen hard years, but I finally learned that I was nothing special. I could throw a ball. Big deal. We have to quit letting our celebrities and our athletes live by their own standard. We need to become a nation of good sports again."
If it's true in fiction, shouldn't it be true in the real world??
