Britney Declared Unfit Mother, Loses Kids – Michael Jackson Pays 15.3 Million in Sex Abuse Case –Plaxico Shoots Himself in Leg in Nightclub – Mel Gibson’s Girlfriend is Pregnant – John Edwards Fathers Love Child – Chris Brown Arrested for Battery Against Rihanna – Vick Goes to Prison, his Dog Fighting Days Over . . .
And the list goes on and on.
In my last blog (see below) I wrote about weak leadership in our leaders, including Barack Obama. This time I’d like to discuss stupid, indulgent, immature, and irresponsible behavior by celebrities and public figures who should be leaders and role models but often act like spoiled children. My central question here is: Why do they do it?
Possibly, there are many answers, and I invite readers to identify those I don’t mention. But here, I think is the main reason they do such things.
They do them because they can and are often encouraged to do so.
So many things about being a celebrity make it possible. First of all, we give our Britneys and our Michael Vicks all the adoration in the world, treat them like gods when they are only singers and ball throwers. Often, we forgive them their sins, and because we sometimes even worship them, they often come to assume that they are indeed godlike, that everything is permissible and forgivable. They breathe a finer air than us and the world owes them whatever they want. If they can score thirty points in a game or have a hit single, then it’s only right that they don’t pay taxes and can father as many children as they like. Or sometimes do even worse things.
Their celebrity makes such behavior possible in other ways. They’re rich, for one thing, and can afford lavish cars and houses and need never squirrel away their savings. Hell, why save when you can buy and sell any ordinary working stiff a thousand times over? Add to this the way the media and paparazzi fuel boorish, indulgent behavior, providing free publicity and keeping stars’ names and antics constantly before the public. Worst of all, I fear that we, the public, often encourages celebrities to act like clowns by spending our egg money on cheap tabloids and by compulsively tuning in to the vast media circus.
Maybe I’m wrong and ordinary citizens act just as irresponsibly. However, I don’t think so, and while there are many celebrities and public figures who are mature and responsible, it so often seems that the rotten apples spoil the whole darned bunch.
Aren’t you getting just a bit tired of it? Or are you?
Why have I written about weak leadership lately? I guess it’s because I’m concerned about this subject, both in our indulgent, greedy, pornography-saturated society, and in our leaders, those we look up to for guidance and to fulfill our secret dreams and fantasies. Also, in my novels, which are featured on this website, I like to write about strong if flawed leaders who do have a sense of morality and who are concerned about the health of their character. Though Charles Barkley once said, “I am not a role model,” it’s obvious to me that today, America desperately needs genuine heroes and role models more than ever.
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Comments
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Hi John,
Fine blogs, and I tend to agree. Many celebrities, and I include entertainers, sports figures and politicians in that category, develop a sense of entitlement without any correlative responsibility. And bad behavior is encouraged, or at least enabled, by thoughtless, and in some cases, malicious followers who bolster their “star’s” reputation.
Bad leaders need bad followers. It’s a symbiotic relationship; they feed off one another.
Gary
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John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
@Gary Inbinder,
Thanks for your comments, Gary. Yes, it is a symbiotic relationship, based on mutual misbehavior.
John
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As an overseas person, I applauded the US for voting in Obama. A breath of fresh air! This man has morals and has not been (so far) twisted by his time in politics. However he must be eternally vigilant, as there aree plenty of nasties in politics who will try to undermine his ideas to get their own way or feather their nests. Politicians, by and large, are greedy and dishonest, and politics is a 4 letter word.
I hope Obama can ride above the slush and continue to head his people towards a better life.
Rob
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John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
@Rob, Thanks for commenting. I voted for Obama and hope he can survive those politicians who clap with glee every time he stumbles over a problem.
John
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Tsk, what’s lacking in many people is integrity. Celebrities are just ordinary people who happen to stand in the limelight. Perhaps they get away with so much because there’s no real accountability and yes, you’re right in pointing out that the media indulges them.
Perhaps, yes, if one is famous, you should consider the implications of your behaviour in public but I honestly don’t think this crosses their minds. Their world is so far removed from Joe Public that we cannot even begin to imagine what they must think/feel.
At the end of the day, it boils down to what I choose to pay attention to, and following the doings of celebrities isn’t really going to help me write that novel or excel at my work. If others choose to fill wasted hours gossipmongering, then so be it. I’m not going to stop them but I’m sure as hell going to point out that it wastes precious time when given the opportunity.
Let the celebs do what they will. I look up to people who DO do some good to create positive change in the world.
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John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
@Nerine Dorman, thanks for commenting. I like your looking up to people who do contribute positively to the world. Fortunately, there are some celebrities who do that.
John
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In most cases the popularity and the money overwhelms them and they lose all their common sense–if they even had any to begin with.
Year ago, my father worked for Paramount Studios and he had absolutely no respect for the stars of that day except for a few exceptions. He said they had no morals–and the same is true today.
Marilyn, author of Dispel the Mist
[Reply]
John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
@Marilyn Meredith, thanks for taking the time to comment. I’d say your father was probably a darn good judge, as he saw them up close when they weren’t smiling or posing for the cameras.
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Because they can. In some cases, they “can” only because they happen to be wealthy enough to put themselves in situations WHERE they can.
And yes – the public is greatly to blame in my opinion. If the public ceased to buy magazines and newspapers devoted to celebrity gossip, then the tabloids would go out of business. It’s the same as fast food and even illegal substances. If Joe Public says NO, then the market collapses. So if celebrities or leaders who act more irresponsibly than the average Mr or Ms Public promptly lost their jobs…
On the other hand… most celebrities and politicians have specific “performer” personalities, so perhaps they’re hard wired to perform!
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John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
@Sally, thanks for commenting. Yes, many celebrities and politicians are hard-wired to perform, and apparently to act like spoiled jerks. But if the public called them on it, as they need to do with Roman Polanski, there would be fewer stars acting like children.
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Hear, hear.
America does need good role models, and our celebrities, our Hollywood royalty are NOT it.
Maybe their behavior is a lesson in that even they are capable of getting into trouble… maybe… And I will admit that fame can go to your head, and I imagine it probably would be hard to live up to everyone’s expectations all the time… but they could try a little harder to be upstanding characters.
Good post, John.
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John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
@Heather S. Ingemar, thanks for your input. Glad you like the post. Yes, I imagine fame can go to your head, and it must be hard not to get carried away by all that adulation.
John
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‘Tis the nature of the beast (human that is) to admire, adore, even worship those who distinguish themselves from ordinary humans in whatever arena they perform. From ancient tribes who might select a member as a God because he is fortunate enough to survive an encounter with a fearsome predator to the gladiators who survived countless battles. Great tellers of tales, composers and wonderful artists who could capture our dreams and fantasies with such vivid colors.
Until the beginning of the last century people were primarily impressed by the members of this ilk but with the advent of radio, vinyl discs, movies and television, the admiration of the people expanded to include great singers, musicians, movie and television stars. But as the century closed the latter eclipsed most of the great people who might still exist.
Why? Because many of the people consider their lives boring and sparse by comparison to those they adore. I believe that for many of the people it is the riches which appeal the most. For we are now in the grip of pure capitalism wherein those who make the most (deservedly or not)money are the ones we aspire to being. Otherwise why would rich men (Donald Trump, Howard Hughes) continue to fascinate.
Greed is the motive for this century’s adoration. It is the possession of riches to which we all aspire and while it has always existed in the race of emotions it has now streaked ahead of all others and we are none the better for it.
Stu
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John Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
@Stu Thomas, thanks for your post. I really like it. And yes, money has grown into the most important indicator of blessedness and being special. As Mosca says in Ben Jonson’s play VOLPONE, having wealth implies all the virtues, including elegant accommodations for you in heaven. If you’re rich, you’re smart, beautiful, and beloved by God, a success not only in this world, but the next.
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