I was reading a Rihanna article on one of my favorite blogs, Three Ways to Take It, and the topic of what we expect from our celebrities came up. The point was made that we seem to put too much on our celebrities and hold them to a standard that is higher than that of the "average joe." It was said that we should allow them the same weaknesses, and imperfections, that we allow those that arent rich or famous. I can understand this point of view and respect the opinion...however, I disagree.
As a famous person, you are held to a higher standard and I believe you SHOULD be. You live your life in the spotlight, under a microscope, etc so everything you do is magnified, good and bad. Also, children look up to famous people. Always have, always will. It was brought up that Charles Barkley tried to convince people that he wasnt a role model, which in my opinion, was foolish. How can you sit there trying to tell kids that you arent a role model while pushing your hamburgers, deodorants, and $100+ shoes? Just ridiculous. Sadly, you dont get to choose to NOT be a role model, undeserving as you may be. Thats just an effort to shirk responsibility. So I WILL hold those in the public eye to a higher level of accountability for the simple fact that people, mainly children, do look to them for some form of guidance. And yes, I know that parents are supposed to be role models. But why hold parents accountable and give other adults a pass? Being responsible doesnt just start when you have a kid. Lastly, the fact is, you dont normally achieve a famous lifestyle unless you courted one. The lack of privacy is a price of fame.
We demand a lot from our celebrities. We demand that they perform and entertain. We demand that they give us a worthy product. We even demand front row seats into their daily lives. But it seems like we dont always demand what should be most important...that, as people, they are deserving of the adoration that we consistently provide.
6 comments:
I was going to do a similiar post on this and decided to shorten it up for random thoughts.
I agree celebs should be held to a higher standard and they do not have the right to absolved of any criticism of how they conduct there life.
I agree that they should be held to a certain standard, higher not so certain, because regardless of what happens they are still people. And thats not on some sympathy ish, thats just to say that they are going to make mistakes, no way around it, they are a subset of the population in which we live not an exception to it.
While I think they are role model, for better or worse, there still needs to be a striking of balance between those in everyday life and those in the media spotlight. I think thats what Barkley used to go for. We will never know what vices or demons someone has, and being under a microscope just magnifies their deficiencies even more. While a higher standard may be in order it still must be a plausible standard. Perhaps its just that we have too much access to their lives. I mean for many Jordan was a great role model, but had we known about the gambling, and alleged cheating he may not have been. We were largely ignorant to it because the media loved him and back off stories that could have been damaging. So perhaps its a balance of less coverage and deification (which won't happen) and a higher standard.
The reality is that few people ask to be role models but if you put yourself out there, particularly performers (not so much athletes) where you are asking us to watch you or hear you to make a living you gotta play to the crowd and that means being someone they can want to emmulate, especially if your audience is a young one.
After thinking about this a bit more, I have another take, one that was even different from my initial comment. Celebrities are part and parcel a part of the community that they represent, they are not immune to the same pitfalls everyone else because they are everyone else.
That being said I think the larger issue is not necessarily a higher standards for celebs (athletes, entertainers) but that they don't get away with a lot of stuff the average john or jane couldn't. If celebs get held to the same consequences as everyone else, kids will be able to see that improper behavior leads to subsequent punishment, just like in their lives. This would do to things, 1) help to cast celebs as people with gifts and not idols and 2) showcase what role model behavior is and isn't (along with who is and isn't a role model).
Michael Vick,is a prime example. Whether you agree with the severity of the punishment or not, he committed a felony, he got time. Hopefully kids think twice about animal cruelty. Barkley's DUI and jailtime is another. Keep the expectations and consequences balanced and a better understanding of role model will emerge.
You choose the spotlight, you choose the baggage that goes with it. Don't come crying that all eyes are on you and it's so unfair. You're paid for all eyes to be on you, and you knew that coming in. High standard unfair? My ass. When the public's adoration is your bread and butter, you'd do best to actually EARN it.
@clnmike
Definitely agree.
@CC
I actually include athletes b/c so many kids aspire to be like their favorite athlete.
@Prez
I still say they need to be held to a higher standard. Just like people who are the face of a company cant afford to be doing certain things, famous people need to be held to that same high standard. They arent the average joe and are never treated as such.
When I say higher standard, I dont mean that they should be punished MORE than another person would be. I mean that they should have less room for error. They currently have more. So to that point, I agree more with your 2nd comment.
@anon
Agreed.
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