Classic Kathleen Givens, first published on 2/11/09
Well, isn’t this fun, to have so many liars to talk about? There’s the owner of the Peanut Corporation of America, Stewart Parnell, who refused to testify to Congress today, but whose company has been caught red-handed selling infected food. Six hundred people made ill and nine deaths and he’s taking the Fifth. And there’s A-Rod, adored by millions of little kids and big kids alike, who swore to Katie Couric that he never used steroids and now says he did. And didn’t cheat on his wife. Uh uh. No way. Oh, wait . . .
Gee, swell role models, guys. Great job! Frankly, I’m glad to see them on the hot seat. Who else should be included in this special group?
Sherri adds: Where to start? Lance Armstrong? Cheater or victim of a witch hunt? Paris Hilton? It wasn’t her cocaine in her purse? How about those Iowa egg farmers? Rodents and maggots in the nesting areas? Lovely. What next? We’ll have to stop idolizing athletes as heroes and start growing and canning our own food?
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the answer is to stop making heroes out of celebrities. How about children looking up to their mothers and fathers? I know as a child I thought my parents were the greatest. If parents try to be the role models for their children, the children won’t have to look up to athletes, actors, whomever. The same is true for adults. Who do we look up to? Do we glorify these people? I heard a quote from actor Karl Urban (Lord of the Rings). He said, hey, he goes to work, puts on make-up and a costume, and pretends to be someone he isn’t. He said that’s really a bit weird so he’s not a role model. Oops! Off my soapbox now!
But even kids with great parents end up having some hero worship for people with talent in high profile professions. There’s a mystique involved that isn’t there with people you know well, like mom and dad. I think we’re drawn to the mystery of the unknown. So it’s easy for people to say “I’m just an actor/athlete/singer, not a role model” but the truth is that there’s some degree of responsibility that comes with being a public figure, as well as responsibility for parents at home to make sure kids don’t get too invested or take it too seriously. I think we all have a bit of that same responsibility, actually, to live with integrity and be who we present ourselves to be.
I agree with your list Jacquie! But unfortunately the list does go on and on and until we quit rewarding bad behavior with celebrity status nothing is going to change. As to the egg people and the peanut people.. we’ve simply got to figure out a better way to enforce our inspection standards for the foods we eat. But you know what? No matter what we do, there will be problem children. Was just reading about the bed bug problem in NYC. Those little critters had all but disappeared and now they’re BAAACCCKKKK…. as is small pox and whooping cough. Maybe we just get to relaxed…
Bedbugs, eww. Very hard to get rid of, apparently, and not just a NYC problem. Was just reading about a number of fires started by people using outdoor bug solutions inside to try to beat the bedbugs. And people trying to get banned pesticides re-approved. Scary.
Yes,the whole bedbug thing has me totally creeped out. Not only are they gross, but they’re apparently VERY difficult to get rid of, and it’s VERY expensive to do so. Great. I read that they’re in MOVIE THEATRES! Yikes! Makes me want to never go to a movie or stay in a hotel again. How did they make such a comeback?
They’re not sure. But partly because of chemicals we’ve banned and because of foreign versions arriving here and apparently thriving. It totally freaks me out — and I LIVE here.
What about Lance Armstrong?
How about any housewife in New Jersey? (I mean those with their own TV show)
That he was drugging up for his last race.
For all his races. Doping. He has been suspected for a long time, but never proven. Now a former teammate (Landis, banned for doping) says Lance did it too. Sour grapes? Maybe. But considering the sports world today, I believe a lot of athletes have found ways to enhance performance under the radar. Which is sad. Why do we need to believe in superhuman performances? When did human feats become not quite enough?
That’s so sad, especially considering he’s all over the “healthy lifestyle” thing with LiveStrong and all that. Sigh. That crashing noise is my illusions shattering
The list is discouragingly long, Sherri. I’ll toss out Roger Clemens, Jesse James (Sandra’s ex), and that golfer whose name I refuse to even type. Reminds me of the words to the Billy Joel song Honesty–Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue.
Of course, not everyone is untrue. There are lots of good, decent people with integrity out there. They’re not perfect–they make mistakes–but they own those mistakes. Apologize for them. And try better next time. And isn’t that really all we can do?
Ooh, Roger Clemens. Really.
You know for me it’s like with Clinton — it’s bad enough that you did it — but to lie about it on top of that… (Roger C fits nicely in that category!) I’m much more forgiving when someone says I screwed up… and openly admits their faults. We’ve all got em. What I am sick of is all the publicity surrounding their faults. ENOUGH ALREADY… I thought we were done with Paris Hilton.
Paris started creeping back into the limelight with two drug arrests. But it’s not her fault. Someone else’s cocaine somehow got in her purse. I know this can totally happen, because I remember the Brady Bunch episode when Greg got caught with someone else’s cigarettes, and Lindsay Lohan’s DUI arrest when she was wearing someone else’s cocaine-filled pants.
LOL, Sherri–I remember that Brady Bunch episode.
Read that Paris’s boyfriend got fired from his high paying, high level job for being…well, high. At least his employers weren’t putting up with any nonsense. Good for them.
I think that as long as people are willing to put up with crap, that’s what they’re going to be given. Where are the consequences?