The Imperfections of Role Models

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michael-phelps There are parts of our cultural heritage which inspire and motivate countless generations to push beyond their boundaries and raise the limits of the human potential. Yet, just as there is light, there is also dark. Other parts of our history serve to tear down those heroes, knock cracks into the pedestals they have been raised up on and bring them crashing down to earth only to gain the opportunity to crush them underfoot. Whether it is from jealousy, spite, envy or greed, these despicable actions by a flawed few can damage the whole in ways I find particularly vile.

Here are just a few of the recent examples:

- Michael Phelps: record holder for most gold medals won during a single Olympic games (8 during the Beijing Games) has a photo posted of him taking a hit from a bong. The controversy ignites like a firestorm, sending shockwaves through not only his fan base of athletes all over the world, but also to his numerous corporate sponsors. Already his Kellogg’s contract is not getting renewed and Subway is looking for a way to cancel their current deal with him, along with requesting their previous sponsorship money back. Phelps was suspended for three months from the U.S. Olympic swimming team and is now on the fence as to whether he will even compete in the 2012 Olympics in London. (Recent Update: Subway, while not being supportive of his actions, has decided to stick with Phelps and not pursue exiting their contract.)

- Christian Bale: accomplished and critically acclaimed actor who began his career at an incredibly young age with a dramatic performance in Empire of the Sun and recently helped reshape the legendary caped crusader, Batman, and bring about on the biggest and widely loved comic films in history, The Dark Knight. His most recent effort was to reshape and relaunch another franchise, The Terminator, as he took on the role of the adult John Connor. While filming the first installment of the new batch of films, Terminator: Salvation, Bale went on a verbal tirade against the Director of Photography, Shane Hurlbut, for stepping into his line of sight during a rather intense rehearsal. An audio recording of that barrage was leaked online in an apparent effort to show people Bale was not the knight in shining armor audiences were making him out to be. This incident, coupled with an arrest last year in London for an argument with his own mother and sister, Bale is being draped now with a persona of a violent, temper-tantrum throwing prima donna. While the fallout from this last attack on his character is not known as of yet, Bale already issued an apology and plea for people not to write off his upcoming film based solely on his on-set reactions.

- President Barack Obama: Yes, I am including him, not in a subliminal effort to say Bale or Phelps are in the same league, but because Obama is suffering already from the same type of political and social character attacks. Barely three weeks into his inaugural term, members of the old guard in Washington are openly and continually putting their feet down in the way of progress and change. They have already caused the withdrawal of three different cabinet choices based solely on tax issues that they found and they have caused a dangerous and dangerous delay in the stimulus package by holding it up in the Senate. It is crystal clear that if this plan whether the plan goes through or not, we are in for tough economic times and I have no doubt the old shadows of Washington are going to blame Obama for continued damages, especially those which they are currently refusing to help fix.

These are only three examples and they are have widely differing effects on our cultural landscape, but they all stem from the same negative phenomenon. When someone rises above the masses, through hard work or sheer happenstance, someone will always be there to try and tear them down. Justifications will be wrapped around them like warrior cloaks, but inside can’t escape the truth, it’s all ego. “I need money, so I’ll sell this incriminating photo.” or “This guy’s famous, but I’m not, so I’m gonna embarrass him.” or lastly “If he can actually fix our mistakes it’ll actually prove we made them to begin with. We must stop him.” The people behind the attacks are always thinking of themselves above all others and that’s where we fail as a society. I’m not trying to move people to another dogma or impose Communism, thinking of the group above all, but there has to be a balance where the individual can appreciate the success and acclaim of another without seeking to shift the spotlight onto themselves. Envy is described as a sin and can truly be a detriment when left uncontrolled, but wanting what someone else has worked so hard to achieve can also be used as a motivator. The achievement of the mantle ‘role model’ once served as a positive thing, but now acts as double-edged sword due to the intense pressure of perfection draped over their shoulders. A person, be it movie star, athlete or politician, can still exist as a role model even after flaws have been uncovered. No one is perfect and trying to force that on someone is only a guarantee of disappointment. When cracks are found in the chiseled veneer they work so hard to craft, instead of raging and calling for their utter downfall, we should relax and remember that they are only ordinary people with extraordinary skills. When we let ourselves devolve into actions like these attacks we not only damage them, but we damage ourselves and our society. Just in the examples above it ranges from millions of dollars lost to a single person to billions of dollars in aid denied to the entire country and for what? We need heroes, we need people to look up to, we need people to point to and tell our friends and family we want to be like them, because if we don’t see anything over the horizon, we will have nowhere to go.

I am not suggesting that these people, or any others like them in the realm of cultural spotlight, are deserving of extra leniency or a new set of rules. They should adhere to the same laws and be punished by the same consequences we all deal with by the sheer fact of living in this country (and more specifically in our individual states). Yet in the cases above, these people are not being judged and punished by the legal system, it is by the court of public opinion, which is wildly hypocritical. This doesn’t necessarily come into play in Obama’s case, and as far as I know it is not a crime to be a raving lunatic on a film set (lucky you, Bale) , but being caught with weed is still illegal everywhere, depending on the amount on your person, so Phelps is indeed treading in murky waters. But once again, he should be treated like everyone else at that party. Are there pictures and possible criminal trials being hunted for anyone else there? Do we really believe he was the only one smoking at that party? On top of that, unless Phelps gives a complete and detailed confession to smoking weed that night and even the amount that he was holding, that photograph is not nearly enough to convict him of anything other than being stupid enough to be caught on camera doing it in the first place. The punishment should always fit the crime, no matter the person involved and Phelps is being socially persecuted for something in some states only equates to a fine and a warning. Equality works both ways, people. Take a look here to listen to a more comedic and acerbic take on the Phelps fiasco.

So please keep this in mind next time you have the opportunity to snap a photo of a celeb walking slightly off the beaten path, or catch and athlete relaxing from his training a bit “too much”, or next time you’re at the voting booth and you have the opportunity to elect people who are shaking hands with our new President instead of slapping it away.

When we raise one, we raise us all.

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