Grumble and Grouch

Clay Feet

There are many things I'm thankful for. Perhaps halfway through the top 10% of the list is that I'm thankful that I'm not famous. I like attention just as much as the next guy, but I don't think I could hack the scrutiny of being famous.

Let's take Leonardo DiCaprio, the latest Hollywood idolmania target. He has girls all over the world chasing him, only shortly followed by a hoard of entertainment journalists. I have no idea if he enjoys it all or not, but I've noticed that he certainly has his naysayers in the crowd. He was criticized for not attending the Oscars. He is criticized for having an inflated ego. Let's take a moment of reality checking, shall we? He's all of 22, right? How much down-to-earthness should you expect from a 22 year old being chased by literally MILLIONS of females? If he didn't want to go to the Oscars, why should he be grumbled at for it? Geez. Give the poor guy a break.

Then we have Jodie Foster. She's having a baby out of wedlock, and of course is taking something of a beating for it. She's 35 and financially stable. She's known for being a smart lady, so I'm going to guess that if she wants to, she can take the next bunch of years off just to raise her baby. Financially, I'm guessing she could do that. Would that I were so well set as a single parent.

Moving on to Tara Lipinski. She's been criticized in the press for being too childish in her reaction to winning the Gold metal. She's been criticized in the press for being too grown up in her dress and demeanor at the Oscars. Ummm…she's 15. Teenagers waver between child and grownup on an hourly basis. That's why they are teenagers.

I've noticed that no matter how good a person is, if they are famous, they WILL be criticized. Dirt will be dug up about them. Look at Princess Diana. She had to die to finally be rid of the dirt diggers. In fact, just like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and River Phoenix, her death has caused her reputation to be cleansed to ridiculous proportions. She was a nice lady, but she wasn't comparable to Mother Theresa in Goodness.

Here's my point to this: is it really necessary to disallow someone their humanity simply because they are more well known than average? Certainly, famous people have a responsibility to be good role models. They are watched, and therefore should brace themselves to that. But we who watch ALSO have a responsibility. We are responsible for remembering that our idols are not supernatural creatures worthy of unquestioned adoration. It's good to admire someone. It's bad to think that admirable qualities equal perfection.