Image Control - Role Models?

Gilbert Arenas: The latest addition to recent celebrities who have disgraced themselves in the eyes of the public. I’m sure Chee-tah Woods feels good to be forgotten about for a while right?

Bill Clintons and Barry Bonds aside, the world’s collective “I am holier than though” attitude has turned focus on A-Rod, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Tiger Woods and now, Gilbert Arenas. These celebrities have all become the new targets to criticize. I find myself wondering why so much negative attention is smothered in their direction, or why we spend so much time pointing out their flaws.

I agree, they made mistakes. Some of which are a lot more severe than others. However, it irritates me that all their faults have now become water fountain
conversation at work. Does that seem weird to you as well?

It’s the question of being a Role-model. But I think there is a huge misconception in what that means. Is Tiger Woods a role model? Is Ron Artest a role model? Is Brittney Spears a role model? Of course they are. But to whom? And for what reasons?

Tiger Woods is a role model to golfers. Ron Artest is a role model to ballers who want to improve their intensity on defense. Brittney Spears is a role model to wannabe teenie-bops, well, kind of.

Now, are they role models for your children, or my future children? Absolutely not.
I find it absolutely pointless to label celebrities as role models. Most of the athletes I admire were raised in single-parent homes and surrounded by poverty and corruption. They then were given multi-million dollar contracts, strapped with their own personalized Nikes and flavor of Gatorade while watching themselves on ESPN’s highlight reel every other morning.

All that money, all that fame, all that alcohol, all those clubs and all those women. What’s worse is that it’s all being flaunted at them on a silver platter.

Are they really role models to everyone? Yeah, for the naive and absolute optimist. But for the rest of us, no, they’re just entertainment.

I mean, seriously, would you approach Tiger Woods with a concern about your 401K? Would you ask Lindsay Lohan what she thinks of world hunger?

My point is: I don’t care how many women John Mayer slews through at the after party because I will continue to listen to Gravity because that’s an awesome song. I don’t care who Ray Lewis chooses to leave in a black bag next. But I sure hope my Colts don’t have to play him in the playoffs because he’s that good at what he does. Lady Gaga can be a hermaphrodite, that’s just weird, but she puts out some good tunes and I’ll still nod my head to them. Who cares about how much marijuana George W. Bush smoked at Yale, because he was a great leader right? …… Haha, just joking.

A lot of people confuse a ‘role model’ with a religious bias. It then wasn’t a mistake that Kobe, Jack Nicholson or David Letterman were sleeping around, but it was a terrible ‘sin’ that they committed.

Well, aren’t all sins equal in god’s eyes? If you break one of the ten commandments doesn’t that still bring the wrath of God? (Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.’) Hmm, so have you cursed, been jealous, idolized beauty or position, lusted, been vane, or put your trust in yourself before God today?

If so, you just pulled a Tiger Woods.

Man, me too, because I’m gossiping right now. That’s a sin as well.

The point of this post is to remind myself to stop judging others. I’m a sinner. Everyone is. Celebrities will be celebrities: they will win our hearts and then make mistakes. But we do the same. Whose your best role model? Whose your kid's best role model? You are. As a society, we need to stop worrying about others faults, and live to the best that we can. Amen?