The United States of Overreaction: The Phelps Saga Continues...
Michael Phelps... suspended... dropped by Kellogg's... and black-balled by soccer moms everywhere ... Really!? Really? Seriously!? Really?
He's an exceptional athlete who has garnered more gold than any other Olympian in history. He has broken record after record and has done this - as far as we know - with his own God-given strength and endurance. And now he's apparently publicly getting stoned... for privately getting "stoned." I just don't get it.
According to a statement released by USA Swimming, the nation's governing body for competitive swimming who suspended Phelps for 3 months from competing:
"... We decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming-member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero."
Disappointed? Really? I just don't see a whole bunch of swimming kids getting bummed out about Michael Phelps busting out a bong and enjoying himself at a friend's house party. More importantly - who are these little swimmers? and why is a USA Swimming spokesperson speaking on their behalf? Was there a survey conducted? A poll taken?
Which leads me to my next thought: when did Michael Phelps sign up to be the "perfect role model" for that dreaded group we call "the kids?" BREAKING NEWS FOR PARENTS ACROSS AMERICA: NO ONE CAN EVER BE THE PERFECT ROLE MODEL... and if you are relying on sports stars or celebrities to raise your children and their expectations for life, then you have other problems brewing.
When a child screws up, parents and advocates typically zero in on the media, namely celebrities. It's becoming more common than you think, and it really sheds light on the roles parents are taking in the lives of their own children. I'm not a psychiatrist, but I think there's a problem when parents give so much credence to celebrities and basically allow these strangers to raise their kids. If you had more of an active role in what your children watched on TV or listened to on the radio, and taught them not to be followers, you would trust them to make good decisions when they are not under your supervision.
The kid made a mistake and he apologized - which he really shouldn't have had to do, being that he smoked up on his own time and NOT in the swimming pool.
I do not condone drug-use, but this has gone WAY out of hand. It happens. Deal with it.
I think the real story is - what the hell happened to privacy in this country? Now, all of a sudden, one can't smoke in the privacy of his or her home or in Michael's case, a friend's home, without a public lashing?
What people should really be outraged about is the fact that there are creeps lurking behind bushes and hiding in cars, documenting someone's every move and making a profit off their imperfections. Yeah, what kind of message is that sending out?
Land of the free, home of the paranoid.
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Comments: 4
The man smoked some pot. He didn't murder anyone. The media should give as much attention to solving crime and missing people as they give to this silly story. He worked hard to achieve all his has accomplished and shouldn't be condemned so strongly. Phelps apologized. End of story. Let's move on to something important.
I don't condone drug use either, but for some reason I start to sense the medias have been targeting Phelps in this incident deliberately. Phelps screwed up, he came right out to apologize (way better than Madoff and the other Ponzi guy that insist they did nothing wrong and think they can get away with it), plus a little reputation damage, some sponsors pull out, which still make sense, but that should be about it.
So why is the targeting continues? The medias don't have anything better to report? Or do they just enjoy famous people screw up and can't get enough from it?
Mass medias really need to have some common sense in journalism.
I don't do drugs. But the majority of America does. can't anyone have their own privacy without the paparazzi screwing things up? Medias may even have "little secrets", but you don't see getting kicked out of journalism. Smoking a small quantity of pot doesn't mean the same as using steroids big time. A man smokes at a friends house and gets kicked out of the Olympics. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! Isn't there anything that is a lot more serious??? If you were in a major race, and you decided to try a little weed, would you want all of these snob-consumed people to look at you, judge you, discriminate you, and possibly worse? Maybe the man smoked to relieve stress from the Medias. Think about that. Parents shouldn't get pissed off at a one-time smoker. The medias don't know the stress of the people. Most of America is children. Don't they get a chance to feel sparked? The guy could visit hundreds of areas where children communicate. He could make a kid's day. For all we know, He might stop bullies. Wouldn't that help the parents?
Face it: medias LOVE stories of celebrities (whatever kind, as long as they are public figures) screwed up, by one time mistake or a habit.
Now someone want to sell the the Phelps smoking picture for a big money.
I would say this, like the book "If I did it" OJ Simpson wrote, is "lower than low".