This is an article written about the Michael Phelps' photo that surfaced, showing him smoking out of a bong. It was written this week and I'm wondering why people are even still talking about this? Although the article ends with saying everyone will forget about this, just as they forgot about his DUI arrest when he was 19 (which, I had no clue even happened), why is an article being written about how we'll forget. A few different issues are brought up in the article though which is why I thought I would post it. Questions of race, celebrity, and redemption are brought up in this 'scandal' (though I see nothing scandalous about a college age kid smoking pot). Thoughts?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/185807
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I definitely agree with you about this. It's not exactly news that college students and twentysomethings experiment with drugs and alcohol. I understand why many are freaked out, since he is supposed to be a role model for children and is deemed an American hero. Personally, I think even the biggest heroes should be accepted as being normal, even if some don't necessarily agree with him "scandalously" smoking pot.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is kind of sad that the media is still discussing this "scandal." Journalists are totally loving this picture, and way too much. It's like they are waiting for the next crazy partying picture to come along! The media should focus on more important things.
Leave the poor kid alone! He's won 14 Olympic gold medals in his lifetime, he should be allowed to do whatever he wants. He has every right to do normal college-aged things since he's probably done nothing but train for the past 10+ years. If we can get past our president smoking weed, why can't we forgive an experimental 23 year old?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you both. We don't know the circumstances Phelps was in, and for the media to blow this out of proportion by throwing in the "American Hero" or "role model" card in there, they are only making things worse for him by drawing so much attention to this one photo.
What is sad is this is what many people consider "news". I feel like every time I turn on the news or TV in general, people are talking about the latest celebrity mishaps. I feel like people crave every single detail of a celebrity's life.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I completely agree with you guys. Almost every 20-something year old has experimented with drugs and alcohol at some point in their life so why should Michael Phelps be any different? I understand kids look up to him because his outrageous feats but come on, there has to be something better to talk about.