Celebrity role models

I am tired of hearing people who are shocked when athletes, celebrities and politicians fail to become “role models.”  

Famous role models are like tooth fairies — they don’t exist.  

The harsh fact is that as much as we love to watch and obsess over our favorite athletes, actors and musicians, we simply don’t know these people.

You would most certainly not allow your children to take guidance from a complete stranger. Yet, just because you’ve heard a few of these people’s songs, or watched them partake in an athletic competition, it now becomes socially acceptable to let them influence your child.  

When celebrities do turn out to be awful people, folks don’t just get kind of upset, they get full-force tee-d off.

How dare Miley Cyrus gyrate like that with children watching! I can’t believe Alex Rodriguez would inject himself with performance-enhancing drugs in order to rob a legitimate franchise of millions of dollars and tarnish a game that has been around for more than 100 years!

I mean I can’t believe one consenting adult would send another consenting adult a picture of his genitalia! What about the children?

I got to meet Mark Cuban, a so-called “role model,” this past weekend.

He was pleasant, minus the abundant use of profanity. He was kind, unless of course you were one of the underpaid referees at Tom Crean’s fantasy basketball camp, and he was just what a role model should be, minus the six-figures worth of illegal insider trading charges he’s facing.

The point is these people are great when they are in front of a camera, but when the stadium lights go out and the performers leave the stage, they are human
beings.

I didn’t wake up not knowing how to go on with my life the morning I found out that Ryan Braun had lied to the American people. I ate my breakfast, went to school and acted like any other responsible young adult would.

If you haven’t already guessed by now, I don’t have any celebrity role models. Most people I know personally end up disappointing me, so I don’t bother with complete strangers.  

The truth is, the best role model you can have is yourself. If you are happy with who you are and what you are doing, then don’t worry with what others do.

If you don’t like it, then change it because that is the only change you can really have complete control over in this world.  

So now that you are aware that celebrities aren’t good role models, go ahead, tear down those posters of famous people in your room.

Put up pictures of yourself! Just kidding, that’s creepy. Creepy, like having unreal expectations for someone who doesn’t even know you exist.

­— eygolar@indiana.edu