DeeEl's Mo Chroí Scríofa

Appropriate Behavior

I have actually been thinking about this post for a couple days.  Then this morning, CBS’ Sunday Morning ran a piece about the same issue.  They focused on TMZ and how they get all the celebrity news faster than anyone else.  Looks like TMZ beat me to the story this time, too.  I am not really into following celebrities.  I don’t really care much in knowing what they had for breakfast (not that many of them eat breakfast).  I think all that gossip is just a trivial waist of time.  However, it seems that more and more these celebs have been invading my news.  I have been quite over the oil spill in the gulf and wish they would find something else to report on.  Then along comes a news story about a celebrity getting arrested, filing for divorce or misbehaving in some way.

August 31, 1997 I was watching television before going to bed when my program was interrupted.  They reported that there had been a car accident in France involving Princess Diana.   I had come to admire this woman and sat watching in wonder.  The last reported before I went to bed was that the princess suffered a broken arm and was sent to the hospital.  I felt sure she would be fine and went to bed.  When I arose the next morning and turned on the news, I learned of the complete tragedy.  Princess Diana was dead.  Through the months following I learned of the chase her car was put through by the paparazzi and blamed them for her death.  It really brought to light what reporters and photographers will do to get a story, even cause the death of a kind and generous lady like the princess.  If I want to be that intimately involved in someone’s life, I will marry them.  This is the main reason I don’t go in for all the celebrity gossip.  People have a right to their privacy, let them have it.

This post is not about that kind of gossip people seem to thrive on.  I saw last week when Lindsey Lohan went to court and was sentenced to 90 days jail time.  The experts stated that she will probably only do 30 days and in solitary confinement at that.  More and more celebrities are behaving badly and expecting not to have to answer for their misdeeds.  Mel Gibson has once again ticked someone off.  Personally I didn’t think there was anyone left for him to tick off.  Now he has charges pending once again.  Will he answer for this?  I doubt it.  Being a celebrity seems to give a person a get out of jail free card.  they are allowed to behave as badly as they like and then they don’t have to pay.  Had that been a regular citizen in that courtroom last week, they would have been hauled off to jail straight-away and put into general population for the entire 90 days.  However, Ms. Lohan went home and planned how she was going to party that night for her birthday.

I was raised to respect other people and especially authority.  Even back then the celebrities didn’t get out of line that badly.  Our local celebrities seem to think they can behave how they wish and not have to face consequences.  With previous football coaches I have seen some of the UT VOLs go out and break the law, get arrested and nothing happen to them on the team or in school, even if they broke the law on campus.  Now there is a coach who does things differently.  He believes the “stars” of the field should be good examples on the field and off.  Recently a few team members were involved in a barroom brawl and were arrested.  One has been expelled from the team and the other were suspended indefinitely.  I have not been a VOL fan in the past, but to this coach I lift my glass.

Celebrities, no matter who they are nor how much they are worth, should be afforded the same rights as the rest of the population.  No special treatment, no solitary confinement.  Give them what anyone else would get.  The new appropriate behavior for our role models in the US is misbehavior.  Just like burning Lebron’s tee shirts fed his narcissism, allowing celebrities to get away with anti-social behavior shows them that they can get away with what they do as well.  And they will continue to be the ill model of behavior for our children and teens until we show them we will not tolerate it any longer.

Ratings Push Or Slap In the Face

Upon rising in the mornings I generally turn no the news (CBS), turn on my computer and then fetch the newspaper from the front deck.  After getting dressed and finding breakfast I retire to the couch to read the paper, watch the news and eat breakfast before I begin writing for the morning.  Yes, I am creature of habit, but then again, so are most people.  Last Friday, CBS Morning Show started a series called Dave Price, No Way Home.  I thought this would be in interesting stunt to boost ratings and could quite possibly produce some humor for me to begin my day with.

Apparently they were dropping Mr. Price off on the west coast and he was to make his way east and return home in a week.  He was only to have $50 and could not use any credit cards nor accept large gifts such as airline tickets home or hotel accommodations.  He was to “work” his way home.  When this began I thought it would be intriguing to see what kinds of odd jobs he would do to earn some cash and help him get back to NYC.  As of Tuesday morning all was going well and seemed to be educational as well.

This morning I turned the news on and as I ate breakfast I watched the next chapter in Mr. Price’s trek home.  However, the more the segments ran, the angrier I found myself.  Yes, it was fascinating that he spent the night in a frat house and earned $20 for cleaning the bathroom.  However, the job he is doing right now making $12 an hour made me sick.  I am one of thousands who lost my regular $10 an hour job when the recession was hitting a year ago.  I am still out of work and opting instead to be a freelance writer.  There are so many people who would have gone to companies such as Omaha Steaks (where Mr. Price is working this morning) and applied for jobs.   These people are turned down because of the lack of funding to be able to pay them.  In fact, many of them would probably be willing to work for minimum wage just to be able to have some kind of an income.

In an economic recession, I find it a slap in the face to the many unemployed folks like myself that CBS would televise how easy it is for one of their employees who already has a well paying job to be able to walk in and get a job in a company making an hourly wage that makes me and others like me drool with desire and longing to have any kind of a job.  What qualifies Mr. Price to work in a company such as Omaha Steaks besides his celebrity status and wanting to boost his networks ratings irregardless of what it might do to the mindset of those who would watch and thereby boost those ratings?

Irresponsibility in boosting ratings.  It is possible to help those who are unemployed due to the recession while boosting ratings and in fact, may boost those network ratings even more.  If Mr. Price must obtain jobs in nationally know companies or major organizations or any kind, then use it to benefit those who could use the boost to their economy.  If these places are willing to hire a man who has no qualifications, besides celebrity, for a few hours to get national recognition for their company, let them go a step further and use it to find qualified workers to hire on a permanent basis to further ensure the longevity of the company.

Take odd jobs if you will, like cleaning bathrooms in a frat house, but if you choose to work in a major company, help fill that kind of a job with someone who truly needs and deserves it.  As for Omaha Steaks, I have ordered from them in the past.  However, I am very reluctant to order from them unless they use this opportunity to help those who want and need jobs to obtain jobs in their company.  Being a celebrity making a great salary and then throwing it in the faces of those who helped make you a celebrity by frivolously getting jobs they would love to have just to work for an hour or two is, in my opinion, just plain wrong.