DeeEl's Mo Chroí Scríofa

Childishness

Trying to remain silent regarding this topic has proven to be too much for me. I must finally weigh in on the recent issues in the news regarding Chris Brown and Charlie Sheen.

I have sat and watched all the nauseating news footage of the Charlie Sheen debacle.  This has not been because I have been interested in it, but because I want to watch the news and that is all they are running.  I have never really been a fan of Mr. Sheen and am therefore, not really interested in his tantrums.  However, in watching interview after interview with “professionals” regarding his recent behavior I have come to my own conclusions.  Mr. Sheen may, perhaps believe that he has no illnesses and that may work for him.  However, his belief doesn’t work for society.  After nearly 13 years as an adolescent counselor I can say he should seek the consult of a professional psychiatrist.   His drug and alcohol use only exacerbate the issues.

Let me touch on Mr. Brown before I conclude with Mr. Sheen.  They share another problem so I will discuss that for both of them.  I watch Good Morning America (GMA) in the mornings whilst eating my breakfast and was watching the morning of Chris. Brown’s interview and performance.  Even before the question that supposedly caused Mr. Brown ill I had one thought in mind, “This guy needs to grow up”.  I sensed it even more when Ms. Roberts asked how he was handling things now after the legal issues he had a couple years ago.  I didn’t sense any malice in the tone of the question nor the question itself.  It seemed perfectly legitimate for a reporter to ask, “in light of the issues before, how are you doing now” kind of thing.  His response was juvenile.

The next day the reports were circulating that Mr. Brown threw a tantrum after he finished his performance on GMA.  I watched and listened trying to maintain my inaction especially when reports rose as to Mr. Brown’s Twitter responses.  However, this morning when it was reported that he went on a show and made an apology, I had to write this post.

Mr. Sheen and Mr. Brown both require the same advice – GROW UP!!  They are both acting like children.  Throw a tantrum, blame it on someone or something else and then say ‘I’m sorry’ and everything is all better.  What happened to adults being held responsible for their actions?  I had a conversation about this today with someone else and they threw Lindsey Lohan into the mix.  Still another one who needs to grow up.  The behavior that has been displayed recently by both Mr. Brown and Mr. Sheen demonstrates that they have no respect for themselves or anyone else.  This is quite simply childish behavior.  If I saw this kind of attitude and behavior from children or adolescents I have worked with, I would have accepted more readily, but would have disciplined accordingly.  This kind of behavior from grown men and men who are supposed to be role-models should never be tolerated.

One last time – GROW UP!!

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.