Whenever a public figure falls from grace, people love to ponder whether he or she will ever recover.
They do. Trust me.
Must I remind you …
Husband and father David Letterman admitted to having sex with subordinates at work, but it doesn’t seem to have impacted his viewership or career.
Koby Bryant was accused of rape, but eventually the charges were dropped. Husband Bryant didn’t deny the sexual episode, just the rape. But he’s still an NBA star.
A headline about him from the Associated Press today: “Bryant not always loved, but respected everywhere”
And remember Christian Bale’s F-bomb-filled rant against a worker on the set on his Terminator movie?
Here’s a sampling of Bale’s emotional explosion: “I want you off the f—ing set, you pr—-. What the f— are you doing? Am I going to walk around and rip your f—ing lights down in the middle of a scene? Then why the f— are you walking right through? What the f— is it with you?”
Lots of people speculated his career was over because he sounded like an enraged madman. Well, that didn’t happen.
It must make some workers out there frustrated. So many individuals with even the smallest blemish on their resumes or in their past can end up in career hell.
People are getting fired all the time for having photos of themselves drinking Piña Coladas on Facebook. Drinking on Facebook!
Ashley Payne says in August she was called into the principal’s office and forced to step down because of photos showing her holding beer mugs and glasses of wine. The pictures were from her Europe vacation.
That doesn’t seem that bad when you hear about the transgressions these superstars have made. And it doesn’t seem fair. But, it’s the sad truth about the workplace.
If you were fired from your previous jobs, have a criminal record, or even have bad credit, you’re probably going to face some big problems when you try to explain your past to a hiring manager.
But drugs, rape, adultery are all acceptable for the famous among us, although sometimes it may take a little time before the public is ready to stomach you.
We all get so angry that employers are so hard on us when it comes to our past and our present behavior.
Maybe we give these superstars a pass because we wish someone would give us a pass sometimes. What do you think?
December 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
The “superstars” already have a level of noteriety and popularity to which others may be attracted. Even when they do bad, or even horrible things [I’m thinking of a famous movie director in the news recently…], some still hold them in high regard because of their notable accomplishments. Perhaps they justify their hero-worship, or perhaps they don’t. Either way, that’s why “superstars” often get a pass. The things for which they are known are considered (by portions of our society) so important or significant that no one wants to diminish their achievements by focusing on their failures.
When the common person fails, we typically do not have a personality cult surrounding us to remind everyone what otherwise wonderful people we are. Therein lies the difference.
December 16th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
There’s definitely something to what you say. They’ve developed this “superstar” cred. That can go a long way. But should it?
Should we be giving superstars a pass? I don’t tend to think so.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I agree with you there, Eve. As much as I believe that people may be (and should be) forgiven, I also believe that the offender should suffer consequences for committing the offense. I’m not talking merely about criminal or civil penalties, but social penalties–a loss of prestige, a loss of trust, and the loss of public support that would allow some to attain or remain in positions of power or authority. While many would consider that latter point a bit of Puritanical thinking, the concept of the best leaders being those of strong moral fiber can be traced to Socrates and likely predates him.
Such social consequences were once almost universal in our nation. Although, at its founding, our nation allowed for the greatest diversity of public thought and opinion as had been seen in any Western nation, most of those early groups still held many things in common, including many principles of what we term the “Judeo-Christian” ethic. As time has passed, the diversity of our nation has expanded to erode that common foundation to the point where fewer and fewer people are willing to make “value judgments” except in the most obvious cases (e.g., premeditated murder). I believe we lost something as we made that transition–somthing conducive to the cohesiveness of society–but I cannot put my finger on it.
Many now believe personal matters have no bearing on official position, stature, or celebrity. It makes one wonder what is it we truly admire about people. At one time, we (as a people, in general) admired those of strong moral fiber, or those who overcame adversity in a virtuous manner. When lapses occurred, the status of these role models was diminished because the strength of their character was consider just as important, if not more important, than their other superior talents or accomplishments. Now, it seems, we (again, as a people, in general) are only concerned with those superior talents or accomplishments to the exclusion of moral character.
You and I may not think that way, but it seems to be a common way of thinking across our nation today. If lapses do occur (as they will for everyone, though some are more visible than others), the way one handles the situation can also speak much about a person’s strength of character. Because our society (in general) no longer holds that strong moral fiber is a necessary characteristic for leaders, celebrities, and role models, those who are held in highest regard seem to be those who ask for their private affairs to remain private and soldier on rather than those who willingly acknowledge their breach of trust and willingly step aside. There is forgiveness, but trust must be re-earned. There should be no automatic assumption that one will rise again to the heights that were once attained. In my opinion, they should be content to live their lives well, and to be better prepared for the next time they are faced with a difficult challenge or decision that would test their moral fiber.
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:36 pm
This is a great post, Eve.
I have never understood how these “superstars” can essentially demolish their personal brands and still maintain their careers and almost enhance their popularity and reputation in the public eye.
Does what Tiger Woods did change the way he plays golf? Obviously not. However, while he may continue to play golf well and win vs. competition, he has proven to me that he doesn’t respect himself, his family or his fans, and thus, he doesn’t deserve my respect or attention.
In the end, the issue is that our society today is allowing crimes and moral transgressions to be acceptable and even “brand-building” which is scary when you think of the upcoming generations of kids who will potentially grow up without morals and the knowledge of what is wrong and what is right.
Let’s hope that the media representation of how the rest of the world views these “offenders” isn’t accurate.
Chris Perry
Career Rocketeer