Jabari’s Blog
I played football and basketball in high school, college and the NFL during the 70’s. The pressure to be good role models back then was not as relevant as it is today. An athlete’s personal lifestyle was glamorized, but not front and center. The media changed all that.
Today, the private life of a public figure is paraded as front page News on a daily basis. Make one mistake and it can cost you a career. Just ask Pete Rose. Or Michael Vick. Or Marion Jones. Or Elliot Spitzer, you know, the NY politician?
You ruin your reputation and you jeopardize commercial endorsements. Kobe Bryant may still be the MVP of the regular NBA season, but those lucrative deals start to vanish.
Is it fair, when entertainers, say Mel Gibson, or Robert Downey, Jr., or Paris Hilton can go to jail and continue on with their careers, as though it were part of a movie script? Why are some public figures held more accountable for their human mishaps than others?
Simple answer. Personal responsibility. It’s a subject that is becoming more popular every day. Recently, Bill Cosby wrote a book about it. Barack Obama is making it his new hot topic.
What is personal responsibility and why does it apply more for some and less for others?
The answer: if it affects others, it’s personal. Because it’s everyone’s responsibility to know how our actions will affect other people.
First, politicians have a responsibility to serve their constituents. They have signed on to represent our nation, to handle our affairs, and receive taxpayer funded salaries. So, that’s kind of a no brainer.
If I’m paying an employee, I expect him or her to be considerate of my policies, the rules and regulations that have been set, in order for my company to be respected and successful. Our Nation is our Business. Big Business in fact.
Professional athletes are another kind of animal. They represent the dreams and hopes of a younger, a more easily influenced audience. Kids, mostly. But also, those of a community.
We tend to form a personal bond with our teams. “My team.” “My favorite player.” It becomes something akin to ownership.
“We pay for tickets that pay your salary and expect you to perform on and off the field, or court, in a certain manner — essentially, to live up to my dreams.”
For an athlete to sign on to a sponsor a product, they have to be believable. If their reputation is contrary to that belief, the product won’t sell. A trust has been breached.
Personal responsibility may be a new hot topic, but it’s an old tradition. A tradition that got lost on the way, or was never really absorbed properly. Personal responsibility is a vital ingredient to everything we do in life.
For instance, our diet, exercise regime, hygiene, and proper rest, matter. They all add up to a healthier body and possibly a longer life. Ignoring those elements, or indulging in destructive habits, result in poor health, or death.
Committment to our marriage vows, keeping our children safe, obeying the law, contributing to our communities, matter. Doing the opposite lands us in divorce courts, prisons, and as outcasts. No man is an island.
All I’m saying is, personal responsibility comes down to one thing — common sense. We know right from wrong. Unfortunately, it’s easy to blur the lines these days.
When Paris Hilton goes to jail and comes out bigger and more popular than ever, because of what she did, it’s glamourizing a lifestyle, wild parties, drugs, and even prison. That’s not a good thing. It says there are no dire consequences for poor behavior.
If Britney Spears makes a heroic comeback, as Robert Downey, Jr. did, we can applaud their survival. Think of it as an inspiration. That’s a good thing. Michael Vick’s experience will be an inspiration if he overcomes what happened to him by using it to help others. If others can learn from his mistake, even better.
The bottom line is that humans make mistakes. Athletes, politicians, and entertainers are held up as hero’s, but they are still just people.
It’s all about common sense. Spike Lee said it best: “Do the Right Thing.” If we can get that one concept instilled into the fabric of society, personal responsibility will become an ‘a fait acompli.’ Is that the right word for a done deal? You get the message.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 am
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