Monday, February 2, 2009

He goes for the gold, but Acapulco Gold?

Oops. Michael Phelps, eight-time gold-medal swimmer in the 2008 Olympics has been photographed holding a glass pot pipe to his mouth. Was it a posed photo or a candid photo? Was it a setup or a boneheaded mistake? Did he inhale?

Even though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it's no problem, it's probably a puff, a party, and lost sponsorships, to paraphrase the movie poster for "Reefer Madness."

Forget for a moment that the criminalization of marijuana is arguably an antiquated absurdity; forget that it's still currently illegal and no one should break the law. Instead, consider the propensity for celebrities to behave like normal people, which always seems to make for a fascinating story, well, a story.

Why oh why, when they have everything going for them, do they insist on taking careful aim and firing into their own feet? What does this prove? That they're a good shot from about 3 feet away?

Unbelievable. Even if he didn't smoke anything, even if the photo was an innocent joke, why do it? Especially in the age of the Internet when a moment's frivolity can become a lifetime's gotcha.

I hope this gets better for him, because he seems like a good kid and I feel bad for him. But I feel bad for all the other kids who set him up as a role model, and I feel bad for the parents of those kids.


Yes, I know: there are larger issues in the world.

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