Volume III. No. 30
 02-10-05
 "Glass Houses. They All Live In Glass Houses."
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2005
 

 So, here we go again. Bill Cosby. Jesse Jackson. Courtney Love. Jack Ryan. 
 Michael Jackson. Kobe Bryant. Winona Ryder. Bill O'Reilly. All the people 
 listed here are in the public eye. Some have been accused - and charged - with 
 heinous crimes. The others are alleged to have done something morally 
 wrong, or have simply been accused in the press without any action yet 
 taken by the authorities. One loud-mouthed talk show host in the above list
 settled out of court, without admitting to any morally improper conduct.

 Yeah, right.

 What is going on here? All of these individuals seem to be suffering from 
 the affliction known as "I present myself one way when in public, but 
 when I'm on my own time, I'm free to be whatever kind of jackass 
 I want to be." 

 There is nothing wrong with being, as the young folk say, "for real" when 
 away from the cameras and the microphones, but the detachment from 
 reality that some of our most beloved public figures seem to suffer from 
 is startling.

 Just in the last year of so, Dr. Bill Cosby has been blathering on about the 
 civic and moral irresponsibility of those blacks who are mired at the lowest 
 rung of the economic ladder. He blasts them about being poor parents and 
 accuses them of lacking in the motivation to better themselves without 
 government assistance or without the continous blaming of some other 
 ethnic group for their own dire predicament.

 Cosby's heartfelt words are surely needed in that particular community.
 Will he now be compromised? When he speaks to an audience of 
 impressionable black youth, will he be regarded as some kind of a joke?

 He should immediately consult with Jesse about how heavy a weight a 
 hypocrite's crown can be.

 So, how in heaven's name could Bill Cosby even allow himself to be caught 
 up in a situation where he is alleged to have drugged a young lady and was 
 afterward improper in his conduct with her?

 That he would even allow himself to be placed in a situation where such
 an accusation could be made, is astounding bad judgement, whether the 
 charges are true or are the fabrications of a disturbed individual who is 
 seeking an eventual financial windfall.

 Here we see the illusion that celebrity really is. There really isn't any difference
 between us and them. Whether professional ballplayers who pump themselves 
 up with steroids in order to achieve unprecedented levels of performance, 
 or actors who perform in public service commercials and are subsequently
 arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

 We see that celebrity is just a con. It is an illusion.

 The general public are the big suckers who purchase the movie tickets, 
 go to the concerts, attend ball games, and tune into useless television 
 programs such as "Access Hollywood" every single night of the week.

 We are the ones with the unhealthy addiction for every fragment of information
 about these people. Why do we put public figures up on a pedestal when we 
 know in our hearts that they are mere mortals, deserving of no such adoration. 

 The truth is right in front of our eyes. A little cynicism would be healthy. 
 Politicians, movie stars, authors, writers, athletes, musicians, and practically 
 all of the rich and famous live in shimmering castles of the most delicate 
 glass.

 Easy that rock in your hand. Don't throw that stone, just yet.

 Have you any doubt that there will come another incident that will serve 
 to demonstrate that no matter how much money a celebrity may possess, 
 or how popular they are in the eyes of the general public, none of that can 
 change the fool within.

 If a fool in celebrity's clothing, is indeed what they are.
 

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