Falling Stars

When I was a little kid, I loved different celebrities. I was a kid of the 80s-where your choices of famous people you fell for was pretty much whoever your parents watched, listened to, or allowed you to be obsessed with.

As time went on, celebrities started families, got into trouble, and passed away.

I came from a very religious family. One thing my mom stressed was not to idolize famous people. You admire their work, but never idolize. This isn't the point of this piece.

I did take my mother's lessons into consideration once I had kids. My lesson was different to my kids as fascination grew with stars of their generation. I explained to them that stars are human too, and that they deserve respect, and punishment just like anyone else. They have a talent, but are no different that you or me.

It really hit me when Michael Jackson passed away. As a kid, he was awesome, and still in my eyes, one of the best musicians I’ve ever heard or seen. He was also just a person. He was a human being, who had a great talent, but at the end of the day, just a person. When he passed away, it reaffirmed that point.

In this society, we tend to latch onto high profile people like they are gods. They aren’t. They breathe, run, bleed, and die just like we do. They have issues, good days, and bad days just like we do. They also make mistakes like we do. They are humans just like us

.

One of the things I can’t stand about celebrities is that if they are accused of something, they don’t get the same treatment as average Joe does. Take Bill Cosby for an example. He has done so much for the African American community. He’s changed the landscape of television, and how the comedian can crossover into the masses. He’s truly business savvy, and no one can take that away from him. It's not my place to pass judgment on Mr. Cosby. I think he’s just human. Another example is Michael Jackson. He was accused, charged, and found innocent after a lengthy process. It's not my place to say Michael Jackson was innocent or guilty either.

I’m pointing out the issues I have with our society with celebrities. We tend to idolize these people, putting them on these pedestals of fame and fortune. They can do no wrong. The minute they are accused of something, or make a mistake, they are damned for the rest of their career. If either one were an average person, the investigation process would be drawn out, and no one would have the option to walk around free. If they weren't on our televisions, they have due process, and case would be closed.

The problem we have is that we go to one of two extremes. Either we burn them at the stake, or we protect them to ridiculous ends. There is no proper process of investigation. We prosecute these people in the court of public opinion. We tend find them innocent or guilty before the actual law of the district does their job. The sick part of it all, we enjoy it like it was days of the gladiators in the Roman Empire.

On a deeper level, as fast as we build them up, we tear them down. Why? If you remember they are human, you’ll remember that humans make mistakes, and they will pay for them. Celebrities are not responsible for the parenting of your children. Parents are. You explain to them these people have great talents that they share with us to entertain us. That character is make- believe. That song is a song you enjoy, but these are just people like you and I.

There is also the other side of the obsession we have with famous people. We want everything they have, and want to know everything about their lives. Even if it means accusing them of something that they never did to get the same fame or fortune they have.

Princess Diana died due to the obsession of her life. She was a princess, and that was just what happened in her union of marriage. After she got divorced, we felt pity, but still obsessed with her life. Her giving back, dating life, even where she vacationed. We wanted to know how she co-parents her boys, and what she was thinking all the time. She brought awareness to issues we should worry and fix. Instead we wanted to know about her fashion sense. It was this very obsession of seeing her, and living through her that killed her. Our obsession killed an innocent person living her life, who just happened to be famous for a title.

I think we as a society need to start taking responsibility of how we perceive these famous/powerful people. I don’t explain to my kids from a biblical perspective on this issue. They really weren’t raised around that in my home. We do pray a lot, but common sense is truly stressed.

No more building up and quickly tearing down. No more ignoring bad behavior or getting a slap on the wrist. No more being surprised they donated to a good cause. Humans who are good hearted do that naturally. It should be a simple pat on the back if you’re an awesome person, and if you decide to break the law, you punished accordingly. No more special privilege. It’s getting old, expensive, and really hard and ridiculous to explain.

Celebrities are human. They are humans who have a business savvy to make it famous/rich/powerful to be on your TV/computer screen and entertain you in some way. They aren’t above the law. They need to be treated as such. They don’t deserve to be harassed. They have a right to a private life too. They are people first before anything else. I think if we take that stance as a society, things would play out differently as a whole. Not saying I’ll never support careers of different stars I like, but I do remember, they are humans too.

If we remember celebrities are human, we remember bad humans get punished, good humans get rewarded, and humans deserve respect. Those simple lessons we pass one to our children to make this place a better place to live.

Ricci Bester Adams - Ricci is a single mom of three, they are her crew. When Ricci's not being mom, entrepreneur or playing on Facebook, she's studying for her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing or auditioning for acting gigs. Her blog, "A Shot of Common Sense," is a cocktail of food and beverage recipes, spritzed with some sass. She can be found in the kitchen, honing her talents for the restaurant she will one day open.