Monday, February 2, 2009

Photographer: Guilty, Michael Phelps: Still Kind of Guilty


Fourteen-time Olympic gold medal winner, Michael Phelps, was caught doing what one-half of all college-aged people have done; smoke marijuana. This article was released a month ago today, so maybe it’s old news, if it was, I just had not heard it until today.

Phelps’s plan to add to his fourteen gold medals in the 2012 Olympics might have been traded for a few puffs at a college party last November. A picture was taken of him inhaling from a bong. The World Anti-Doping Agency rules state that drug users face a two-year ban.

Wow! Our morals have fallen off the deep end. You know it is a miserable day when society turns to handing reporters evidence of their heroes and role models getting smashed. He just won fourteen gold medals and made over one-hundred million dollars. Life has to be tough, so just give him a break, danget!

Who was the photographer who took the illicit picture to begin with? And what new devilry made the photographer squeal? This sure is a time of loose morals.

Phelps showed up unexpectedly at a house party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He walked in and everyone was gawking. Phelps gave these college students a brush with fame. How do Phelps’s fellow partiers return the favor? They sell him out to news reporters. They disgust me!

Now Phelps has to take the hit for those fickle sources who sold his dignity to the press.

Phelps never hurt anyone by smoking except for himself. Those who sold him out to the press caused a world of hate. Phelps’s swimming career is now in jeopardy. Children mourn their role model’s loss of innocence. Parents everywhere are now consoling their distraught children and have to explain what drugs are to their children's virgin ears. But of course, Phelps is the one being punished.

Phelps broke the law and got caught doing it. But, I, along with so many others, am a Michael Phelps fan. I don’t want him to be punished. But as the too commonly used, and rarely thought out phrase goes, “rules are rules.”

Here is an idea. The typical pot head’s solution to every problem is now applicable; legalize marijuana. “ C’mon, it’s not that bad for you... it’s not as addictive as cigarettes…uhh drug traffic, economy, man.” That argument does not convince many lawmakers. If you really want to legalize marijuana, then get out your pens and papers and send a letter to you congressman. You now have a solid, logical reason to legalize marijuana. Michael Phelps does not need to be punished if he has not done anything wrong.

Even though I am relatively conservative and have never partaken in this socially encouraged rite to “maturity,” I think marijuana should be legalized. I could go into more details, but if this blog was any longer you would have closed this window and found something else to read.

Looking past all of the sarcasm, my underlying point is that people need to relax and not scrutinize people’s personal lives, even if they are celebrities. When Michael Phelps is in the water, he can be mistaken for a fish, a shark, or even a role model; but outside of the pool, he transforms and resembles an actual human being, who makes human mistakes. Is it really that hard to believe?

6 comments:

  1. I am a huge Micheal Phelps fan as well. I have swam for my entire life. But there's no way I can say that because of his past acomplishments he should be looked over by the law.

    As a celebrity Micheal Phelps knows that he is going to be in the spotlight and that people are watching at all times. He knew the rules and that smoking those few puffs whether inhaling or not caould jeoprodize his career, and that is now something he is going to have to deal with.

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  2. Just to clarify, I agree. He needs to face the consequences just like anyone else would. I'm just a little sarcastic sometimes. And as far as that entry goes, I'm sarcastic just about all of the time.

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  3. It is funny how and idol of so many people does not realize people are always watching them. Once you are in the spot light you have the availability to do whatever you want, but there are consequences. People will be always watching over your shoulder, and for some reason when you are famous you will believe you will never be caught. If I have learned one thing, by being a normal person, is famous people have not breathing room and they will always get caught.
    Being famous has its advantages though, when you have an unlimited supply of money you can do just about anything. And not only can you do anything, but you can get out of the consequences of the action or they consequences will lessen. I believe this will not affect Phelps and his Olympic career; he will be back for the next one.

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  4. I agree with this post entirely. I mean come on, cigarettes are unhealthy, but as soon as we hit 18 we can buy them. What makes weed so much different? I think if people want to do that stuff to themselves they can. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think the government should be able to control what we do to ourselves. Victim-less crimes are entirely pointless. It's like punishing the family after one of their family members kills himself; it's just simply retarded and unfounded. The government is not in charge of our personal lives. What happened to freedom?

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  5. Well, it was Phelp's choice, and really, what can anyone do about it. He jeopardized his career, but he can still make a comeback. I'm a Phelps fan too. :) As for marijuana--I don't know why it was made illegal in the first place. I'm for legalization for a lot of different reasons. Mainly, I think think that the goverment could tax the life out of it, since the marijuana business is quite lucrative after all.

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  6. So, while I agree that he should be punished, I think people are blowing this
    way out of proportion. Sure, he's famous and people look up to him. But still.
    Lots of people smoke pot, and you don't see people going all crazy-haywire on
    them, do you? I hadn't heard about this until a couple days ago, either; but if
    it's true, and this story has been out for a month, then people need to get
    over it. It happened awhile ago, and while people still want to hear about
    whether or not he is going to be able to swim in the next Olympics, it's not a
    big deal. They should be writing about things that are much more important in
    the world.

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