Celebrities and the People Who Hate Them

As I'm sure many of us have heard by now, former California governor and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years (and Kennedy family member) Maria Shriver are separating.   Now the news is reporting that he also fathered a child with a family staffer before taking office as governor.  Let the feeding frenzy begin.

The other day, I was listening to an old Michael Jackson song that's on the soundtrack that plays at my job and it got me thinking about how we as a society treat celebrities.  For years, everyone condemned Michael as a pedophile despite no evidence, just his fascination with youth and what appeared to be a desire to live a childhood he was denied by his celebrity with the Jackson Five.  His attempts to cover his skin condition (vitiligo) led people to speculate that he bleached his skin and subjected him to all sorts of ridicule. I confess, I was one of the people making jokes about it.  Lots of them.  Comedians of every age and race mocked him for "trying to be white" and we laughed with them.

Then in 2009 Michael died, and the tone changed overnight.  All I saw on the news and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter were tributes to Michael and expressions of sorrow at his passing.  No mockery of his skin, no accusations of pedophilia, just sorrow that this man who never had a chance to be a child was gone and with it, an undeniable talent.  And yes, I think we felt guilty for the years of ridicule we heaped upon him during his adult life.  I know I did.

And let's not forget that for anyone, it's never too late to turn around.  A perfect recent example is Robert Downey, Jr., who for years was lambasted for his cocaine abuse and inconsistent work output.  After his recovery and recent smash success with the Iron Man franchise, he is once again one of the most sought out actors in the trade.  I know several people who've struggled with drug and/or alcohol dependency that haven't come out nearly so well.   I wonder why we found it okay to go after Downey when we wouldn't mock those we know.

Whatever your feelings about Michael Jackson or Arnold Schwarzenegger or the other dozens of celebrities upon which our society fixates, let's make an effort to be kinder.  Yes, some of them make some very poor choices but it's so easy to sit at home behind a computer and judge them.  It might be fun to tell the latest Lindsay Lohan joke by the watercooler or at work, but none of us have lived a childhood spent in front of a camera and surrounded by the sheer lunacy of Hollywood and the paparazzi.  Despite that, I suspect that if our lives were opened up to the microscope lens that comes with celebrity, very few of us would come off smelling like roses.

Are there any other celebrities you can think of that we've abused mercilessly?  Have you had the same train of thought?  Do you think I'm out to lunch?  Let me know about it below.