One Rule For Some, Another For Everyone Else

Greets Ramblers,

Time for a bit of a rant - too much of this positive stuff recently...

How is it that a druggo like Ben Cousins (or whatever the hell his name is) can be handed the world on a platter? Not only does he get his football career back, but he gets a weekly radio spot, lots of media attention, and I am sure that he will get a bunch of endorsements as he continues his rise and rise.

I am all for giving a person a second chance after a mistake, but isn't this just a little bit over the top? Anyone working a real job (instead of being one of those semi-deified sports stars or musicians) would be well and truly buggered if they got busted abusing drugs. There would be huge obstacles in the climb back from the big fall, not least of which would be a criminal record and a low chance of ever getting a job again.

Erm, am I missing something? If you are a person in the public eye, you get a huge amount of exposure, usually followed by a ridiculous amount of money being thrown at you by all and sundry. The flip side of this coin is that your personal life is open game to the media whores that wait at your door to see what you are putting in your rubbish, and the expectation that, being in the public eye, you will stand as a positive influence to others.

As far as I am concerned, anyone who decides to follow a career that thrusts them into the spotlight should be well aware of the consequences, so there are no excuses when they abuse their rights. I'm an old fashioned kind of guy - I believe that life is all about rights and responsibilities. You pay for your rights with your responsibilities. There's a certain kind of universal balance about the whole thing that appeals to me, and it is one of the cornerstones of my value system in life.

I don't see that kind of balance in the current situation with this particular miscreant. Then again, I don't really care, because I am indifferent to the bullshit that passes for modern media. I only wish that we didn't waste so much time, effort and money on a loser. Why not lavish our attention on someone who is really deserving, like a pillar of the community who helps others? There are plenty of them out there. They just don't make it into the headlines.

Till next time, oh ramblers. The next post will be a positive one... I promise...