Phelps Poll!

Being that I am probably nearest to Michael's actual age on this forum (no offense!!), I can safely say the following: Yes. What he did was stupid, thoughtless, and completely irresponsible. He's probably lost a good deal of his parents' trust, not to mention his license and definite "party" privileges. Let's also not forget that he now faces some major legal repercussions. I'm sorry, but "preferential" treatment or not, the very IDEA of a year in jail being an option would have me crying in my sleep. And yes, I do feel a little sorry for this guy. I'm not perfect, and for some reason, we expect our idols to be. I know if every mistake I made ended up heading the 6 o'clock news, I'd never leave my house again. The point it, 19 year old idols make mistakes. Hell, 45 year old idols make mistakes. The biggest point is that he's admitting it, up front (did anybody hear about the apology he gave at the Golden Goggles?) and he recognizes that a lot of kids look up to him, and he's using his mistake as a way to educate kids. Whether or not he gets preferential treatment, or loses sponsorships, is up to the judge, and to the companies. It seems, from what I've read and heard from friends, that he's willing to lie in the bed he's made, so to speak. That kind of makes me look up to him a little more. It seems that if we're going to judge public figures, we should start judging them more at how they are owning up to their mistakes, not the fact that they make them. The truth is, this 19 year old kid isn't turning tail from a mistake he made, despite the attention it's getting, is a little heroic to me. He definitely gets a thumbs up from me for turning a bad mistake into a learning experience for a lot of kids (and grown-ups).

Being that I am probably nearest to Michael's actual age on this forum (no offense!!), I can safely say the following: Yes. What he did was stupid, thoughtless, and completely irresponsible. He's probably lost a good deal of his parents' trust, not to mention his license and definite "party" privileges. Let's also not forget that he now faces some major legal repercussions. I'm sorry, but "preferential" treatment or not, the very IDEA of a year in jail being an option would have me crying in my sleep. And yes, I do feel a little sorry for this guy. I'm not perfect, and for some reason, we expect our idols to be. I know if every mistake I made ended up heading the 6 o'clock news, I'd never leave my house again. The point it, 19 year old idols make mistakes. Hell, 45 year old idols make mistakes. The biggest point is that he's admitting it, up front (did anybody hear about the apology he gave at the Golden Goggles?) and he recognizes that a lot of kids look up to him, and he's using his mistake as a way to educate kids. Whether or not he gets preferential treatment, or loses sponsorships, is up to the judge, and to the companies. It seems, from what I've read and heard from friends, that he's willing to lie in the bed he's made, so to speak. That kind of makes me look up to him a little more. It seems that if we're going to judge public figures, we should start judging them more at how they are owning up to their mistakes, not the fact that they make them. The truth is, this 19 year old kid isn't turning tail from a mistake he made, despite the attention it's getting, is a little heroic to me. He definitely gets a thumbs up from me for turning a bad mistake into a learning experience for a lot of kids (and grown-ups).