No One is Perfect

Okay, let's be honest, why is America in such a tizzy about the fact that World Olympian was caught on camera taking a bong hit at a college party? Are we just supposed to completely discredit the amazing feats he's accomplished simply because he's doing something illegal (and frankly, an act that isn't quite on par with killing another person)? Why is our society so obsessed with moral cleanliness, this puritanical pursuit of perfection in our public figures, when many people I've come across couldn't explain moral cleanliness, let alone even spell it? I even find it even funnier that concerned parents reply to this question by saying, "We have to have perfect role models for our children!" I take contention with this point because it's almost as if this concerned parent, who I believe speaks the mentality of many of those perfectionists, because in reality, it's impossible to be perfect. Michael Phelps performed a feat so grand, so inspiring, and so heart-warming that he took an entire country, if not the whole world, by storm. He was the the role model of role models, a man who exemplified what can happen with hard work, determination, and a positive attitude. But it's almost as if once he was caught with a bong that all those tremendous feats were thrown out the window faster than he could swim a 25-meter butterfly stroke.

But what about Lance Armstrong? No one talks about why he divorced his first wife. Isn't that just as damaging, if not a more damaging message to the children of America? Why are we so willing to look past Lance Armstrong's marital infidelity and revel in his personal determination but quickly ignore the equally amazing feats of Michael Phelps and discredit him for his personal lifestyle choices? It just doesn't make sense to me.