From, The troubling reaction to two troubled lives:

"Jackson and McNair filled pages, screens, airwaves and the minds of millions of Americans, their celebrity sanctified, their troubles trivialized.  And that is troubling.

"Jackson, the fallen megastar, was once charged - and acquitted - of child molestation, admitted on international television that he took boys not his own into his bed, and paid a woman for the use of her womb to gestate his children.

"McNair led the Titans to within a yard of overtime in the Super Bowl, earned NFL co-MVP honors, was three times named to the Pro Bowl and aided numerous charitable endeavors, even organizing a relief convoy in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"But McNair, 36, died of gunshot wounds in a Nashville condo.  Near the body of the married father of four was Sahel Kazemi, a 20-year-old waitress identified as McNair's girlfriend, who was dead of a single gunshot wound to the head.

"...can we really put aside the extramarital exploits of McNair?  Is it possible to ignore Jackson's misanthropic ways just because he raised money for Africa and sang songs with a beat the world could dance to?

"The bigger question is, 'should we?'  Should we, as a society, be so captivated by celebrity that we disregard the character of those we elevate to god-like status?

"...in spite of those flaws, many choose to deify them while minimizing their immorality.  America, it seems, has come to worship at the altar of entertainment...

"How far has the lust for fame and celebrity gone?  Kazemi's sister told the (Nashville) Tennessean that Kazemi's greatest dream was to become famous.  'I think she is now,' her sister said.  'She is everywhere.'

"Theodre Roosevelt once said, 'Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.'  If the chief end of Americans becomes fame, regardless of character, God help us.

"And God help America."  This excerpt was taken from an article written by Greg Johnson for the newspaper News Sentinel on Friday, July 10, 2009. 

This article encompasses mixed feelings I have had regarding the demise of the quote-un-quote king of pop and one of my favorite quarterbacks from the NFL.  Though I feel bad that these people died prematurely and I do not like speaking harshly of the deceased, this opinion is more about the state of the people in society than anything else.  Morality pales compared to being an entertaining spectacle, it seems, regardless of what life-long pain an individual  has caused certain people they have come in contact with during their lifetime (no pun intended).  No longer is mythology, morality, and chivalry (all vital things tied to folk-lore, stories, music, and family since the dawn of mankind) taught as important tools to live by, because they all take a back burner to the merciless television and spoken/written gossip of famous lives that must be superior and god-like when compared to our own.  Would I rather live vicariously through such ridiculously praised personalities, than live my own, albeit humble, life?  No.  I will enjoy following myself and those around me that I care about, for that will keep my life full, fun, entertaining, and enjoyable enough to last many lifetimes.

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