When a video of Brit McHenry recently circulated the globe, and appeared to make the ESPN reporter sound mean and insulting to a tow-lot employee, a lot of people suddenly knew McHenry’s name.
While the 28-year-old probably would have rather become world famous for something positive, the exposure will undoubtedly help her career. We’re obsessed with well-known people involved in any extraordinary things, and, in some cases, we’re OK with super-attractive or super-famous celebrities doing ordinary things.
Most of us could easily go forever without seeking out Hollywood gossip or federal government scandals, but if we stumble across news about an actor, singer or billionaire, it seems tough to put it down. From public outbursts caught on video to embarrassing award-show moments, our society gobbles up all sorts of celebrity news — usually about human failings or the arrogance of being well-known.
Some stories generate more sympathy for one or more of the parties involved in an exchange or altercation, but plenty of mainstream-reported entertainment news is either spun or distributed strictly to gain notoriety for a media outlet. I try not to be guilty of this, as a community newspaper reporter.
I don’t find it to be newsworthy that a well-known person simply made an appearance in Jasper County; what happened and what they said and did while here is the story. McHenry pulled out the unfortunate don’t-you-know-who-I-am line, followed by a threat to sue. This never looks good, no matter the circumstances or the dialogue or baiting took place earlier, as the celebrity is expected to treat everyone decently.
It’s not that the rich and famous shouldn’t ever get upset or frustrated — money and fame doesn’t solve everything, and having your car towed is a hassle no matter what you do for a living. However, some folks don’t have whole extra sets of problems in life that McHenry has never experienced personally, and national figures aren’t known for empathetically seeing the world through the eyes of the less fortunate.
The celebrities who seem to be able to not only rise above judgment, but also help tell the story of the so-called working class, are those who seem to gain the widest respect. Robin Williams’ death brought tears to my eyes, and had the same impact on millions. We feel we knew what he was about, and many could relate to his personal struggles.
Jon Bon Jovi announced last week that he’s opening a second “JBJ Soul Kitchen” community restaurant in New Jersey — a sort of soup kitchen that offers healthy food, and only requests patrons to pay what they can afford. He’ll also include a one-stop facility to help people get food stamps, health care and culinary-related job training, and we expect this from him and other “A” list celebrities.
We should expect the same high level of thinking from Aaron Hernandez, Suge Knight and Mike Tyson, but their starting points as adults were all complicated. It doesn’t excuse their transgressions, but it’s also not surprising that they eventually fell hard.
Some feel holding government officials and other well-known people to a high standard of conduct and non-judgmental living is too steep, and that being super-nice isn’t any easier for the elite. I feel that asking McHenry and the rest of the best-known faces and voices in the world to simply be decent and fair with people is the same way we ask of ourselves and our neighbors.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com