X
1/3 OFF Almost Everything! Add products to your shopping bag creating a minimum value of $25. Use code MEMDAY in the coupon code box at checkout. Your discount will be calculated as 33% off everything $3 or more. Cannot be combined with other offers or applied to previous purchases. Maximum discount $100. Excludes $1 and $2 products. Offer ends 5/27.
elf Cosmetics

beauty blog

BACK
Michael Phelps Smoked Pot

Monday, February 02, 2009

You’ve probably heard the “breaking” news that Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps was caught smoking weed at a college party. This 23 year old responded to the press by saying:
"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."
So the question I have is do we judge more on him because he is famous and feel he should not be subjected or tempted and engage in youthful immaturity like the majority of his age group? Are we more forgiving of a non-celebrity or is there equal judgment? What do you think?
photo: News of the World
31 comments email to a friend print this page tags:
Digg Del Technorati feed BlogBook FaceBook Faves FeedBurner Google Kirtsy MySpace StumbleUpon Twitter Yahoo

 
To reply to another user’s comment directly, click on the Reply link in that comment box.

Click on the Thread link to expand a discussion stemming from that comment.
crimp90p wrote:
1) 2/2/2009 12:35:42 PM
he is so stupid 1 fordoing this and 2 for dating a stripper
3 Replies | Reply to this | Open Thread
Tuesdae Jade wrote:
2) 2/2/2009 1:50:56 PM
Like it wasn't obvious... Come on, its not like he was shooting up or *gasp* USING STEROIDS No, hes just a regualr guy who happens to be good at swimming. Famously good, but still, leave him alone
Reply to this
Darko wrote:
3) 2/2/2009 2:25:50 PM
Everyone makes mistakes, especially when we're young. Peer pressure is a very powerful force and can lead even the best into regrettable decisions. Unfortunately when you reach a certain status in the public eye they feel they have the right to judge. The most you can do is own up, learn from it, and move on.
Reply to this
jcleme12 wrote:
4) 2/2/2009 2:39:15 PM
I am really disappointed that Michael Phelps engaged in such activities, but I think that he proved to be a man of character. He took responsibility for his actions and very few celebrities do that in today's society. Michael proved to be a role model in that he took responsibility and apologized, unlike many other celebrities who just kept making bad decisions and not owning up to their bad choices.
1 Reply | Reply to this | Open Thread
missestofu wrote:
5) 2/2/2009 5:20:17 PM
because he's had so much success and is so distinguished in the sports world, we forget that Michael Phelps is still only 23. Having said that, had he wanted to do it, he should have done it where no one would take pictures and video.
Reply to this
franny wrote:
6) 2/2/2009 7:04:20 PM
OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW WELL IT DOESN'T EFFECT HIM WHEN HE IS IN THE POOL!!!
Reply to this
brandeezy wrote:
7) 2/3/2009 12:07:39 AM
i think the media needs to give him a break he's a 23 year old. what do you expect?
Reply to this
Pfft wrote:
8) 2/3/2009 3:18:04 PM
Please, Weed is not a crime. Spend some time cracking down on our corrupt Government instead of the peaceful pot smokers.
Reply to this
funny stuff wrote:
9) 2/4/2009 12:21:14 AM
Can't pass judgment. We don't know what he's going through, although I personally wouldn't resort to that.
Reply to this
Lily D wrote:
10) 2/4/2009 4:49:25 PM
Love this kind of music!
Reply to this
lovemybabysquid wrote:
11) 2/5/2009 10:05:05 AM
I think what he, as a person, did was wrong. It's illegal and he broke the law. On the other hand just because he's a celebrity doesn't mean he won't make mistakes or bad choices. The media should let him lead a normal life. He gave us memories to last the ages, but let him be human and quit "stalking" him.
Reply to this
tashline wrote:
12) 2/5/2009 4:03:44 PM
We def. judge him more. people smoke pot every day and no one says anything but phelps does it and its such a big deal. If he wants to get high let him get high. I don't smoke and i don't think people should but people are only caring cuz its him.
Reply to this
donnadonut wrote:
13) 2/7/2009 12:14:44 AM
I believe we are judging Michael Phelps too harshly because of his celebrity status. He is a human being, and it may seem cliche but all of us make mistakes. He's young and peer pressure or a curiosity can lead to bad decisions. The clear cut fact is that he is a superb athlete who might have made ONE poor decision. I think the media is being absurd; asking for jail time and such. Where I live, teens are caught for smoking weed and only get a Class C misdemeanor punishment. That's the equivalent of getting a speeding/traffic violation ticket.
Reply to this
.:Ana:. wrote:
14) 2/7/2009 8:51:15 PM
i admired his so much b4 cuz i am a swimmer, but now i definatley don't!
1 Reply | Reply to this | Open Thread
silvermage2000 wrote:
15) 2/9/2009 7:41:41 PM
I think being a celeb that we need to be even tougher on him.
Reply to this
glitrbug wrote:
16) 2/10/2009 2:00:53 AM
I am 56, everyone smoked pop in college, no one got addicted to it. The people that are in bad shape now are the ones that smoked camels and/or drank to excess. Everyone gave up pot about the time they got a job/got married.
Reply to this
Gigi Girl wrote:
17) 2/10/2009 5:31:55 PM
I think that he has been judged too harshly by the media. After all many famous people have admitted to smoking Mary Jane, and no one cares. I don't know why it suddenly matters when it is an athlete. I think its ridiculous that this even made the news. Young kid party... big deal? He is paid to be an athlete not a role model, so let the kid do what he does best.... swim.
Reply to this
All Smoked Up wrote:
18) 2/10/2009 7:11:19 PM
The saddest part about Michael Phelps and his actions is that millions of people look up to him as a role model. Quite frankly, I wouldn't want my child's role model to be a pot head. At least he was man enough to own up to his stupidity. We live in a world where no one wants to accept responsibility for their actions, they would rather go get high to escape reality. I did wonder at one time if he had taken steroids to win all of those medals (remember the Saint Louis Cardinals homerun hitter that broke all the records but was later busted for steroid use?) In a celebrities world where they are under constant scrutiny by the papparazzi, you would think that they would be careful about what they do b/c they are always filmed/photographed. I know we are all human and make mistakes but drugs are just NOT COOL!!!
Reply to this
mfashionista_1 wrote:
19) 2/12/2009 9:46:18 AM
I think it's sad that he would go this low. I mean, he just one 8 freakin' gold medals! Wouldn't he know for himself that he's a role model? But everyone's going to be so ashamed that he will probably not be a role model. It's sad that he would do this. He just keeps making mistake after mistake...yes, he's only human. But all humans should have some sort of sanity! Or conscience! He knows better than this. After getting caught with DUI 4 years ago, and getting the warning then, he should know better by now. He's old enough to know that what he's doing is stupid and dangerous. I just feel sorry that he's not smart enough to make the right decisions and that his family has to suffer for them.
Reply to this
kiki345 wrote:
20) 2/15/2009 1:43:05 AM
i think that we are both too strict on them because they are famous and also too lenient on some of them (if that makes any sense). if we saw paris hilton smoking pot, itd be no big deal. but someone we see as an all american? everyone is outraged. society is just so hypocritical...
Reply to this
>:o wrote:
21) 2/21/2009 12:12:48 AM
everyone makes mistakes when they are young and the people that are making this such a big deal most likely smoked when they were younger. and people that are saying he is a bad influence... parents should be able to control their kids most of the kids are probably smoking before light was shed on this. whatever
Reply to this
HappyStar wrote:
22) 2/22/2009 6:37:30 AM
Ohh I read about this. Not a smart thing to do since he's famous and people will watch his every move.
Reply to this
yeahdonna wrote:
23) 2/12/2009 11:24:18 AM
I think that it shows a lot of character that he didn't deny it like many of the other athletes out there and owned up to it. And I agree with a prior comment: at least it wasn't anything like steroids or something hard that enhances his performance or damages his body. I think his response should have been "I'm 23 years old and I'm human." In my opinion, He didn't need to apologize. There are many celebrities getting sloppy drunk and doing all sorts of other things in the media without anyone giving it a second thought that should be apologizing. (sorry, I'll hop off my soap box now) :-)
Reply to this
esme wrote:
24) 2/19/2009 5:13:05 PM
When he competed in the Olympics, he became a role model. When he started endorsing products, he effectively asked to remain a public figure, opening himself up to scrutiny. 23 years old, or not, peer pressure, or not, as a role model, he shouldn't have smoked marijuana--and certainly should not have allowed himself to be photographed doing so! As a public figure, he has to know that he will be the center of public judgement, and that the consequences of his actions will be harsher than they would for the average 23 year-old. Most 23 year-olds don't millions of people--a lot of them children-looking up to them as a hero, or have ad campaigns riding on their role model status.
1 Reply | Reply to this | Open Thread
Bridgetina wrote:
25) 2/23/2009 3:04:16 PM
Yes, he's famous. Yes, he's a role model to many people. What we seem to forget, is that he's 23, doing what many 23-year-olds do. I'm not happy with what he did, but I also believe that we shouldn't judge him based on this one thing. Maybe he has some hard stuff going on in his life. Maybe he was trying to blow off steam. The point is, we don't know the details of what's going on, so why should we judge him for it? He made a public statement admitting his regret, and I applaud him for that, because most people nowadays, celebrity or not, would not "man-up" about these types of things.
Reply to this


Live chat by BoldChat
e.l.f. RSS Feed elf Cosmetics blog RSS feed
elf Cosmetics
most popular
Anne Hathaway is Catwoman 1/20/2011
Cleaning Your Kit 101 - Deep Cleaning Your Brushes 1/2/2013
Tampon Tail 4/28/2009
Another Kardashian Catastrophe? 11/10/2012
How Skinny is Too Skinny? 6/25/2007
What's Your Favorite e.l.f. Product? 2/7/2008
Worst Beauty Blunders of all Time 1/31/2012


 elf Cosmetics

archives tags
elf Cosmetics
May 2013 (5)
April 2013 (22)
March 2013 (14)
February 2013 (14)
January 2013 (28)
December 2012 (8)
November 2012 (9)
October 2012 (16)
September 2012 (15)
August 2012 (15)
July 2012 (16)
June 2012 (22)
May 2012 (22)
April 2012 (24)
March 2012 (20)
February 2012 (15)
January 2012 (17)
December 2011 (13)
November 2011 (17)
October 2011 (20)
September 2011 (24)
August 2011 (17)
July 2011 (12)
June 2011 (11)
May 2011 (15)
April 2011 (12)
March 2011 (18)
February 2011 (15)
January 2011 (15)
December 2010 (9)
November 2010 (7)
October 2010 (12)
September 2010 (13)
August 2010 (19)
July 2010 (11)
June 2010 (18)
May 2010 (25)
April 2010 (23)
March 2010 (36)
February 2010 (24)
January 2010 (25)
December 2009 (24)
November 2009 (28)
October 2009 (31)
September 2009 (37)
August 2009 (33)
July 2009 (36)
June 2009 (30)
May 2009 (15)
April 2009 (14)
March 2009 (19)
February 2009 (15)
January 2009 (22)


elf Cosmetics