After Failure of Judgment, Phelps Shouldn’t Get a Pass
Michael Phelps, of his own free will, decided to trade on his image to the tune of $100 million or so, an image that surely doesn’t include drunk driving and getting high. This isn’t fine print; it’s in big block letters: DON’T SCREW UP! This is what Phelps agreed to, implicitly, when he signed on with AT&T, Visa, Hilton Hotels, Kellogg’s, Rosetta Stone, Speedo and Nestle, among others: to conduct himself without scandal . . . all the time.
It doesn’t matter that “everybody else is doing it,” because my bet is that everybody else smoking pot at that student party at the University of South Carolina doesn’t have endorsement deals worth $100 million.
But there are also some who say the hubbub surrounding this, including the possibility of his being prosecuted, points out the stupidity and hypocrisy of the never-ending ‘War on Drugs.’ Is Phelps even a hero for all this?
Michael Phelps, Hypocrisy, and American Drug Policy
While marijuana laws have changed over time, and while past administrations have attempted to show that the situation isn’t as dire as it appears to be, drug policy in the United States is immensely hypocritical and destructive. Today, public figures justify past drug use as “youthful indiscretions” and the matter is dropped. But huge numbers of ordinary Americans are introduced to the jail system because of minor drug offenses, and as the records show, the overwhelmingly disproportionate nature of drug arrests creates a justified perception of injustice and both economic and racial bias.
A somewhat related side note to the War on Drugs issue is an interesting discussion I heard over the weekend about the war in Afghanistan. To win we need to help their economy, but since the majority of it involves growing poppies, we can’t really stop that. Guess that means we patriotic Americans should all take up shooting heroin to help win the war!
I file this under “who cares?”
I file this under “Phelps is a dumbass who let himself be photographed doing this.”
#1&2==sheeple.
The issue is the government interfering in the free exercise of being an individual. None of the governments/societies business yet “We the People” allow these religious based conform to authority laws continue to ruin lives for no good reason.
Vote all incumbents out of office until our government gets the word that the people’s work should be done, not that of special interests.
I’d say this is a bit much. He’s apologized, and acted responsibly by owning up. Unlike a former president who ‘didn’t inhale’ and debates the word ‘is’.
We should take him at his word until he gives us reason to think otherwise.
I’ve never smoked pot in my life, and I’m proud of it. It’s just a choice I made. However, I personally couldn’t care less if someone else smokes pot. There are a million worse things in the world for someone to do, and getting relaxed and mellow certainly does not rank up there.
#3 – bobbo – Couldn’t agree more. It’s absolutely pathetic that the American people are too stooopid to object to this ridiculous infringement of the pursuit of happiness.
I know I’d sure hate to lose $100 million in endorsements.
I think there was a post on this thread within the past week about the number of people in jail for minor drug infractions.
BushtheRetard was a coke head but a rich boy so he avoids jail and gets to be Presnident.
Phelps does a bong hit but is a rich boy so he avoid jail and gets to continue making endorsements.
Hollywood Movies Stars do drugs while on court ordered rehab and get kid glove treatment and go on to make Iron Man.
Then, if memory serves, some 379,000 poor and minority folks get put into the slammer for “ex-con” to be on their resume==lives ruined all for the taxpayer and future victim of crime to pick up.
How stupid does something have to be before the desire to force your own hypocritical morality onto other people who don’t want it and don’t need it can be put aside?
Silly Hoomans.
While this should be a zero impact issue, it does bring to mind all those americans who did jail time for the possesion os small quantities of marijuana. I can see where certain substances need to be controlled, but MJ no. It’s not directly addictive like nicotine or alcohol, I know of no violent crimes caused by the consumption of MJ, the worst side effect is short term memory loss and a mild slowing of reflexes. It’s helped me to deal on countless occasions. I’m not proud of it, but it’s not something I’m ashamed of either.
In the words of Freewheelin’ Franklin – Dope will get you through times of no money, better than money will get you through times of no dope.
His athletic performance demonstrates that pot must not be as bad for your body and brain as the right wing would want you to believe.
Either he doesn’t care about the endorsement $, or he does and he’s stupid.
there is no smoke in the chamber…..
I suspect he’s trying faking it…looks like the type
#8
Dammit Bobbo, stop reading my mind while I’m writing my posts!
Maybe he’ll just land another endorsement deal.
#13–amodedoma==yep, I’ve noticed that too. So, what would be interesting is when we start calling each other names on a religious thread, or I guess its actually just “me”, maybe we could catch our breath and figure out what the real disagreement is?
That would be fun.
I wonder if smoking weed makes you swim faster.
I love weed. I wish I had some. To bad I can’t run down to Sam’s Club and get me a few pounds.
I’d think his food endorsements would sky rocket. Think of the ads, “After a hard day of swimming and a couple of bongs, I like to sit down to a big bowl of Wheaties…”
@14 “If Kellogs drops him, maybe Quaker or Post will pick him up.”
They should just switch him from advertising Wheaties to advertising Count Chocula
He should have the Doritos and Cheese-Its endorsements locked up, dude! And Ro-Tel, and Velveeta, and then Reese’s, and then Ben & Jerry’s….
GOOD GOD! LET HIM SMOKE POT! What’s the argument against pot? It makes you lazy and detracts from your performance? Jesus Fucking Christ…the won the most gold medals in the HISTORY of the Olympics! He’s one of THE greatest athletes and type-A driven guys on the planet. If he wants a martini on Saturday night, or wants to smoke pot, LET HIM!!!! HE’S FUCKING EARNED IT!
God DAMN our drug laws are stupid! They’re not based in reality, just “magic”. Pot is “evil” but not dealt with on scientific basis. The drug enforcement industry makes NO distinction between use and abuse.
Yeah, MUNCHIES endorsements will be the only ones left for him. Now that he’s been labeled a Pot Head, NO matter how much he apologizes or, his corporate sponsors forgive him, he will forever on be a PUNCH LINE…which sponsors WILL NOT want to have to their products associated with due to his youthful not-well-thought-out bad decisions.
What an idiot. “I LIKE DRUGS MORE THAN $$$!”
As in, Michael Phelps, whatta dope! 🙂
I wish they would leave my olympic boy crush alone. 😉 Who hasn’t smoked some weed!?! Now if he was shooting some heroin up, that would be different.
Give us a call Mike.
We’ll work something out.
Yeah, it’s all fun & games until Mothers Against Drunk Drivers scrape their children off the road.
RBG
Every incident like this makes it a little more likely that marijuana will stop being demonized, as it nearly always has been, and reexamined in the cold light of medical science and more balanced social policy.
AquaMan helped Phelps burn his first doobie, and if anyone goes to prison it should be AquaMan.
This is PROOF POSITIVE that pot is harmless – if some guy can smoke pot and win more gold medals than anyone ever, people can smoke pot and hold down jobs and get straight A’s.
If this was a pic of him drinking a beer, it wouldn’t be news.
# 30 brm said, “This is PROOF POSITIVE that pot is harmless – if some guy can smoke pot and win more gold medals than anyone ever,”
And you know for a fact that he was smoking during training for and during the Olympics? Or, is your post PROOF POSITIVE that you don’t engage brain before posting?
#33
Memory loss is a sign that you’ve been smoking weed for a long time 🙂