Everyone has a favorite musician, athlete, actor or influencer to look up to as a role model. These celebrities hold value in the eyes of the public, regardless of their actions.
With the recent death of former NCAA College Heisman winner Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson, many are looking back on the late football player’s career, both on and off the field.
The Buffalo Bills selected Simpson with the first overall pick in the 1969 NFL draft with the expectation he would contribute to bringing a championship to the city. Little did they know Simpson would find himself on trial for murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
A dispute over insufficient evidence and biased jury led to Simpon being acquitted in criminal court, but the fallout didn’t end there. The publicity of this celebrity trial opened a long-standing debate about Simpson’s innocence and raised the question of whether the public blindly follows celebrities.
Junior Grant Yuska believes as long as people look up to celebrities, their own actions will take similar shape to their role models’.
“A model wears a new article of clothing, a new fashion trend is born; a celebrity says something iconic, a new catchphrase is born. Is it good, sure it can be healthy. But this idolization and following can be detrimental in the case that followers copy any actions, good or bad, their ‘idol’ does,” he said.
Easy access to celebrities through social media and news outlets only amplifies the fandom of these stars. It provides an avenue for anyone to share their voice and has become a foundation of the influence celebrities try to instill in the public.
Senior Nikhil Behere notices the simplicity of discovering a person’s political views and how that changes the public’s view. “People who are fans of a celebrity may or not support them due to their political opinion. However, some opinions need to be stated so everyone can know how to stop certain injustices from happening,” he said.
Current primary candidate of the Republican party Donald Trump, known for his vocality on social media platforms, has found himself in the midst of allegations regarding hush money payments covering alleged affairs. While in office the former president was indicted and charged in multiple cases for criminal activity over the tenure of his presidency.
Despite Trump’s history, he remains the Republican front runner and is expected to receive an overwhelming amount of support in the 2024 presidential election.
Newly registered voter Behere will take these actions into account when filling out his ballot this November. “It does concern me so I will take criminal history into account but only if the candidate has plead guilty,” he shared.
No matter how many crimes they commit, celebrities will always be upheld in the eyes of the public. As people continue to overlook these faults, it is only a question of how far society will allow their favorite public figures to stray.
