In the last few days we have seen the untimely deaths of two notable men - Michael Jackson and Steve McNair. While it is tragic that these men died so young, it's even more tragic that we hear these two described in the media as 'great men'. What does that really mean? No one would argue that Michael Jackson was a great singer, great dancer, and great entertainer. But a great man? I don't think so. And no one would argue that Steve McNair was a great athlete, great teammate, tough as nails. But a great man?
The Rev. Al Sharpton - who would have spoken at John Dillinger's funeral as long as the cameras were rolling - said Michael "paved the way to elect an African-American president". Are you serious? I had no idea that The Moonwalk was that influential. (By the way, anytime I find myself on the same side of any issue as Al Sharpton, it's time to re-evaluate my position. Same goes for Jesse Jackson.) I also heard someone give him credit for "saving MTV". I didn't even know it was lost. He's been recognized for "breaking down barriers all over the world." What barriers? Maybe the barriers between adults and children. Here's a guy who has been arrested twice and tried once for child molestation (the first charge was dropped after he paid a $20 million settlement, the second resulted in acquittal). He's a weirdo, pure and simple. And yet he is being heralded as a 'Great Man'.
Steve McNair was a great athlete with a great story - to a point. He came from a small town in Mississippi, led his small high school team to the state championship, and starred at Alcorn A & M. You know the story on his pro career. That's about where his greatness stops. His personal life was at the other end of the spectrum. DUI's, girlfriends, condo's, etc. His wife denies being aware of any of this. Not sure I buy that, but that's what she says. If he hadn't been home in two days before he died, where did she think he was? Waiting in line for donuts at Krispy Kreme? Jeff Fisher says he "prefers to remember the good things Steve did." Well, that's all well and good, but what about all the other stuff? I have a few things in my past I'd prefer not to remember, but that's not how it works - especially if you're still doing them like he was. My wife says if he'd been home with his wife where he belonged, he'd still be alive. That pretty well sums it up for me. Great? No, just another good athlete who couldn't control his personal life.
The media says we shouldn't be judgmental with these two, that we should remember all the good things they did. First of all, I'm not being judgmental. It is simply a statement of fact. Jackson was a child molester, McNair was killed by the woman who thought he was cheating on her with yet another woman while his wife was home with their four kids. And as for the good things they did, why should we give them kudos for doing some humanitarian deeds to ease their conscience while they continued to shamelessly live immoral lives? This term is so overused, we have trouble defining it. The dictionary says 'great' means 'markedly superior in character and quality; noble.' So you tell me, are they great?
Then how do we define greatness? Well, let's start with this - INTEGRITY. Webster defines integrity as "firm adherance to a code of especially moral or artistic values." Now who's great?
Till next time...........
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