Hubris is a word that many people do not know the meaning of, but they have experienced its meaning many times through the news. The word means false pride. That is, the idea of oneself being above the law. By now, it is probably rather obvious that I am talking about celebrities and, more specifically, the infamous Lindsay Lohan.
Poor ol’ Lindsay could be going back to jail today because she has failed two more drug tests. It seems as though it would be hard to obtain and use drugs while in rehab.
It is difficult, but Lohan was not even in rehab like she would have been if she was a normal person as opposed to a celebrity. She was released from jail after serving only 13 days of her three month sentence.
Even though a non-celebrity would not get out this easily, if he or she did, I’m sure he or she would not be stupid enough to do drugs. At least I hope he or she would not be stupid enough to do drugs while being closely monitored.
Lohan was sentenced to spend time in rehab, and she skipped out on it, too. Because of this rather stupid decision, she has been caught with drugs in her system and will be returning to jail.
It makes me wonder if Lohan actually believed she could escape all of the punishment that came as a result of her poor decisions.
One call for advice from her “B.F.F.” Paris Hilton could have spared her all this time and trouble. Hilton went through a similar cycle with the law only a few years ago. The only thing Lohan is accomplishing is that she is living up to, if not upstaging, Hilton.
I do not understand what causes celebrities to believe they do not have to follow the same laws as us “average Joes.” They are just as capable of killing another person due to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol as we are, but they get off the hook much quicker and easier.
It is hard for me to respect someone who harms his or her body as Lohan has in the past few years, but it is even harder for me to respect someone who has no interest in getting help.
If Lohan had served her time in jail and then spent some time in rehab, she could have come out a completely new person. Instead, she shows that she thinks the whole situation is a joke by painting crude signs to the judge on the finger nails of both of her middle fingers.
This little stunt, I believe, should have shut the whole case down and sent her straight into her sentence without the chance for her nonexistent argument to be heard.
Other cases that astound me include Paris Hilton’s, of course, and Chris Brown’s. He was proven to have beaten Rhianna, but people still buy his music.
With buying Brown’s albums, people are supporting him and making him believe that he can do whatever he wants.
Chris Brown-enthusiasts might claim that they buy his albums because he makes good music. Newsflash: there are other musicians who have just as good, if not better, music along with a clean discipline record.
I cannot stand it when celebrities believe they can act exactly as they want with no threat of punishment for any bad decisions.
They are humans just like me. If I was put in jail, I know that I could not walk out whenever I pleased.
Jay Ballard is a freshman majoring in chemistry. He can be contacted at [email protected].