Let's get a couple of things straight about Michael Phelps....

[Aviation Pro]

1. He swims fast.
2. It took a lot of discipline to swim faster than others at the Olympics.
3. He is not a role model because he swims fast.
4. Role models are not flashes in the pans (see fathers, mothers, teachers, for more information).
5. Our national role model (B. Obama) told us to get over childish things (such as hero worship over things like swimming fast).

If one doesn't get it after reading the above, repeat as necessary.

[arcadian]

1. Bong Hits for Jesus!!!

:smoke:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. who is michael phelps?

is he part of that crazy family in westboro?

[janx]

3. That guy swims really fast!

:rofl:

[Subdivisions]

4. I'll burn one with him any day of the week.

And, you're right, swimming fast does not a role model make.

[treestar]

5. Well done!

that about sums it up!

[Kahuna]

6. ...

:applause:

[nichomachus]

7. I like turtles n/t

[LiberalHeart]

8. He's my hero for the way he handled the photo situation. Owned up fast, made no excuses.

[Aviation Pro]

14. He would have been more of a hero....

...had he not used a controlled substance that is banned by the very swimming authority's mandates that he is compelled to comply with.

That's another problem, cheap apologies.

[tavalon]

18. I promise you, pot does not enhance performance of anything fast!

LOL

[Avalux]

9. I agree with you. However -

i'ts not whether Phelps wants to be or should be a role model - he IS a role model. My 16 year old daughter loves him. That pic of him will be on a lot of kids' myspace and facebook pages and they will use it to justify smoking pot.

I don't intend to get into an argument over whether pot should be legalized or not; I happen to think it should be. Right now though, it is illegal. I have a responsibility as a parent to tell my 16 year old daughter she can't smoke because it's illegal and the consequences she will deal with the rest of her life if she gets caught.

Michael Phelps has made my job as a parent more difficult.

[atreides1]

11. Being a Parent

Was never meant to be easy. It's always been a parents responsibility to tell their children that there are things that they cannot do because of the consequences they will have to face.

As for Phelps being a role model, it wasn't his choice and he never advocated for it, so your idea that he IS one based on the fact that your daughter looks up to him, is a personal definiton, yours and others who think the same way you do about this topic.

Maybe you should tell your daughter that even role models make mistakes, because they do.

[Avalux]

15. We discussed it yesterday when the news broke.

My daughter looking up to him is what it is - not much I can do about it except tell her even role models make mistakes. Are you a parent? I didn't say in my post it's supposed to be easy; situations like this just make it harder than it already is.

[tavalon]

19. Um, I'd be far more concerned with your children's alcohol use than pot

Pot is relatively safe and kids tend to stay put and not do real stupid things when stoned. They tend to drive and do other dangerous activities when they drink.

[ogneopasno]

20. Not only that, Michael Phelps has made it clear he's fine being a role model. At least, that's what

he said after his DUI.

[John Q. Citizen]

10. Gold medal olympians are by definition roll models in our culture, unless you aren't being honest

with yourself.

Maybe Micky Mantle is your idea of "not a flash in the pan," but I would disagree. And he was most certainly a role model.

Philps getting photographed with a bong probably cost him millions of dollars in endorsements from corporations who may decide they don't want to deal with that association.

His problem isn't being a defacto honest to goodness American role model; It isn't that he likes to smoke pot when he's partying with friends.

His problem is that it was photographed. Can you imagine if there was a photo of when bill didn't inhale? Would that make Bill not a role model? Of course not. Bill is another defacto American role model. Just like bush is. Just one picture ofneil, george, and jeb doing lines off the family china and we'd be rid of them all.

What if someone produced a photo of Obama getting high when he was in high scholl or just started college. he'd still be a role model, right?

Reading your post doesn't make me believe that Phelps isn't an American role model. An American with 8 gold medals is mightier than your literary sword I'm afraid.

[Aviation Pro]

13. Strongly disagree.....

"Maybe Micky Mantle is your idea of "not a flash in the pan," but I would disagree."

Read Ball Four by Jim Bouton.

Athletes are not role models and I am very honest with myself as a former athlete.

[John Q. Citizen]

23. So you are saying that "no one wants to be like Mike?" But they do want to be like Mike. Ask them.

[democrank]

12. I`m have to recommend this one.

Why? Because Aviationpro spelled out more sense in five short sentences than I`ve read in a brazillion paragraphs lately.

Maybe it`s my gray hair, but overuse of the word "hero" saps the importance of it. Michael Phelps is a great swimmer. The soldier who runs through enemy fire to retrieve the body of his buddy is a hero. Michael Phelps is a great swimmer. The ER doctor in Gaza who continues to help his patients when he has not enough medicine, no power and not much hope is a hero.

[Redbear]

16. He is a media created role model because the media wanted to make him one

and he chose to agree to become one because the job paid several million dollars.

His sponsors pay him tons of cash because kids and adults who love him will buy the sponsors products.

[Tsiyu]

17. I'm waiting for the picture of him speeding

in a car, that is, because NOBODY in America drives too fast.

Oh, wait, yeah they do.

And about as many who disobey traffic laws regularly also disobey stupid laws against a plant. The plant that never killed anybody. The one that people smoke. Or make brownies with. The one that relaxes people and helps with pain and has very few side effects.

Hell, you can smoke it and STILL become a world champion athlete!

This hypocritical bullshit where Americans get all "up in arms" over pot smoking just cracks me up. We are a nation of idiots.

Truly idiots.

[stillcool]

21. it is amazing...everyone wants to create..

a false reality...for the children. Being a human being just isn't good enough.

[Tsiyu]

22. "But it's ILLEGAL!!!!"

It's also illegal in Gainesville, Ga to eat fried chicken with a fork. So the fuck what?

Whose fault is it that it's illegal? Do people have any idea what is being done to our kids in the name of "The War on Drugs?" My generation (almost 50 here) is a whining, pansy-ass, alarmist bunch of pure hypocrites.

But bring up speeding. Everybody shuts up.

"But it's ILLEGAL!"

[Withywindle]

24. Our national role model (B. Obama) has also cheerfully acknowledged that he too

once toked up on occasion. Did it ruin his life? Obviously not.

[Aviation Pro]

25. Was B. Obama stupid enough to spark up....

...during the election process? Obviously not.

On edit: I could give a rat's ass what a person does in his personal life, however, don't hold yourself up as a role model (and collect the big bucks for that claim) if you ain't.