I don’t take much interest in celebrities. In fact, I think most of the hype is a distraction to the important issues of life. It all seems superficial and vane to me. However, when I came across this article on the top 10 most trusted celebrities, it caught my attention. Reviewing the list I agreed that I trusted these people: James Earl Jones, Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox. I like all of them and I trust all of them. There are two things I find a little strange though. One, I trust them but have never met them and two, why are there not any women in the top 3… That seems very strange to me…
I also thought about the fall of Tiger Woods. When Tiger first got in trouble I remember sending out a tweet saying we should back off him. I thought, based on his past reputation, if he had something to share with the public he would do it on his terms with integrity and courage. Well, that did not happen and as I have said in my own story “I Lied”, it’s not the first mistake that gets you, it’s the second lie that is the absolute killer. Tiger did not handle his breakdown in trust very well. This is tough stuff so I am not judging him. We all have these breakdowns, it just may be harder for celebrities because they have a relationship with all of us, or at least we think we are having a relationship.
On the other hand, the #3 pick Michael J Fox seems to be genuine, real and transparent. I am not holding him up to be perfect but so far, he has been a pretty good role model. He is someone that I would feel comfortable talking to over dinner. He seems down to earth, real, even happy in a naive sort of way. I think his willingness to share his struggle with Parkinson’s disease and his documentary of optimism give him that image in my mind.
I guess we learn to trust people through the television. Maybe the TV edits out the parts of people we would not like. Maybe that is what we need to do; edit out the parts of us that we don’t like. What do you think makes celebrities trustful?
