The majority of the world wants to live the "good" life. We watch "Cribs" on MTV and "The Fabulous Life of..." on VH1 to catch a glimpse of how the "other" side lives. The rags-to-riches stories play out before our very eyes as our favorite celebrities buy everything from Audemars Piguet watches to Bugatti vehicles. The downside of this is that sometimes, we also watch their riches-to-rags stories play out on E! True Hollywood Story or TMZ.
So what is the cause of a person who is on “top” falling from grace? The first and most obvious cause could be their own personal greed just like the case of Bernie Madoff. Madoff grew up in Queens, NY, and in 1960, founded the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC in 1960. In March of this year, he pleaded guilty to 11 felonies and admitted that his company was a huge Ponzi scheme that stole an estimated $18 billion dollars from thousands of investors. Madoff took what could have been the “American dream” of coming from meager beginnings to becoming financially independent and poisoned not only his life and his family's lives, but also the lives of countless others who trusted his counsel.
Concerning Henry T. Nicholas III, the co-founder of Broadcom, fame and vices could also lead to a person's downfall. Nicholas was born into the upper middle class lifestyle with an IRS attorney for a father and a teacher for a mother. He went on to graduate from UCLA with a Masters and a Ph.D. In Electrical Engineering. In 1991, he and business partner, Dr. Henry Samueli co-founded Broadcom.
The networking equipment that was made at Broadcom produced chips that help revolutionize digital cable boxes, the iPhone, and the Wii among other things. From Nicholas's own brilliant mind, he was able to become a billionaire, unfortunately, money for him wasn't enough. Henry Nicholas is facing trial next February for 21 federal charges of backdating stock options. This means that he gave employees company stock, but valued this stock at a previously higher dollar amount than the current price the stock actually is; the money from this transaction is unknowingly funded by the company's stockholders and in a nutshell, “Nicholas stole from the poor and gave to the rich”. He also faces trial on felony drug charges stemming from cocaine and Ecstasy, and there are allegations of him being involved with several prostitutes.
Is there one person or one incident that is to blame for the atrocious behavior of these men or people like them? Why do people such as Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.(b.k.a. Lil' Wayne) come from modest or poor backgrounds, establish themselves as wealthy members of society, and then commence to ruining their public image and their reputation? Many will consider Wayne to be “just a rapper”, but how many people do you know drop out of school at age 14, and are still able to produce the kind of wealth many college graduates don't enjoy?
Of course, the most obvious reasons for celebrities going wild are their past family life, their environment, greed, their mentality, and/or their inability or refusal to deal with the issues that come along with fame and fortune. Then I have to think about two major factors that many don't want to admit to...you and I.
Yes, you and I can be quick to applaud, defend, criticize, or disown a person who has reached “celebrity” status, but very seldom do we spend time looking at the person behind the flashing lights. In the case of men like Madoff and Nicholas, men who swindle and steal from others, they don't do it without accomplices or witnesses. When we see wrong yet do nothing about it, how close are we to being the criminal ourselves? A lot of people have developed a “don't snitch” mentality, but would we feel the same if the people being affected are those closest to us?
We also have to analyze what we consider to be acceptable now. We think nothing of people who brag about the illegal drugs they've done and the ones they still do, yet no action is taken from their confession. Scott Storch is a super producer that has made millions from his talents, and has used that money to buy cars, homes, and jewelry, yet by his own admission, he also blew $30 million in 6 months on a cocaine addiction. To Storch's credit, he's still in a treatment center, but he also admits that he has given up cocaine and is getting his “fix” by smoking marijuana now.
The point is that people will always have their own opinion, but there is always a circle of people around every individual that can encourage or discourage behavior. Everyone else outside of that circle also has a right and responsibility to support individuals when we agree with their actions and simply by not supporting them or by “snitching” to the proper authorities when they are in the wrong, we can show our disapproval for their actions as well. Average, every day people make stars out of others by paying for their songs, going to their games, or investing in their ideas, and it's those same every day people that can help to make a difference in their lives.