Many, many years ago, before I rose in the corporate world – and then fell with my own ethical missteps, I met a person who I thought had the neatest job in the world.
This man, who I will name “Richard,” worked for a major record (remember those?) company in the late 1950s and through the early 1970s. His job as a publicist was to “escort” singing stars of that era. It was his responsibility, as I remember him saying, to keep his kids out of trouble.
He re-told the story of a young woman, not much more than a teenager really, who was a chart busting singing sensation. This star played to packed houses, people bought millions of copies of her records and she was played on every popular rock ‘n roll (remember that?) station in the country.
She was also a raging alcoholic. Richard was her “baby-sitter.” He kept her out of the press. He kept photographers from taking her picture while she went on her binges. He kept her from making what I might term, “bad moral decisions.”
I thought at the time, “what a cool thing to do!” He was in the entertainment business – or so I thought. It never occurred to me to ask about the young woman’s parents. Where were they? What about the people around her? Was she so busy making money for the recording company that no one really cared what she did when Richard turned his back?
Years passed; I grew up right after I saw what life could deal those who play it loose with ethics.
Just the other day, I thought of Richard and I looked up the singing sensation he was assigned to protect.
She died in 2009 in her late 60s. She had gone through many years of alcohol and drug addictions and finally, got clean and sober. She went through many rough relationships. I hope she eventually cared for someone and someone cared for her. It does me no good to invoke her name here out of respect her memory, but I can assure you she was a real person.
Nothing has changed
The story above was re-ignited by a quote from Billy Ray Cyrus just two days ago. He has consistently praised his daughter, Miley Cyrus for her abilities to handle her own life.
Going back to 2009, Cyrus was quoted on the website Contactmusic.com with the following viewpoint on his daughter:
“She’s got a great head on her shoulders and makes pretty good decisions most of the time… she knows that what life is, it’s a day-by-day, step-by-step journey…”
It was a great sound bite, but what the media didn’t want to seem to emphasize was that Miley was about 15 years old at that time. I can’t but help think that what she knew about life at 15, especially a life where she was surrounded by handlers and “yes people,” was hardly enough to fill an ethical thimble.
Now, at just 20, intent on losing her good girl, Hannah Montana image, she has been trying to re-define herself and her career. Unfortunately, she has gone to the extreme. She has taken what might be termed questionable creative chances that not many of her peers and former fans (and their parents) seem to support. In fact, many have labeled her new act as bordering on the obscene.
In addition, she has made no secret of the fact that she enjoys “club drugs,” marijuana and “molly,” the new slang word for Ecstasy (scientifically, MDMA). While we can argue the “safety” of marijuana, Ecstasy is hardly a harmless drug.
Two days ago on a television talk show, her father again spoke in support of his daughter:
“Miley’s a really smart, young lady. She’s a very creative artist…there comes a time where you have to figure that out yourself. You can’t really count on someone else to give you that lesson.”
Just Sayin’
I am neither a censor nor prude, and I do not pretend to understand what is involved in a “creative direction.” However, my question is a simple one: who watches out for Miley in an ethical sense? Is it the same types of people who supposedly looked out for the Rock ‘n Roll singer back in the 1960s?
It strikes me that whether a young athlete, entertainer or even a college student trying to get through an education, that without an ethical compass it becomes very easy to spin out of control.
I know for certain that if the people in trust are looking out for their own good, and not those who they are entrusted to protect, the long-term effects can be catastrophic. I also know that when an athlete or entertainer spins so far out of control that they are no longer of benefit to an organization, the hanger’s on, the groupies, the “handlers” and the agents will all go onto the next party. Someone has to take charge; someone has to step up and say, “No, this is not in the best interest of my daughter or son or person I represent.”
Fame is fleeting; ethics last a lifetime.