WORSHIPPING IN THE CULT OF IRRESPONSIBILITY

HOLLYWOOD'S BAD BOYS ARE ALWAYS FORGIVEN UNTIL THE NEXT TIME

I am truly sorry the U.S. comic actor Chris Farley is dead. What I
think of his abilities or lack thereof is irrelevant. The fact is the
former star of television's Saturday Night Live left this world after
only 33 years. He was, it seems, a man with a good heart.

Not, however, a heart good enough to sustain the consistent drug
abuse, alcohol abuse and self-abuse to which the 296-pound young man
submitted his body.

Once again, I am sorry for his death. But more has to be said. Farley
died from similar causes as his hero, John Belushi, did 15 years
earlier. Both men indulged themselves in immoral and illegal
activities. For the same reason, actors Christian Slater and Robert
Downey Jr. have recently been sent to jail.

What is so significant is that all four of these men, and several
more in similar situations, have loyal followings and are able to
influence hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people.

LOWERED SCREEN COMEDY

Belushi, who to me irretrievably lowered the level of screen comedy,
is worshipped not just by members of the public but by other
performers. They revere not only his alleged genius but -- this is
important -- also his lifestyle. What was once considered decadent and
pathetic is now often admired as rebellious and constructive.

Farley's fate was a direct product of his having no anchor in truth.
Articles have already appeared and books are apparently already being
written, however, that portray him as the lonely clown searching for
acceptance, a fine individual merely misunderstood. The public is to
blame for his demise. His peers are to blame for his demise. Everybody
is to blame for his demise, except Farley himself.

Reality has been turned on its head. Farley was an extremely wealthy
man who could afford to squander thousands of dollars on cocaine,
morphine and other drugs, thus funding the pushers who fuel the misery
of the U.S. underclass.

He should have known better. He could afford to know better.
He committed suicide by his excesses and his lack of ethical fibre.
One can be sorry for his passing without passing over his sorry lack
of self-control.

On the day Farley died, 35,000 other people died of starvation-related
diseases. Just a few miles from his luxury home, children witnessed
drive-by murders on the street.

These genuine victims are unknown to us, anonymous to a North
American public growing numb and dumb on a diet of sitcoms and
contrived news that lionizes the likes of Farley, Belushi, Slater and
Downey and ignores or even degrades those who lead a more upright and
responsible life or make wrong decisions out of desperation.

Downey is in prison for crimes that might have given a less
well-known person a great deal more time behind bars. This admittedly
talented actor has a penchant for pronouncing on political matters but
not, apparently, on that major issue of the war against drugs.

But just like his fellow celebrities who break the law, Downey is not
treated like other criminals and is given special treatment either in
a small jail or in isolation from the general population in a larger
prison.

The talk in the trade newspapers is that Downey and Slater are being
offered big-budget movies and that a proposal for a television movie
about the life and times of Chris Farley is making the rounds of
Hollywood and New York. No surprises there. These privileged
performers are thought by some to be martyrs and by others to be
brilliant young men who simply made a tiny mistake.

Final contrition and absolution may well come for Slater and Downey
if and when they appear on chat shows to say how wrong they were and
how sorry they are.

They will smile, the audience will cheer and the host will put on a
concerned, compassionate look and shake their hands. The bad boys will
nod their heads, grimace with perfect teeth and all will be well with
the world.

Until the next time.

We have developed a cult of irresponsibility and we have to ask
ourselves if we are followers, worshippers or even high priests. I
prefer to think of myself as a heretic. But then there really should
no longer be any other choice.