Heroes falling from grace

[McMouse]

I have a feeling of great sadness as more and more is revealed about the likes of Jimmy Savile and Lance Armstrong. How many families will be ditching the once cherished "Jim Fixit" badges? How many beneficiaries of charitable donations will wonder if they should feel soiled? I followed the racing career of Lance Armstrong and read his book 'It's not about the bike' and found it truly inspirational to the extent that over the years I have recommended it to cancer sufferers as an example of determination winning against adversity. Am interested in fellow AB'ers thoughts.

[B00]

Lance Armstrong- what? Are you saying he didn't land on the moon??


;-)

[tonyav]

lol ^^^

[joggerjayne]

LOL B00

I think it's really, really sad when inspirational people turn out to have such serious flaws in their character.

[Mick-Talbot]

Let's be totally honest and say, some people do not care and turn a blind eye because it suits them.

Mr Jackson is still revered by some despite a massive amount of evidence that points to him being at best ....dodgy.

[joggerjayne]

Hmm ... M-T might have a point there.

[B00]

Awww, MrT, you nearly managed to go a day without mentioning Michael...

[tonyav]

lol^^^^ again.

[Mick-Talbot]

joggerjayne
Hmm ... M-T might have a point there.


It is an excellent point, JJ.
but already dismissed ... it seems.

[B00]

It wasn't dismissed! I was taking the Micheal, that's all ;-)

(Ok, i'll behave now)

[commoner]

I noticed that many who have aquired or bought momentoes of Jimmy Savile have destroyed them...His Silver Corniche Rolls-Royce nicknamed 'The Beast' sold for a whopping £130,000,...won't be sending that for scrap I'd guess...<G>

[Bluestone]

I think it differs with each person, and what it is they've done wrong - or been alleged to have done. Jimmy Saville makes me feel sick to my stomach, but I never really liked him anyway. I did always think he came across as creepy. Lance Armstrong, I think it's more disappointment.
Michael Jackson was found not guilty - and should not be mentioned in the same sentence as the pig Saville.

[jno]

being a bad person doesn't necessarily devalue what you do. The money Savile raised went to good causes; in the long run I think more people have been helped by him than abused by him.

That's not to say people would have given it, or accepted it, at the time if they'd known about him; but they didn't.

Same with Jackson, or Gary Glitter: the quality of the music (good or bad) is not affected by what he got up to offstage. You might prefer never to spend another penny on it, but the music itself is none the worse.

Armstrong's a different case. Was the ruthless drive to beat cancer the same as the ruthless drive to win the Tour de France? Quite possibly. It's not so easy in this case to separate the character of the man from the things he did. If he'd ridden fairly and never won a race in his life, he might still have beaten cancer - but who would know or care? So it's an awkward question whether he's "inspirational" or not.

But whatever... taking drugs to cheat in sport simply isn't on the same level as abusing children.

[tamborine]

Will it be MT (iron lady) next, for sleeping her way to the top with HRH Philip ;)

[Mick-Talbot]

Michael Jackson was found not guilty - and should not be mentioned in the same sentence as the pig Saville.

LOL LOL AND LOL again....... O' dear ... proves my point.

[aelmpvw]

better to remember the vast majority of 'heroes' who are genuine

[Mick-Talbot]

No idea what you are talking about, tambo ... ??

When was Saville found guilty, Bluestone?

[Brinjal]

No he didn't boo I think that was Louis

[Bluestone]

When was Saville found guilty, Bluestone

Er - I didn't say he had been? I called him a pig - which is what he is.

[jno]

Savile was not found guilty.

Jackson was found not guilty.

Difference

[joggerjayne]

I think Michael Jackson paying $20m to the family of the boy who was going to give evidence against him, and who then decided not to give evidence, might have helped.

And, while he always maintained that having children to stay, and share his bed, was just innocent (because he still thought of himself as a child), if you had a daughter, and she went for a sleepover at her friend's house, and you found out she'd shared a bed with the friend's fifty year old father, would you still be ready to accept that "it was all very innocent"?