People Behaving Badly

Is extremely bad behavior a result of upbringing, celebrity status or something else entirely like genetics?  I believe it is important for people to take personal responsibility for their choices and the way they act, but what if some people can’t help but act out in socially unacceptable ways?  What if their genetic coding makes them predisposed to behaving poorly?  What do you think makes a person bad and another person good, especially when both of them have virtually the same upbringing?

It used to be that the golden rule was, “children should be seen and not heard.” Parents ruled with an iron hand and children grew up respecting their parents and elders. As a kid growing up, I highly respected my parents and did what they said. I’m not sure why, but I almost had this sense of how to behave.  In other words, when peers were taking pills, I really did “just say no.”  I was actually afraid that I would die if I took Quaaludes or Valium, and my parents would be left behind, heartbroken.  Although I did not always agree with my parents’ strictness, I wanted to do things that made them proud, so most of the time I complied with what they told me to do.  Some other kids that I knew did not seem to care. To me, their parents seemed quite kind and very similar to my parents in the way they treated their kids, but their kids were unruly and disrespectful despite of that.  It was almost like they were looking for trouble.  Today kids and adults alike are much different.  People seem to let it all hang out a lot more, do whatever they feel like doing regardless of the consequences and are consumed with instant gratification.   Ultimately though, bad behavior cannot always be blamed on upbringing because it is up to all of us to take personal responsibility for how we conduct ourselves.

Celebrities like Charlie Sheen, Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan have made themselves examples to the world of how to behave badly.  In fact they have started an even bigger downward spiral of our country’s morals because their bad behavior is over publicized and apparently it is human nature to enjoy watching famous people act like idiots.  These particular celebrities seem to flaunt their pubic intoxication, cheating and nudity with no shame or remorse at all. It used to be that celebrities were respected and had some discretion.  Everyone has problems and makes mistakes, but the celebrities of years past hid their issues behind closed doors in their homes.  They had an air of class and people looked up to them.  Actors like July Andrews, Patty Duke Austin, Melissa Gilbert, Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Michael Landon seemed so wholesome back then.  I’m sure they all had their problems, but kept them private.  In comparison, many of today’s stars make poor, impulsive decisions without thinking of the consequences, and a few are paying the ultimate price for it too.  For instance, Charlie Sheen has been hospitalized three times in the past few months for severe stomach pains, the most recent hospitalization being last week http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656841/charlie-sheens-hospitalization-resulted-from-hernia.jhtml His drug use and alcohol abuse are probably responsible for his stomach ailments and also losing some of his teeth http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1351933/Charlie-Sheen-loses-teeth-drug-use.html His brother Emilio Estevez does not seem to be plagued with the same problems.  How is it that two brothers brought up in the same home behave so differently? Is it because Emilio is the oldest brother?

The above two paragraphs talk about people who are fully aware of their conduct, but what about those who have some kind of mental or neurological issue?  These people sometimes have a hard time controlling outbursts, impulsive or violent behavior, and other socially unacceptable behaviors. There are so many types of mental affliction and the world is becoming more and more populated, causing a pandemonium type effect all over the world. The most recent thing to hit the news is the man who shot that congresswoman and other people who were next to her http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20110110-man-charged-shooting-us-congresswoman His name is Jared Loughner and apparently there had been multiple signs leading up to the shooting indicating that he could exhibit violent behavior.  However, in the United States, very little can be done to keep the mentally ill in facilities unless they have committed crimes.  How do we tell who can help their bad behavior and who cannot?  Wouldn’t it make sense to have preventative measures in place for people like this, rather than shunning them and letting them get out of control?  A majority of homeless people and criminals have some kind of mental illness, but rather than helping these people, society has thrown them away with no hope for a normal life.  Is this fair?

Today’s world has become more and more lackadaisical about social norms.  Things that would have never been tolerated years ago, like kids talking back to their parents, celebrities making complete fools of themselves in public and violent outbursts, are now commonplace.  At the end of the day, does it really matter why people behave badly? Whether it’s because of genetics, being someone famous or being afflicted with some mental disorder, bad behavior need not be merely tolerated.  It is important for people to speak up, rather than standing idly by with their mouths agape.  Yes, it is each person’s responsibility for the choices he or she makes, but it is also society’s responsibility as a whole to ensure that bad behavior does not prevail.