NO EXCUSE

I watched the NFC playoffs the other Sunday and saw the spectacle that overshadowed the game. A couple of nights ago I watched a documentary on J.D. Salinger. On any given night, reports of famous people acting badly are broadcast over the television and countless social media. To be honest, I’m over such behavior.

Richard Sherman turned a dramatic ending of the playoff game into something dark and disgusting. A total of 56 million viewers watched

Sherman contort his face and rant against an opponent. He called the San Francisco receiver “sorry” and informed the public that he is the best cornerback in the game.

His behavior is another example of the egocentric stars who are too ready to promote themselves to the public. What happened to being a gracious winner? Watching the mouthing and self-congratulatory demonstrations by players on the field screams that “gracious” is a word from the past.

Sherman tried to defend his reactions by saying that he was still amped up from the adrenaline that flowed during the game. His coach Pete Carrol let us know “that’s who he is.” Oh, we’re supposed to excuse such crude behavior because “that’s who he is?”

Here’s the thing: other players who have been involved in tension-filled contests haven’t run their mouths with such tirades. Their adrenaline was pumping just as much, but they knew that stomping on an opponent, whether you like him or not, isn’t an acceptable way to behave, no matter what pitiful excuses he or his coach offers.

J.D. Salinger must not have been such a nice guy. Folks who knew him said he often was difficult. One woman said that he did things when he wanted to; that’s just the way he was and people had to accept him on his terms. I’m not so sure that any person has to be accepted when he or she is rude, demanding, and inconsiderate.

I read The Catcher in the Rye and liked it. However, I don’t agree with the person in the documentary who stated that Holden Caulfield was the quintessential teenager. Life at that age is difficult for plenty of folks, but I’m not so sure young people react to it in the extremes that Caulfield did. Yes, the book is a classic, but it’s not necessarily the bible for teenage behavior.

Television and music personalities make the news for their outrageous behaviors. In the last couple of weeks, teenage heart throb Justin Bieber reportedly vandalized houses and has been arrested for DUI. Kanye West is notorious for tirades that interrupt events and bad-mouth others. These days, Lindsay Lohan puts more hours in front of a judge than a camera. We’re told that all these people are to be pitied because their lives of fame and fortune are so hard. I can name one hundred people right now who would change places with them and do so without ever getting in trouble. No excuses exist for accepting the poor behavior or the rich and famous.

These days we hear of troubled youth and the shocking things they do. In many cases, the reasons for their acts include such things as divorce, parental death, boredom, or some disorder. Life is tough. Sometimes bad things happen, and yes, they can become stumbling blocks. At some point, however, excuses don’t work anymore. My dad died when I was 13, and yes, I did some things of which I’m not proud. When I went to college, I realized that success or failure depended on me and my actions, not the things that had happened in the past. I believe the time has come for us to expect more responsible actions from folks; the days of excusing improper behavior because of something that happened years ago are over.

Yes, I’m on a rant, but we older folks just don’t understand how every misdeed a person commits is somehow someone else’s or some condition’s fault. We, too, goofed up, but most of us learned from our mistakes and from the spanking or other punishment our parents offered. The simple fact is that there weren’t any excuses then and shouldn’t be now.