As the old saying goes, only three things are sure in life: death, taxes, and the fact that your childhood heroes will become drug-addicted adults that fail to function in the real world.
Justin Bieber became infamous on social media recently for an alcohol-fueled drag racing session in Miami, which left him arrested and facing legal charges. With the consequences of such behavior threatening to affect him both in court and in the eyes of his fans, many were left asking how he could do something so stupid.
“Well first off, he’s Canadian, so I can’t blame him,” said senior Ryan Sylvia. “Maybe in Canada, they don’t have cars. I don’t know; I’ve never been there.”
After some intense research, it has been discovered that Canada does, in fact, have cars. So with that option out, students have voiced other, more logical reasons.
“Well, I think there’s always going to be stars like that. It’s just a cycle… they don’t know how to behave right,” said senior Brian Sopata.
At least one part of that statement is indisputable: it seems like there will always be child stars that fail in adulthood. From Miley Cyrus to Lindsay Lohan, child stars invariably appear to follow up their successful early careers with what could be called, at the very least, a rough patch. Some people think that this is caused by a lack of real friends in the world that these stars live in.
“When you’re all alone, and 18, or 21, your homies don’t got your back no more, and you got to fend for yourself,” said Sylvia, who feels that this can lead to the poor decisions so many child stars make.
But there’s more to the story than just abandonment by your “homies”. After all, these stars are surrounded by family and friends, however real. More than a few feel that a need for attention plays a role as well.
“I think that they are constantly in need of being the center of attention. They’re used to being talked about by everyone,” said junior Allison Davis.
But perhaps the biggest issue isn’t the stars themselves, but the way the media tends to focus so much on the ones that burn out. The kids that grow up into normal people like the rest of us just don’t make for interesting headlines.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. From Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Natalie Portman, some child stars just continue to be normal (if famous) adults.
“Hillary Duff, who has gotten married and has kids [is one example],” said Davis. “People like her are better role models for us.”