A wise man — or woman, perhaps — once said, “You can judge someone’s character by what they do when no one is looking.”
Whoever coined that axiom obviously lived long before the advent of social media.
These days, with virtually everyone over the age of 6 packing cameras in their cell phones, you have zero privacy. You cannot do anything at all without the potential of someone capturing it for posterity — or for gossip purposes.
Gee, do I have anyone in mind as I offer this tidbit? I’m thinking at this moment of Ryan Lochte, the champion U.S. Olympic swimmer and former golden boy of the American Olympic team.
He and some of his swim team pals were video recorded acting up in a Rio de Janeiro gas station. They reported that someone robbed them; it turned out they, at the very least, “embellished” their version of what happened.
A security camera recorded their shenanigans. Those eagle eyes, too, are part of the modern world that makes it virtually impossible to keep the inquisitive among us from staying current with what we do. It’s especially true if you’re a sports superstar, a politician, an actor or a reality TV star.
Do you remember when former Democratic U.S. Rep. Anthony “Carlos Danger” Weiner decided to take photos of his manhood and distribute them via social media to women who are not his wife? Did that numbskull ever consider that someone, somewhere, somehow would obtain pictures of Danger and send them out for the rest of the world to see?
How about the cops who beat the daylights out of motorists, only to have their misconduct recorded by passersby? Or the cop who shot the man to death in the back — as he was running away? That, too, was recorded by an onlooker.
The examples are literally endless.
This is the price any of us must realize we pay when we decide to act up — or act out — in public. It’s especially true if you’re a celebrity.
I don’t know about you, but I long ago vowed to be on my best behavior all the time whenever I venture outdoors. The world is watching … even little ol’ me.
