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There has been a lot of stuff going on in the media of late about Dennis Rodman and his exploits to North Korea. A lot of time is being spent on his remarks about him calling Kim Jong Un his ‘best friend’ and even more recently on his inability to say that an American being detained there should be freed. Honestly it’s a bit exhausting keeping up with whatever new thing Rodman has done in regards to North Korea that has people’s panties in a twist.
And that has me wondering… How is Dennis Rodman even relevant anymore? He’s a washed up NBA guy who’s antics off the court were always more interesting than his talents at playing basketball. Now he’s doing friendship tours to North Korea to play basketball with their teams and to rub shoulders with the likes of Kim Jong Un.
So I have to ask the question… How sad has Dennis Rodman’s life become that he is doing friendship tours in North Korea and seeking out ‘bestie’ status with the likes of Kim Jong Un? How unfulfilled has his life become? How alienated does he truly feel that this has become his reality?
But seriously, celebrities have been running amok all over the world for years acting as ‘ambassadors’ of one type or another. Some do it with the blessings of their governments, or the UN. Others just wander about doing stuff on their own. In the end they are just people like you and me. They aren’t blessed with some magical insight into the world that is beyond our own understanding. They just happen to have jobs that allow them the freedoms to travel to places we can’t (or wouldn’t) and they have public platforms to say stuff and more than their close friends will listen. Sometimes they are amazing and they do great work. Bono, Angelina Jolie and Shirley Temple come to mind. Other times they are just beacons of controversy and in some cases make the diplomacy that real diplomats are attempting harder. Dennis Rodman seems to be moving into the latter category.
I know we can’t stop celebrities from going places and making asses of themselves. But maybe we should invest in educating them about geopolitics before they do. Maybe we should do a better job of educating our youth in global relations. Maybe we shouldn’t encourage people to become famous just for being controversial. After all, isn’t that Dennis Rodman is really known the most for? That makes these North Korean controversies just the evolution of the man’s public persona? Not really about diplomacy or relations with North Korea, but more about putting Dennis Rodman the character back into the headlines?
What are your thoughts?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
