Initially I struggled to grasp Foucault's Society Must Be Defended because I was skeptical of how change could occur and where the change would come from. It was not until I read this story on ESPN.com (I know, not the most academically meaningful website)about New England Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry. Here is the story: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-4-406/Cherry-hopes-hollow-ring-will-save-children.html.
It is my opinion that professional sports players are grossly overpaid to entertain. I am also not fond of using sports as a metaphor for life, but that is another issue. However, Je'Rod, in an unselfish move, is auctioning off his Super Bowl ring in order to raise money to help start orphanages for sex slaves in Cambodia and Thailand. This is a great intersection of two the books we have read this semester. First, someone is aware of the problem of slavery that Kevin Bales documents. Next, this can be an example of where change can occur in Foucault's system. Although Je'Rod arguably is the product of what has produced him (the American culture that places a premium on entertainment, he worked hard and found a job in the industry), he is doing something to help change the discourse of selfish athletes. Although this is a small step, it is better than no step. I was satisfied in that I could see a real life example of Foucault's philosophy in action.
Unfortunately, I found it unsettling that some of his teammates are trying to keep him from selling the ring for charity. That is a selfish move on the other players part, and simply asinine in general. It is just a ring, practically worthless until we ascribe dollar amounts and value to it, I imagine that the memory of winning the Super Bowl is much more valuable than a rock on a piece of metal.
6 comments:
While I understand what you are talking about with the athlete selling his superbowl ring to stop sex slavery and how this connects to Foucault, I am not suprised at his action. It is nothing new for celebrities to raise money for organizations. There are foundations that sell formal wear to people and all the mmoney goes to charity, and even more recently I was watching E! News and Anne Hathaway (and others) auctioned themselves off for charity. Even Oprah (of course) devoted money to start a school in a third world country. So while it is nothing new for a celebrity to share their wealth with those less fortunate, I do agree with you that it is a step in the right direction that an athlete is doing this as well.
Yeah, celebrities often give money, but athletes are not known for their generosity. Although it could be that I just don't follow sports, I rarely ever hear of athletes doing things of this magnitude. Tracy McGrady has built some basketball courts, and the Memphis Grizzlies have visited sick kids, but this step is pretty big. Athletes do not have as much to gain from such acts. If an actor is known as a humanitarian, then it may help them get parts in movies or profit more from the movies they do. Public relations is a huge part of the acting world, but athletes on the other hand scarcely benefit from such acts of kindness. When Mel Gibson was found to be an antisemite, his movie sales plummeted, while I don't think anyone has given a second thought to not going to an Dallas Cowboys game because Terrell Owens is a trash talking egomaniac. So this man, with nothing really to gain (fiscally) seems to be doing this for all the right reasons. I greatly dislike football, but the Patriots are now my favorite team because of this one guy.
And the pic is hilarious. It is sad that he died from AIDS
I want to believe that Je’Rod or whatever his name is (I don’t watch professional sports) sold his ring out of the kindness of his heart. But I have to question his actions, because so many celebrities these days do charity work like previous bloggers have commented on. So, is he doing this for more publicity (to help him out in case he gets a DUI in the future) or because he actually cares? And the footballer makes millions of dollars a year, lest we forget. So, why is he only auctioning off his ring to raise money for helping sex slaves? With his money, fame, and power, couldn’t he do more than just sell a ring which technically doesn’t really involve any effort on his part?
But in his defense, the ring symbolizes the epitome of their career. When commentators are talking about people and their superbowl dreams, he always comments on him wishing "for a ring." So even though it is a meaningless piece of metal and rock to us, to a football player, it is like a chemist selling their Nobel Prize.
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