23?

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

- Michael Phelps,
Olympic Medalist,
upon being unmasked
as an illicit drug user.

I'm from West Virginia. Many of the old stereotypes are no longer valid, but I have met people who were married and parents at age 13. I've known people who took over the support of their family at a very early age following the death of a father. "Responsibility" comes to a person when they accept it, no matter what the age.

Some of my greatest regrets in this life are reflections upon my past irresponsibilities. I've learned, sometimes to my own chagrin, that personal integrity, responsibility and character are not biological functions nor a product of experience. Like all, I hope to do better, (and I'm 46 years old.)

In my lifetime I've watched the age of accountability go from 16 to 18. It used to be accepted that by 16 years old a person should have begun to think and act somewhat as an adult. Then we began believing that High School graduates were too immature to be held responsible for their actions. Next we started treating 20 year olds as victims of their youthful judgment. Now we're to accept the age of accountability is after the age 23?

Sure, we all know that Michael Phelps' statement is a simple lie attempting to do damage control on the tens of millions of dollars of product endorsements that might be effected by the revelation of his conduct. The irony of his statement claiming "youthful" "bad judgment" is that it is a finely polished piece of cynical and calculated damage control.

Phelps' statement appears to take responsibility, while avoiding it entirely. If Phelps had turned himself in to the police and asked to be charged for drug possession while making that statement... That would've impressed me... a lot! His actions would then have given his words, these same words, a much different meaning. (Forgive me. I live in a dream world.)

I've had a great deal of contact with top tier "amateur" (or, according to Phelps, "amature",) swimmers and there is nothing about Phelps' behavior that is inconsistent with that experience. Following that time I came to agree with Charles Barkley's "I'm not a role model" campaign that says we should look to different areas other than sports for examples or those to give our respect. Is the problem the atheletes, the people who worship them or both? We don't have time for that discussion.

I can't believe that we are to be willing participants in saying that an exceptionally accomplished, well educated, professionally-advised 23 year old is too immature to be held responsible for his actions. If this is true, (as many in the media appear to wish,) then there is no accountability at all.

Oh well, as usual there's nothing new here, either. We always have wanted to avoid responsibility and find another place to put the blame:

“The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

- Adam,
upon being unmasked as
a forbidden fruit muncher.

As they say back in West Virginia, "We came by it honest."