Singer Han Xiao and a dozen others were arrested over the weekend for taking illegal drugs. It seems that hardly a month goes by without some celebrity being caught for this reason. With so many famous entertainers being exposed as drug addicts, headlines are quickly turning into clichs.

Taking recreational drugs is illegal in China, as in many other countries. Superstar or not, one should be prosecuted according to the law.

Taking drugs may be a private affair, but many in China do not share this view. They tend to believe that whatever a pop idol does behind closed doors is fair territory for public consumption and judgment.

That tradition can be traced back to the early 1950s when role models were mostly chosen from non-entertainment fields and represented the best of each industry. There was a moral force at work. Those people might not have been the best looking of their generation, but their deeds were inspiring.

Pop stars are a different breed. Their areas of specialty are singing, acting, and hosting programs, which require skills that have little to do with ethics. Yet we were brought up with the mantra, "Become a good man before becoming a good actor". This can be interpreted as an ideal that few accomplish or strive for nowadays. The reality is, good actors or singers are not necessarily good at such things as treating people nicely. As a matter of fact, there is a reason why many good (and successful) entertainers behave badly. When they ascend the steps of fame, their ego is boosted until they think they are lording it over the entire universe.

A new director, who is about to release his second film, confirmed my suspicion: "Yes, it makes me feel like a king."

Under such circumstances, few would hesitate before taking on something like a recreational drug. Another reason for taking the drugs is that "it's cool". An insider once told me that the biggest sufferers are the minor stars who still live hand to mouth. "Someone who makes 600,000 yuan a month is taking these drugs, and now imagine his colleague who brings home 6,000 a month. He wants to be like the big guy, and his first step is to imitate the big star's habits, including bad ones."

And yes, there are those who believe drugs can open the floodgates of inspiration. Best-selling author Wang Shuo obviously penned My Millennium in a haze. The style reflects that. Anecdotal evidence abounds about the relationship between drugs and creativity. Yet not every addict can be a good artist or writer.

On the other hand, there are many examples of promising careers being sidetracked because of drugs. Robert Downey Jr. saw his acting career taking a downward spiral when he was frequently arrested on drug-related charges. If the public stops seeing big stars as role models, but as personalities with inherent weaknesses, it would be much easier to understand them for who they are. Their drug habits may destroy them and their families, but we should not feel heart-broken or gain a moral edge. To start with, they are not members of our family - even though their images may dominate our living rooms and gossip columns give us the false impression we are their confidantes.

Second, we are not in a position to judge them. There could be a dozen reasons why a particular person is hooked on drugs and we may not know half of them. Leave the law to law-enforcement officers and leave sermonizing to preachers. Enjoy their work for itself. A beautiful work of art can come from the rough, and that includes less than healthy lifestyle habits.

raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

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