Is Jake White's marriage something we need the media mulling over? Is it any of our business? Of course it is our business; he is a public figure, even a political figure (in terms of his resistance to political pressure). At one point he was supposed to have an audience with the President. A lot of people have looked to him for encouragement, direction, at times to criticise. In a sense Jake White epitomised a heroic figure; the stalwart who could take our State of the Nation to another state...one of celebration, deserved victory. There was a lot of honor, we thought, in how he led the Boks (well, I thought). He wrote a book which provided details of the pressures brought to bear on him. I thought he did very well. He came across to me as the 'typical' South African, or at least, what I hope is a typical South African: good common sense, hard, tough, clever, wearied but still strong and above all - an ambitious fighter.
So what happened behind the scenes is somewhat disappointing. A few moral questions swirl up into the air. It would be nice to think that Jake's private affairs were all sweet and proper. Does it change things that they're not? Yes, but perhaps not very significantly. Many South Africans will admire him for his achievements with the Boks, I'm one. Is this love-life stuff any of our business? Well, if I did what Jake did it would be none of your business. Who am I? But any person who is a ceebrity must know that there is a flip side to all the scrutiny. Behave well, do well - and the press is your friend. Shenanigans however will be punished. Celebrities need to conscious that they have to behave better than they would have with no media spotlight on the. Common sense. It may not be fair, it may not be nice, but people are fascinated by 'tabloids' and soap operas, and if you don't think so, or don't like it: catch a wake up. It's the way things are.
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