Robert Downey Jr. can suck my arse!!!

[JoBlo]

I just spent 10 minutes chewing The Arrow's ear off about this dude, so let me let it all hang out here!

I don't feel "sorry" for Robert Downey Jr.
I don't feel "sad" for Robert Downey Jr.
I don't feel "bad" for Robert Downey Jr.

I like the guy's acting, think he's pretty talented and consider him to be a "nice" person (from what I've seen in interviews), but I honestly can't say that any part of me feels sorry for him in any way, shape or form.

I feel "sorry" for that couple living down my block who need to hold down two jobs a piece so that they can feed their kids.

I feed "sad" for the starving children of the world.

I feel "bad" about all of the racism, hatred and bigotry still present in our world today.

But I honestly don't feel those things about this friggin' guy! YES, he obviously has an addiction problem. Granted. YES, he's also been given a MILLION chances to straighten himself out. And YES, he's got the money, the lifestyle and a certain amount of time on his hands to do just that, but nooooooooo....

Many other people don't have it so good. They NEED to work and they NEED to make money in order to feed themselves, put a roof over their heads and get by.

Boo-hoo-hoo....poor super-rich movie star can't get himself off the drugs! Sorry people, ain't much pity in me for this dude.

I'd rather invest my heartfelt sorrow into cases of society's least fortunate who are rarely given even ONE SECOND CHANCE to fix themselves up. But maybe that's just me...

[This message has been edited by JoBlo (edited 11-28-2000).]

[*veers*]

Yeah JoBlo you tell it like it is man.
Who gives a fuck about these rich boys went bad. I knew plenty of people who deserve a ton more sympathy than some spoilt bastard actor who couldn't say no because he thought that he was above it all. He's been given plenty of chances to sort his fucking life out, chances we would never see. The guy's got talent, no doubt about it, but he's not the only one.

[Raena]

Point taken. Still, I feel sad that such talent is going to waste. Maybe it is just my selfishness as a moviegoer.

[laurajade]

JoBlo, I agree that there are alot of people doing it tougher than Downey JR. I know AND understand this because I and my family have done it tough for years, there were times when I didn't know when I was going to eat again. Many of my freinds were in the same boat where I grew up. But my family and I pulled through, mainly because my mother( who hails from a working class family in Scotland just outside of Glasgow) had the grit to not let us give up trying. There were alot of kids I grew up with who never had that kind of support from their parents and ended up in prison or worse. But for all that I always had compassion for anyone in pain and Robert Downey JR. is in a fuck of alot of pain. Anyone, no matter how rich or succesful they are who consumes the amount of drugs he does is just a spoiled rich kid, when I was growing up the freinds of mine who did the most drugs were always the ones who were the most ignored, beaten or abused in some way. So please JoBlo don't be so quick to judge until you know the full story.

[mafia]

Thing is, you get a lot of respect for the guy's acting, but then again, you get real disgusted of him being just a regular junkie.. It's hard to combine those two opinions isn't it.. /ubb/confused.gif

[This message has been edited by mafia (edited 11-30-2000).]

[piroque]

Jo, you have a right to reserve your sorrow for a more worthy cause. My sorrow lies in the loss of a worthy actor in the movie world. John Belushi and Chris Farley are two actors I miss very much.
Your sorrow should lie in the possible loss of a talented (if not mediocre) actor such as Robert Downey Jr..


[This message has been edited by piroque (edited 11-30-2000).]

[stefanb]

Well, I'm gonna stand up for the guy in one area. WHY THE HELL NOT JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE?? So he wants to get high as a kite every other night. SFW?!?! He's not hurting anyone but himself. He's not selling drugs to kids, he's just fuckin him self up. There's a million druggies doing it every day, but the cops like to pick on Mr.Downey (and Darrell Strawberry) for some reason. Is it just because they're rich and famous? I mean jail time?!?!?! Come on!!! This is a completly victimless crime. If he were caught dealing fine, but frankly, just let him go! I realize Rob was doing much worse drugs then pot, but has anyone ever stopped to consider that pot is just a plant? That's it. A plant. It grows like any other plant. Why exactly do we all allow the government to regulate something like that? IT'S A PLANT! It's not some nasty chemical brewed up a scientific lab. IT'S.... A..... F#@%IN'..... P-L-A-N-T! Now, I'm not a druggie. I don't touch any of the crap. I'll state that in the hopes it helps make my point by showing I'm not some addict. I just think this shit is more over-blown then the Bill Clinton Zipper-gate scandal. Let it go already.

http://www.geocities.com/stefanbanda/sig.gif

[piroque]

Speaking frfrom experierience: The drugs he are doingoing will have no effectsects on his brainain. Its not like he's a big time Ganja farmer, but uh,,, what was my point?

Maybe he's actually a closet homosexual and its the only way he can fulfill his needs while America remains none-the-wiser. He's not crying out for help, he's crying out for love!

[Raena]

Piroque, I always have wondered about RDJ's sexual preference. Call me nosey.

[stefanb]

I just watched Air America yesterday for the first time. I didn't even knoe Robert Downey Jr. was in this flick, but a major part of the movie was him being framed for smuggling opeum out of asia during the Viet Nam war. Who knew it was a "Based on a soon to be true story". HE WAS FRAMED!! FRAMED I TELL YOU!!! JUSTICE FOR RDJ!!! /ubb/biggrin.gif

http://www.geocities.com/stefanbanda/sig.gif

[SteveG]

It's the press that lets everyone know that rich people get arrested not the police. If the police wanted to arrest every actor that used drugs there'd be alot fewer movies. In high school I saw a lot of people arrested for posession. You've never heard their names. The police don't pick on rich people, and Darrell Strawberry is just a bitch. RDJ is screwwed up, he needs help, it's been offered; if you're to screwed up to take the help, you deserve what you get.

[Brock Landers]

I only ever liked two of Bob's films..."Chaplin" and "Two Girls And & Guy"...he can act, but he is just like that other loser in the music industry...Scott Weiland, I mean I dig Stone Temple Pilots, and the whole drug persona is so "riveting", but when do you wake up and say "I'm A Cliche"...They both have every opportunity in the world but they refuse to stick with it...in jail for a few months, out of jail for a few months, over and over again...I mean, look at Art Alexis of Everclear and see that it is possible to stop being a junkie...hell, I must admit that self-destructive behavior wins my vote though...that's why we all like "Fight Club" and Oliver Stone glamorized Jim Morrison in "The Doors"...live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse...

[gennarino]

Jo I think you're judgements are askew. First off, Downey's wealth is his biggest detriment, not something that should eschew pity. If you know anything about addicts you know they have to hit bottom. His finacial situation certainly isn't helping that. Secondly, living in New York I have to practically walk over broken down bum addicts in the street. No one is doing anything to them, leave the man alone, if he wants to get high that's his call. Again, while you use his fame as an excuse to disregard all sympathy, it actually has its faults. It illuminates his every move, ones like his recent hotel experience that got him arrested. Furthermore, it's not like he hasn't been punished. He's not dealing, he's using, big difference. What do you want the system to do, lock him up forever. I hope not, if that's the case then your perspective seems too narrow. Downey is a man who is plagued by a dualistic nature, but that's his nature. Someone's nature is a very hard thing to alter. I'm not saying his nature heralds pity, but I don't think anyone should be pitied.
**Brock,I hope you've seen Less Than Zero, if so, how did you not like him in that?

[This message has been edited by gennarino (edited 12-23-2000).]

[JoBlo]

Gennarino:

>>If you know anything about addicts you know they have to hit bottom. His finacial situation certainly isn't helping that.

I don't think money has anything to do with "hitting bottom". I know that someone has to hit "bottom" to wake up, but if this dude hasn't hit his bottom yet despite 5 different arrests, a jail sentence, etc...then like I said, I just don't feel sorry for him. That's all.

Like I said in my earlier post, I will reserve my sympathy for other people who aren't given a SECOND CHANCE.

[gennarino]

There's a saying in Narcotics Anonymous: The lowest bottom is a coffin. Another words while you're still living you can potentially hit another bottom. Financial success can hinder that enormously. I won't explain it, to me it's obvious. Secondly, why would you want to reserve pity for anyone, everyone has a situation in life for a reason. Most of the predicaments people pity in life are situations that they are very distant from and this causes the person to think that the situation is worse then it really is. Most people have some sort of outlet if they choose to connect with it. Additionally, there's a great philosophical statement put forth by Nietzche: "That which does not kill me makes me stronger."

[This message has been edited by gennarino (edited 12-23-2000).]

[This message has been edited by gennarino (edited 12-23-2000).]

[piroque]

Gennarino, a poor man may reach the bottom but a rich man falls at the speed of light.

[gennarino]

piroque, that phrase may be applicable in certain situations, but in the case of a drug addict, especially this moviestar, I feel it retards his fall. I've been "around," and when someone loses their home and family and has to live on the streets, it's the realest wake up call they can get. I've heard their stories and the consensus seems to be that the worst part about it is watching all the "successful" people going to work and living ordinary lives, while they are living an existence that is the complete opposite of this, it eats them up. Having money negates this sort of existence and allows them to live, even if it's misrably. Most addicts are used to misery already and are comfortable in it.

[herculeez]

yeah piroque!
you tell 'em gennarino!
*WANK!*

[LOU LOU]

I think this is a very sad situation. I have been a fan of RDJ since "Weird Science" and always thought that he had a knack for acting. It is a very unfortunate situation that he has such a "sickness." This is what this is, a "sickness." I really don't know know how I feel about him getting a punishment. I don't think jail time would do him any good, he just need to admit that he needs help and once he does he can clean himself up. This is minor in comparison but I am HEAVY smoker, and I have doctors constantly telling me that my lungs are so shot that if I don't quit smoking ASAP I will have cancer by age 25...have I done anything?? No...why? Because I DON'T want to do anything right now...and until I WANT to quit, nothing will help, not the patch, not the gum, etc. Same thing with RDJ, he obviously does not WANT to quit doing drugs for whatever reasons, and since he does not want to quit, nothing is going to stop him it seems from getting his high. Its sad, but I think everyone should just let him be til' he can come to terms with his addiction. So that't my two cents for the time being.

[Brock Landers]

I think Lou Lou has the right idea, folks...it's all about the healing...and the first step is admitting your problem, which Lou Lou has been so brave to do in divulging the oral nicotine fixation that has wreaked havoc upon her life...best of luck with your "sickness" Lou Lou...

My own sickness comes in the form of cinemalcoholism (or CA for short)...it occurs when an individual becomes afflicted (mentally and physically) with fits of binge drinking while viewing filmed material...it can be hazardous and can lead to repeated viewings/shots, random film quoting and overall vicariously living through film...the individual becomes a junkie of sorts, seeking out hard to find films, ranting incessantly about theoretical plot changes & composite casting (not to mention random rants about actors, directors and the like), better viewing devices and ever-increasing quantities of alcoholic beverages...it is a cycle of abuse so heartbreaking and difficult to stop, that perhaps many of us do not realize how epic a plague that CA is on many people, young and old...perhaps some day there will be a cure...perhaps not... in the meanwhile I will endeavor to endure this cruel fate that has been strewn across my back, weighing me down, torturing me endlessly...

With that said, I feel for the poor lad Downey Jr., always in the shadow of some unseen devil upon his shoulder, whispering in his ear, making him succumb to the temptations of drugs and the feeling of adequacy that it gives him...Good Luck Bob...

[piroque]

Gennarino I think the rich or poor debate can be dropped. If Robert Downey Jr. is controlled by the drugs he uses he is nothing but a weak little puddin' boy. A person is supposed to control his own life and Bob Jr. is definitely not in control. Money isn't an elevator ride to the top, its a doorway to depravity you aren't allowed when you are poor. It takes a stronger individual to maintain balance when money and fame are available. Robert Downey Jr. is not that man.

[gennarino]

piroque-spoken like a true simpleton. Addiction is classified as a disease, and what renders the disease so insidious is that it is the sole disease that tries to convince its beholder that it doesn't exist. You're funny, you speak about Downey Jr. like you know him. Beware of quick assumptions based on heresay.

It's obvious that you lack experience in the world of drugs or a world involving the dichotomy of wealth and financial ruin. Remember this: EXPERIENCE IS A HARD TEACHER BECAUSE SHE GIVES THE TEST FIRST, THE LESSON LATER.

[piroque]

gennarino, I will further state drug addiction is not a disease but a weakness. As for your assumption of my being a "simpleton" or lacking in "expierience", you must have read that in the same book you read to learn about drugs. The tripe you type was published 10 years ago when I went to college. Think of all the people you know who have been busted on numerous occasions. Those people and Robert Downey Jr. have one thing in common, they're all fuck-ups!

[gennarino]

Piroque- what has led you to your conclusion regarding drug addiction. You can't read books to learn about experience. You should take that advice before purporting something you clearly have no involvement with or feel for, only belittlement and poor assumptions.
You must be very critical with yourself, your language indicates that. "put down the bat."
Piroque, the only way to challenge rigid beliefs is through experience.
"The consistent thinker, the the consistently moral man, is either a walking mummy or else, if he has not succeeded in stifling all his vitality, a fanatical monomaniac."-Aldous Huxley, DO WHAT YOU WILL.

[piroque]

Drug abuse is not a disease, it's a fetish. A pre-programmed, "If it feels good, do it!" type response, much like masturbation.

If you want to continue this discussion it would make a good topic for the new "Misc. Non-Movie" forum.

[gennarino]

piroque there is a prodigious difference between drug addiction and masterbation. Masterbation is connected to a reproductive instinct inside all of us. Infact children as young as a year old touch themselves all the time, it's commonplace. Can't say the same for addiction. People aren't robbing, and degrading themselves to masterbate. Addiction is a whole different thing. Again, I will ask do you have any experience with the realm you're ranting about, I doubt it. You haven't even responded intelligently, with supportive ideas to bolster your stance, rather you just keep spitting out the same notions like a broken record that keeps skipping. If you can compare masterbation to addiction than it's obvious you really are in the dark on the subject. Enough said!

[This message has been edited by gennarino (edited 01-06-2001).]

[piroque]

" Drug abuse is not a disease, it's a fetish" That was the first line of my post. It's apparent you were not only an addict, you also have a masturbation fixation. In all your great wisdom you do not even know the meaning of "fetish". If you are indeed a student, show this page to your psych. prof. then return again and tell me what is really wrong with me.

[gennarino]

piroque, in the midst of all your ranting you still failed to answer a basic question>what has precipitated these beliefs? Yes, I was in two rehabs at 17 and 18 if you must know, but that affords me an experiential knowledge you lack, not to mention the hundreds of people I've come in contact with from ages 12-77(some dead). I believe it's a disease, but I disagree with most drug counselors when they assert that the disease never goes away. I think it can be transcended. But while in the grips of addiction it is a disease, it has to be broken, and it can come back, it's a mental thing. I know exactly what a fetish is, stop bombarding me with abstractions, give me facts of experience, if you can and answer questions, if you can? "As for this side show, it's over" MALICE, Alec Baldwin.

[piroque]

Gennarino: You didn't actually think I would let this topic die, did you? First off, I have no overwhelming desire to confess to this board anything I may have done in my past. I will in no way cry out for acceptance or a pat on the back for things I may have overcome.
Drugs are a fetish. The feeling of being high is the closest thing there is to an orgasm without actually having sex. This takes drugs from being a disease to being a sexual mindset. Just like drugs, there is only one cure for a sexual perversion and that is an individuals mental resolve. Contrary to your previous posts, people do degrade themselves to satisfy their sexual cravings. Have you ever heard of Sadomasochism or Bondage and Discipline? How about Necrophilia or Auto-erotic asphyxiation? There is not much difference between a drug addict and a sex addict, eh?

[This message has been edited by piroque (edited 01-19-2001).]

[Brock Landers]

piroque...asphyxiation not strangulation...it's auto-erotic asphyxiation...I'm not correcting you, just setting the record straight...I oughtta know...it's not bad...not as good as amyll nitrate(sp?), but not bad...

[piroque]

Appreciate that, Brock. Strangulation or asphyxiation, it's not my drug of choice.

[gennarino]

piroque, good luck.