Fine. Even if I was an anti-drugs kind of person, I wouldn't judge Steve-o without finding out why he was addicted to drugs (if it was an addiction) and what he was going through since filming Jackass came to an end. I would do some research and then form an opinion on the story of possession.
One thing I would not do, is to comment on the article, stating that Steve-o is junkie scum, that he made a living off behaving like a big kid which is disgraceful for a fully grown man and he should just grow up, stop being such a jackass (excuse the pun) and get a "real job", like some guy did. I can understand where he's coming from. Having a regular slot on Jackass may not qualify you to be the next president or need a complicated science degree, and no, drug use isn't smart.
However.
A common misconception about Steve-o is that he is exactly the way that Jackass portrays him. A ladies man, a joker, someone with a huge amount of charisma who never takes himself seriously and is loving life. And in part, yes, that is exactly who he is. However, Steve-o has bipolar depression, which means that although he may indulge in sex and drugs (& rock and roll, sorry but I couldn't leave it out), half of the time, the other half he is no doubt curled up in a ball wishing he was dead.
I did some research on what Steve-o did with his life, and, apart from a couple of Jackass style spin-offs with ex-Jackass star Chris Pontius, he pretty much crashed and burned. He was just a teenage skater when Jackass began and, not knowing what else he would ever do with his life, he decided it'd be pretty cool to become rich and famous through messing around with your friends. I don't blame him, he's an opportunist and good on him.
It wasn't long before he 'crashed and burned' so to speak. He had multiple drug binges and it wasn't long before his ex co-stars became worried that he was a danger to himself and insisted that he seek treatment for his drug addictions. However, once in the asylum his stay was lengthened due to a suicide attempt. This does not strike me as a happy person. A happy person would have cut his losses and gone out with a bang onto something else he was passionate about. Steve-o ruined his body with excessive drink and drug abuse and chased the ghost of Jackass trying to make money off any bit of publicity he could get before sinking into the depression which had probably been a long time coming.
Some may think it stupid to sign up to an inevitably short-lived career that promises immediate gratification, instead choosing to study for something more long-term. However, maybe because he was an extrovert, maybe because he was a manic depressive, or maybe, just maybe because he was a teenager looking for some fun, Steve-o said yes. And I can't blame him for that. Of course, as the show became more and more successful and the boys became used to getting whatever they wanted, whether that be girls, money, drugs, parties, anything, they clearly became part of the celebrity world, ie. not the "real world". Why would they plan for the future when they were so used to things going their way?
Whatever anybody says about Steve-o's controversial post-Jackass life, I do not blame him. His outgoing personality, combined with his mindset and circumstances and god knows what else put him in a position where he could have anything he wanted and then dropped him and he found himself alone with no money, no qualifications and no routine anymore. Nothing. I think anyone would become depressed after all that.
AND he supports PETA. Serious fucking respect for this guy. xx
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