Bang! Bang! Bang!

1) How do you know actors and actresses don't carry guns? Because they haven't shot themselves in the thigh lately? 2) I don't know why he'd need it, but I also understand that being a NFL superstar in a club somewhere is a bit more troublesome than an actor surrounded by the cameras at a movie premiere.

And I don't want to toe the line of stereotyping, but I think it's safe to say: 1.) Actors/actresses are often clustered in certain regional areas (SoCal, NYc). Athletes don't disproportionately live in 2 regions and thus are more likely to stay connected to groups/friends they knew prior to achieving fame. 2.) I have all the respect in the world for the intelligence required to be a professional athlete- but I think it's safe to say that, more often that not, becoming an actor/actress requires a "refinement" that becoming an athlete does not. Perhaps this refinement period also cuts ties with any negative elements one may have known pre-fame. Again, just theories, not justifications. Maybe Nic Cage carries a gun under his bed in the Hills, but it's clear that Sean Taylor was targeted by people connected to negative elements of his past - and in his home town area (compared to say, if he had moved to Beverly Hills, CA).

Also, re: actors/actresses being "more famous" but not needing guns - again, note that I have no idea what entertainers pack heat and which ones don't. But the increased fame, while maybe making them more vulnerable to the truly nutso fringe crowd (think Jodie Foster's stalker), also makes them less vulnerable to the random aggressors. Considering the wall of paparazzi that barricades certain actors' homes, and follows them to every club, safe to say that it'd be hard for a random thug to go after an actor. Would require a lot of planning (i.e., the nutso fringe).

If you give a thug a bunch of money, he's still a thug. Many of these athletes are from terrible areas, and still hang out with the same crew who are living that type of lifestyle. As racist as this may sound, I assure you it's not as the same principle applies across every race. Classist, probably.

I fail to understand the significance of this event. Yes, it sounds like Burress was guilty of a crime - of having a loaded handgun without the proper licensure. But really, why has this been national headline news for the past few days? He had a gun. He was klutzy. He shot himself in the leg. He was an idiot and tried to cover it up. Big deal. Prosecute him, lock him up, or just put him on a billboard that says, "You can learn a lot from a dummy." I don't really care what happens, but I can almost guarantee that if he didn't play for the New York Giants and played for the Panthers or the Titans or the Texans or some other mediocre market, it wouldn't pop up on ESPN every five minutes. I don't give a damn about the New York Giants, and neither does anyone else outside New York.

The shitty thing about this event is that Plaxico might go to jail longer than Mike Vick. That is an injustice. On a lighter note, this is all I've thought about since reading this forum topic: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/bang

So does the tribute to the Michigan State Alum catching the game winning touchdown in the Super Bowl get taken down from the new MSU football building? Thugs for life, keep it up.

This is totally my middle-class, white Catholic upbringing talking, but I think the reason athletes tend to carry firearms (or at least get caught with them) more than, say, actors is because there is an inherit "toughness" to athletics that doesn't permeate other entertainment and high-profile mediums. Male athletes, from the minute they step onto the field or court, are programmed to be hyper-aggressive and "dominate" their opposition. They are personified as warriors or "f'ing soldiers!" (thanks K. Winslow!), and with that comes a sense that they can not only defeat an opponent, but can do so by themselves. Plus, most male athletes are physically imposing figures (heck, Burress is 6'5" and 230 lbs+), so that just reinforces this tough-guy mentality. So now you have a physically imposing man who has been taught to fight for his livelihood, and what single article exists that will only reinforce this mindset? A gun. With a gun, they are effectively a one-man army, capable of besting most assailants physically or, if firearms are brought out, with a Glock loosely fitted into his jeans. To accept another option, such as a bodyguard, is to signal to others that you are not as "tough", that you need someone else to protect you, and for many athletes that admission is simply not an option. Compare that to celebrities from other walks of life, such as actors or singers. These men and women came to fame usually not because of their physical size or toughness (mental toughness maybe, but most casting calls do not require full-contact Buffalo drills), but by some other, more cerebral element (and I know, Paris Hilton blows a major hole in this argument). Even imposing figures such as Hugh Jackman or Arnold did not rise to fame because of their strength as much as their physique and looks, a distinction that mitigates the "tough-guy" persona for most characters. Of course, there are actors like Gandolfini (?) and Crowe who still carry this athlete-like chip on their shoulders, and we see how that ends up. Either way, for most celebrities using a bodyguard does not diminish them or their reputation like it does with athletes, but instead is merely a way to enjoy themselves in public while keeping the public at bay. All of this said, athletes who carry guns are still in the minority even amongst athletes, and stupid athletes who shoot themselves in the thigh is an even small subset of this population. I'm sure there are societal, racial, etc. elements that also play a role in gun usage, but I think that most athletes view gun ownership as another embodiment of the "toughness" that has been a hallmark of their lives and success. To expect them to act any differently would feel like a betrayal.

I could go up to Daunte Culpepper in Detroit and shoot him if I wanted to. The odds of me being able to do the same to Lindsay Lohan are so low that the comparison is completely invalid.