Hero-worship is dangerous—at best we risk setting expectations no human being can possibly live up to. At worst we invest so much emotional capital in an individual that we are tempted to ignore or excuse his failings or misdeeds—and when the object of our worship is someone we don’t even truly know, the dangers increase exponentially.
I don’t know what really happened behind the scenes of Miss USA 2009, and for all I know, Carrie Prejean’s book contains a heartfelt message that our culture needs. But while she may deserve the benefit of the doubt as to what’s in her heart, that’s a far cry from entitlement to adoration and accolades as a champion of conservatism.
