Celebrity culture has always been a part of America. From The Beatles to One Direction, the general public has been obsessed with the day to day activities and personal details of famous peoples’ lives. When one of our idols passes away, their death is treated with reverence, no matter the cause.

In February, actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman died of supposed drug overdose. Though it has remained unconfirmed, the evidence of heroine at the scene was overwhelming. His death was greeted with eulogies and tributes to his accomplishments and the pains of his life, but would an average person be treated this way?

Around 40,000 deaths annually in America are attributed to drug use, legal and illegal. When the news shows their stories, no one gives it a second thought. Oh, look another junkie bit the dust. Though most people aren’t that crude, they still feel indifferent.

Many celebrities have died of drug overdose, most of the time from illegal drugs. They broke the law, and paid for it with their lives. Of course respect should be given for their lives, but do they deserve more than the average person? We knew their names and faces, but they may have accomplished the same or even less than a doctor, scientist, or lawyer.

We treat celebrities with a double standard. Though they are essentially normal people, we ignore the banalities of what many of them have to go through. They’re getting a divorce. Well, so did your friend’s parents.

We should acknowledge that using cocaine or heroine or marijuana is illegal. Just because he or she won an Academy Award does not mean they weren’t in the wrong. Cory Monteith, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson were some of the best at what they did. But we shouldn’t condone their actions just because they were celebrities.