Redefining Clay Aiken

Five years ago, a skinny, bespectacled guy auditioned for American Idol. He was a college student studying to be a Special Education teacher. That should have told the world that he was something different, and it did. During his run on Idol, people saw many different things about Clay Aiken. Some saw a very naïve boy, sweet and very gentle. Others saw a child who needed their care. Many assigned traits and preferences to him without knowing anything about him other than the one dimensional character they saw twice a week for five months. Many defined his religious and political beliefs based on two minute interviews for the show, and then decided his beliefs where exactly like their own. Some people caught on to the fact that he had a biting sense of humor when they saw the Jaded Journalist interviews, while others missed that completely.Over the last five years, bits and piece of the real Clay Aiken have become known, or as well as we can know someone from their public actions alone. The private Clay Aiken is still unknown to us, his fans, admirers, and detractors. Some people in all three of those groups have been busy assigning personality traits to him faster than the early fans did.The early group of fans who believed that Clay was a naïve, childish little boy had a rude awakening when a picture of Clay and a certain make-up artist was found on her website. The picture would not have been enough to raise an eyebrow if it had been anyone else, but it was Clay, who was pure as the driven snow. In spite of the fact that he repeatedly told fans that he was no saint, people still screamed that he was not a Christian, not what they thought he was, and they couldn’t support such a guy, who by the way, was perfectly normal. Somehow, their religious beliefs had been transferred to Clay, and he had not lived up to the assignment for them.The child that needed a million mothers to care for him disappeared when Clay walked onto the stage of the Jimmy Kimmel Show for the first time. He walked into hostile territory and held his own with them, and won the respect and friendship of Jimmy Kimmel. Some of those mothers were disappointed because he really didn’t need them to tuck him in bed at night in his footie pajamas. Young he was, but not a child.Probably the most eye-opening look at the real Clay came during the tours that began in 2004. Here was the consummate entertainer, the comedian, a man with a bawdy sense of humor, no saint, but not dirty in any way. However, some took offence because this wasn’t suitable for Sunday church services. His quick wit and intelligence shown during the tours, and many people realized what a gem he is on stage, while others found room to criticize.The latest group to jump off the fan bandwagon or onto the critical bandwagon, are the ones who planned his personal life for him, picked out his ideal wife, or in some really insane cases, boyfriend, planned his 1.9 children, and were all ready to see the Aiken’s live happily ever after. Clay did the unthinkable. He choose the mother of his child without any input from the public, he did not share with them that he was going to be a father, he did not tell them that he was planning to raise a child with “best friend” Jaymes Foster, and worst of all, he still hasn’t clarified his relationship with her! How could he do this to them!!!! Doesn’t he realize that he has shattered their dreams???It is a shame that some people liked their one dimensional person so much better than the real Clay Aiken. Here is a man, not boy, not child, who has a great sense of humor, is a very good actor, is compassionate and caring of the worlds lost children, intelligent, well read, and highly respected by those in the industry who have worked with him, wonderful singer, who lives his life as his religious beliefs dictate. And there are some who don’t like this man, because he didn’t do it their way!

Written by tnmtmama

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