Quite a number of stars or their followers have been caught behaving badly in public of late.

This kind of behavior cannot be condoned just because they happen to be famous luminaries. In the era of cellphone cameras that can record any undesirable act, their less-than-stellar role in public has come under intense scrutiny.

The latest celebrity to be dissected under the spotlight is crosstalk performer Guo Degang who is quite popular across the nation for his spoof show that assails the vices of the times. One of Guo's students beat up a TV reporter Monday when the latter was trying to interview the celebrity at his residence.

In the video, Guo's disciple came off as being snide and insulting, resorting to fisticuffs against the reporter and basking in the glow of his teacher's fame. What infuriated many was that Guo tried to turn that brash follower into a national hero when he went on stage that night.

Following the uproar, the student apologized the next day, though the TV station dismissed it as a perfunctory gesture.

This incident should serve as a timely reminder for other celebrities to mind their manners. This may strike stars as unfair. After all, they may ask, why should they always have to behave better than ordinary folks? Why do luminaries have to come off as shiny and squeaky-clean all the time?

Well, simply because it comes with the territory. Stars benefit a lot from being publicly recognizable and popular, but they do have a certain responsibility to set a good example that their fans can follow unflinchingly.