The American Dream: Or, from the Depths to the Heights

How a “celebrity” homeless man got a second chance, but missed out on the happy ending because he became a fugitive from a drug rehabilitation program.

Call it whatever you like: “Cinderella Story,” “From Dishwasher to Millionaire,” or just simply “The American Dream.” They all mean the same thing: Someone made it from the bottom of the heap to the top.

And the wonderful twist of fate in the life of homeless man Ted Williams — who got something of a “second chance” earlier this year — does suggest that anyone in America can gain fame and fortune if they just apply themselves. Even a drug-addicted, petty criminal hobo. But Williams’ re-emergence into society had less to do with his own personal willpower than it did with a fortunate coincidence. In January, the father of nine was still standing on an arterial road in Columbus, Ohio, his hair long and dressed in a dirty army jacket, begging for handouts from passing motorists. He carried a cardboard sign that read, “I have a God-given gift of voice. I’m an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times. Please! Any help will be gratefully appreciated. Every penny helps! God bless you!”

For a dollar, he recorded an impromptu radio advertisement that eventually landed on YouTube. In the blink of an eye, the video got seven million hits from admirers of the homeless man with the golden voice. Numerous invitations to appear on TV talk shows followed, along with job offers. The media made Williams into the latest example of the persistence of the “American Dream” regardless of the poor economy. The Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team not only wanted to give Williams a two-year job contract, they offered to buy him a house.

But in an ironic twist, someone noted that the Cavaliers team was owned by Quicken Loans, a mortgage bank that had evicted people from their homes in droves during the real estate foreclosure crisis. The media, while playing up Quicken Loans’ generous offer, largely ignored the spicy fact that it was the same company that had made so many people homeless with its underhanded mortgage dealings.

The media also largely ignored the fact that Ted Williams’ fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending. Popular TV psychologist Dr. Phil financed clinical treatment for Williams to get him off drugs, but Williams fled the center and began backsliding. He had several violent encounters with family members, was temporarily detained and was in danger of once again losing everything. Despite the denial that his drug problem was under control, the blush was off the rose and the hype about his persona has been silenced.