Why do we care?

[Deleted]

I was not really surprised to read about Whitney Houston's' death. Nor can I honestly say I was surprised by the deaths of Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Anna Nicole Smith, or any of the other ones the the news media has decided I needed to know about in minute by minute detail right up to the burial and maybe beyond if they think I might watch. What I am surprised about is how much attention is spent on these people who were self absorbed and self serving. People who used their wealth and fame to ignore the laws of the land and pleas from those who loved them to stop their destructive behavior. They managed to wipe themselves off the face of the earth and the media decides to honor them for what they have left behind? Too bad the media doesn't show the wake of destruction they leave in their paths. How about the parentless children? Friends? Family members? Co workers? Partners?

[Deleted]

No we are supposed to be really impressed that they decided to occasionally show up for work. I do not remember even being a bit impressed when I read about a doctor, lawyer, judge, or policeman showing up for work sober after being under the influence for a period of time. Matter of fact, I no longer wanted them anywhere around me but then I guess musicians and entertainers are far more important?

[kma367]

Amen, Amy. It's sad and she's something of an icon, but she was also a drug addict, who wasted a lot of years (and the better part of her daughter's life) more concerned about herself and her habit.

kma367

[Deleted]

And do not forget, half of them do not even respect the audience enough to show up sober! So lets hope the hundreds of dollars YOU spent on tickets is for one of the few nights they actually remember the words, manage to stay erect on the stage and keep a civil tongue in their mouth!


~~~~~~~~Okay, getting off my soap box for a while.........

[Deleted]

Even though you are probably right when you look at the larger scope of things, I have to disagree on a few different levels;

Celebrities, whether they be musicians, actors, professional athletes, or whomever, are never treated the same as everyday people and never have been. You can go back and look at the many examples of this over the years. I understand why anyone would be frustrated at the hypocrisy in the media for glamorizing people who are publicly flawed in many ways. But you really can't compare Doctors, Lawyers, Policemen, etc. to high profile celebrities because we as a society have no revenue-generating interest in them.

In other words, we don't want to watch the day to day life of normal, everyday career people as much as we want to watch the catastrophic meltdowns of wealthy, popular and often talented celebrities. The media knows this. It's what drives ratings for the networks. And it's also the reason that we all become polarized by the self destructive lifestyles of people like Whitney, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Britney Murphy and the list goes on and on.

I don't want to get too philosophical with all this, but I think the intent of the massive media coverage for these drug addict celebs, in part, is really to make us understand how a person that looks like they have it all and are born with god-given talent, can fall to the same diseases of addiction just like anybody else.

I don't do drugs, obviously, and I've never had a problem with addiction. But I've seen people close to me battle this stuff and it shows no mercy. Regardless if your funeral is on TV or not.

[Deleted]

Good point, Boyd. I'm sure we can all agree that our youth looks to celebrities for inspiration and it's a sad, but stark reality that money and fame doesn't cure all. It should serve as a reality check for society to remember to care for yourself.

[Deleted]

For sure, Chris. Like Charles Barkley once said "Athletes aren't role models. Your parents are."

You can include any celebrity in that statement, really. Most aren't people you want your kids to look up to and that's why the responsibilities as parents are so critical to raising children.

But hey, I don't want to get caught up in all this stuff, really. It's just sad that we lose so many people, celebrity or not, to drug abuse and addiction, because it's one disease that can be cured.

[Deleted]

One great thought is tho . Fame only last for 5 minutes. And poof there is a new person on the spot.