Diary of a Middle-aged Woman

02/23/07 - I Don't Care!

I'm so tired of turning on my television only to find, on every channel, the main discussion is where Anna Nicole Smith will be buried, who's the father of her baby, and what did she die from. Why is this news? Why should I care?

I remember the days when you turned on the evening news and you learned what was going on in the world around you. You found out such things as the state of the economy, what was going on in Washington, what world affairs were prevalent, and science and technology updates. This was news.

Now, I turn on the evening news and all I learn about is the latest happening with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, how Madonna adopted her latest child, and what is going on with Britney Spears. Why is this news? How did this stuff make if off the pages of the supermarket tabloids and onto the evening news? Shouldn't this remain on such shows as 'Entertainment Tonight'?

I am so sick and tired of hearing about celebrities. I really don't care what they are doing, how they are doing, why they are doing it and with whom they are doing it. This is not news. We have a generation of children who are only interested in the latest Hollywood happenings. They aren't informed about the world around them and in fact consider this 'information' to be the news. We are raising a generation of empty-headed zombies. And there is no way to shelter our children from this nonsense. Every channel, every commercial, every station break mentions something about a celebrity or makes reference to what is going on with the latest 'hot' celebrity.

This is all part of the "dumbing down" of America. No longer do we hear in-depth reports on social, political or economic issues. Rather we learn what rehab center Lindsay Lohan checked herself into, or what Jennifer Aniston thinks about Brad and Angelina or where Tom and Katie are vacationing. Yesterday we finally found out where Anna Nicole Smith will be buried.

I can't remember being bombarded with such trash when I watched the evening news as a young adult. Then we were riveted to the television to watch what was going on during Desert Storm. Remember Arthur Kent the Scud Stud? Or what/who President Bill Clinton was doing, These were things that had impact on our government. This was news.

I think this all began with the O.J. trial. America was riveted. This led the network news gurus to decide that every broadcast should include celebrity updates. Soon, two thirds of what we watched was Hollywood related. Do I need to know what Susan Sarandon thinks of President Bush? Do I need to know that the Dixie Chicks are 'back on top"?

Give me the days when David Brinkley and John Chancellor reported. When you turned on the news to find out what was going on in the world, rather than what was worn to the Grammy awards.

This is my rant for the day. I'm just sick of hearing about this elite group of people. I'm so sick of them being the center of attention when there are more important things going on. And I'm sick of them shaping the minds of our young people. To think more twenty-somethings know what is going on in Hollywood than know where Iraq is on the map is distressing.

Have a great day!