The Media & Us

Why is it that we as a society are so caught up with the comings and goings of celebrities? Their successes, their lovers, and especially their downfalls. It is an unfortunate sign of what we have all become; onlookers at a horrific accident, looking at a morbid scene we simply cannot turn away from. And by looking we create the need to continue to look and view and seek. We have turned into a society of stalkers.

I admit, every morning I sign on and go straight to the "Entertainment" section on my News Browser. It is a guilty pleasure and yet very disconcerning at the same time. Like many, I'm following the Britney episodes and hoping that someone is eventually going to place that girl in shackles and lock her away until she's better or contained under medication. It seems almost staged. When one thinks it can't possibly get any worse, it does. You know, you can't make this up.

Then Heath Ledger died. What a horrible tragedy. Being a mother, I cried for his. Being a wife, I cried for Michelle. I know they were not married, however they do have Matilda Rose, and I wept for her. After the initial shock came all the speculation, all the finger pointing, all the reporting without substantiated facts. The Olsen twin connection, the prescriptions drugs at the scene, why did the massuese call her instead of 911? How many of us have walked into a room to find a dead body? How can we speculate how we would have reacted? I, gratefully, have never seen death. I could not even begin to imagine how I would/will react to that situation. I prayed that Heath's family would be able to cope together, without the prying paparazzi. I also still believe in the Tooth Fairy.

Why, oh why do we do this? Why, when it endangers lives, hinders others from trying to have a quasi normal life, or just have a break down in private, do we keep pursuing? Could you imagine being followed everywhere you went? The restaurant, Wal-Mart, the gynocologist, the pediatrician? Everything you ever did or said was recorded, photographed, sold or put on You Tube? You and/or your children were fodder for the late night monologue? Everything that you wear is under scrutiny and heaven helps us if you wear the same dress as another celebrity, you'll be voted against as to who looks best in that dress. Are any of us ready to take that place? I'm not.

Granted, celebrities are in the spotlight and their lives are unfortunately not their own. Being in that industry, one automatically knows that you relinquish most if not all privacy. Years ago however, the media respected a certain protocol regarding the private lives of stars. Not anymore. Princess Diana was proof of that. Gone are the days of respect. We now live in a world of the highest bidder. How ugly we've become.

How does it stop? Can it be stopped? I'm not sure. Growing up on Long Island, visiting New York City quite frequently, I was exposed to stage and screen stars, baseball and football heros. Meeting them was a definite hightlight, but I also knew when I saw them on the street or in the store, they were there for the same reason I was. For the most part, they are normal people with extraordinary talent, they just wanted to get milk, eggs and bread like I did. I was raised to respect others privacy, no matter who they were. I'm not sure where that went or when it went out of style.

By now I'm sure you're saying, "so what the ---- is your point?" My point is simple. It's something we all learned in Kindergarten; Treat others the way you want to be treated. So simple yet so seeminly incomprehensible to most. That's a very accusatory statement I know. But by the amount of tabloid magazines, reality news programs and celebrity internet sites, most of us don't know what that means.

One last thought, Julia Roberts confronted a group of paparazzi outside her New York home a few weeks ago and asked them if they had gotten what they wanted and then to leave the premises. They did not. The followed her until a Good Samaritan intervened and in classic NY style, told them to F off. Pierce Brosnan has had the same trouble as have countless others. Julia told the so called "paparazzi" they need to get real jobs and stop putting others in danger. And did you also know that 95% of the paparazzi following Britney Spears are not connecting with any legitimate newspaper/magazine, etc? Who the hell are they then?

How will you feel when someone you love is hurt or worse when caught in the path of a paparazzi just trying to "get the story". I suggest that we look at ourselves first before we judge another. I know I've done and said stupid stuff, sober or not. I thank my lucky stars I'm not famous and stupidity is not a felony, or I'd be on Death Row.