Toxic
By Dad Gone Mad
I’m sitting here this morning wondering when our senses of compassion and respect deteriorated to this point.
When did we become so callous and heartless that we started to view a young mother struggling with a mental illness as entertainment?
When did we stop trying to empathize?
When did we find ourselves so miserable with our own existences that we started to distract ourselves by watching someone else fall apart live on TMZ?
I hear the feeble attempts at logic.
When she decided to become an entertainer, she gave up her right to privacy.
Oh, I see. So because she’s makes her living in a spotlight, she can never leave it. Even when that light irrefutably reveals that she’s unwell, that she needs help, that the decent and humane thing to do would be to turn the light off and leave her alone, we refuse.
And let’s not stop at simply broadcasting her breakdown; let’s taunt her on her way down. Let’s call her “Unfitney” and repost pictures of her crotch and act as though we have been personally effected by someone else’s breakdown.
If it bleeds, it leads.
Better her than me.
I’m sitting here this morning wondering if anyone else sees more than one tragedy here.
Originally posted here.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
You’re too right. I gave up gossip blogs and sites a year ago and have felt . . . cleaner . . . since. But for her, I feel sad, and wish her well. Easier than wishing the same for the voyeurs.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
hells yes i see the tradegy. three cheers for AN AWESOME POST! well done, man. well done.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I feel fortunate that I don’t have a TV at home, so I don’t get much of this except for headlines when I am standing in the supermarket line, but when I see TV at my parents’ house, I’m always yelling “THIS IS NOT NEWS! WHY IS THIS ON THE NEWS?”
January 4th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
There but for the grace of medication and therapy…
When did the suffering of our fellow human beings become so damn entertaining?
January 4th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I saw her being carted away in the ambulance behing hounded by photagraphers nonstop, on the freaking NEWS!!!! All I could think was “please let this woman have her breakdown in private, and let someone come along that will tell her she’s having one, and that she needs help.” I just don’t understand why this is so popular. I guess it’s along the same lines as Jerry Springer. . .
January 5th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Hello, I stumbled upon your blog through Aaryn at RubySoho. I wanted to say that I also see the tragedy in people taking pleasure in the obvious mental deterioration of Britney Spears. I am only on my way to becoming a psychologist but I can see the clear signs of mental illness – most likely post-partum depression or possibly bipolar disorder. It’s terrible that no one will step up and help her yet so many people are waiting with baited breath to see what terrible thing she’ll go through next. I feel very sad for her and I hope she gets the help she needs before there is irreversible damage. I also want to commend you for continuing to treat your depression during your pregnancy. I imagine it was not a cut and dry decision with the minimal risks, but you definitely did the right thing. I wish more doctors would look at the big picture and I’m glad you found someone who supported your treatment plan for yourself. Anyway, I’m rambling. But thanks for your posts.
~Robyn
January 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I will admit to being amused at some of the press on Ms Spears in the early days. But as the story has unfolded, I have been appalled at the lack of human decency revealed by the press. Clearly this is a woman in need of help, and NOT the kind supplied by sycophantic hangers-on and “friends” looking for their own free publicity. It’s sad that even with all her money, she still lacks for professional care for an obvious melt-down.