Shoul Celebrities Be a Role Model

In the fifties and sixties, little boys and girls wanted to grow up to become nurses, teachers, firemen and astronauts... or maybe the President. Today, our children aspire to be the latest rock star or pro athlete. Never mind that these "idols" may be wacked out on drugs, have out-of-wedlock children with multiple partners and longer police records than some hardened criminals, and lack the ability to string together a coherent sentence. The media plasters their pictures on every magazine and newspaper known to man, and we talk about their every move on television 24/7 and talk about their latest shenanigans or indiscretion as easily as we discuss a recent movie, album, or victory. We have become a culture that entertwines success and sleaze. We have raised celebrities to an even higher pedestal, regardless of their behavior, and we have given them status they did not earn, nor do they deserve. And most celebrities of today are certainly NOT role models for our children!
We have become a society ruled by the news media. We are bombarded with news, from the major networks and their local affiliates to the cable news channels to the "tabloid" news, such as Entertainment Tonight, Extra, E!, and more. And I won't even talk about the tabloids you can buy at anycheck-out stand and their idea of "news." The airwaves have been saturated with "news" of Paris Hilton and her incarceration, Lindsay Lohan and her trip to rehab, Tori Spelling's "ordination" as a minister. Remember Mel Gibson and his troubles? What about Michael Richards and Don Imus? Depending on your age, you may or may not have been old enough to pay any attention to the O.J. Simpson trial, but many of us were glued to our televisions, afraid to miss any gory details. And now, he has once again been front and center in the media... only this time, his outcome was not as rosy.
"So what?" you may be asking. This is all harmless "entertainment" something to talk about with friends. It would seem that way,...