Kate yells at Jon. Kate yells at her children. Jon cheats on Kate with a school teacher. Kate cheats on Jon with her bodyguard. Kate wears a bikini to the beach. Kate had a tummy tuck.
These are a small snippet of the headlines from the world of Jon and Kate Gosselin (of TLC's Jon and Kate Plus Eight) over the last couple weeks. I do not watch their show and absolutely LOATHE gossip magazine babble so I have kept mum on this subject/topic (despite several requests for me to chime in on the matter) so as not to add to this already out of control circus. Then I saw these headlines today and couldn't keep silent any more:
"First Look: Kate Caught Spanking Kids" (popeater.com)
"EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Caught Hitting Her Daughter" (InTouch Weekly)
Not only are these headlines absurd (one being an absolute distortion of the truth and slanderous), but some paparazzi photographer actually had the nerve to snap pictures of the incident AND PUBLISH THEM! The subtitle to the incident (this caption actually accompanies the pictures on the popeater.com website): "Kate Lays the Smack Down". ARE YOU SERIOUS??
Granted, Jon and Kate semi-agreed to a public life by airing their lives before the world on national television in exchange for money, but at what point does such "coverage" (sorry, tabloid babble is not coverage - it's spreading trash) become inhumane? At what point do people who follow their lives (Jon and Kate) religiously actually become bottom-feeders and lifeless sycophants that feed their own joy on the life (and misery) of others? At what point does someone stop the madness and say "I think what is good and decent is beyond gone in this situation and we've actually contributed to the degradation of our society by continuing to follow it with such intensity." How in the world did it ever become OK to capture a parent disciplining their child on camera and publish those pictures (with captions that detail the apparent horror and helplessness of the other children watching) for the world to see?
Are Jon and Kate perfect? No. Their marriage is not going through anything different that many marriages in America have not gone through (to include the affairs, should those accusations be true). Yes, Jon and Kate bought this life to an extent, but the endless scrutiny, pictures, video (non-TLC video) and "coverage" is not right. Few, if any, American families would ever dare to live out their private moments (such as spanking or disciplining their kids) with a national audience; yet, many Americans will continue to buy in to this debauchery until they are a part of the reason Jon's and Kate's marriage fractures beyond repair. When that happens, its on to another celebrity or couple.
What have we become as a nation? As humans?
PARENTS: Celebrity life and idols is a DANGEROUS world. Our kids often grow up thinking that in order to be someone they need to be one of the glamorized stars in movies, TV or music. As parents, we often times feed that worldview by talking about it, watching it and buying in to it ourselves. We tell our kids with our words that idol worship is bad, but they watch how we live and see lives devoted to movies, music, gossip and entertainment. They hear us talk about how wonderful so-and-so actor/actress is and all about who they are and what they do. They see us read those magazines. Are you, as a parent, part of this very fractured system and culture? If so, maybe it's time to do some serious evaluating and removing of idols in our own lives.
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Image borrowed from TV Week Online.
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