Topic : 03/27 Fifteen Minutes of Fame

The email I read just as soon as Dr. Phil was over was this one....

"In 1997, Sports Illustrated published a survey of 198 Olympic athletes. They were asked if they would take a banned performance-enhancing substance if they were guaranteed they wouldn't  be caught and they would win their competition.  One hundred and ninety-five athletes said yes; three said no. 

They were then asked if they'd  take the substance if they were guaranteed they wouldn't  be caught, would win every competition for the next five years, but would then die from the side effects of the substance.  More than half the athletes said yes.  This is both shocking and very sad. 

O.K., sports fans, the Olympics take place every two years.  Can you name five gold medallists at the most recent Olympics?  (Can you even remember where they were held?)"

I think this email related to todays topic. Who is going to remember you? AND who of those people are really important??

I say, be the very best "superstar" for those people who REALLY matter. Your family & your friends. They are the ones who will stand by you no matter what.

I think the one line that really hit me was when the one man said that people are hams in front of a camera. So even "reality" tv shows are not all that real.

I think it's like a drug, a rush of adrenaline that we're exposed to.  It's entertainment heroin, and we need more and more of it to produce the desired response.  I think youre helping your kids not to be addicted to this type of deluded "entertainment", or really, sick fascination.

I agree with you about the "ME" generation, but I don't think every baby boomer hands things out to their kids, either.  That's one thing I absolutely abhor about my own generation, we're a bunch of "daddy's girls (or "momma's boys") with a heavy sense of entitlement.  Yet, at the same time, rejection is almost impossible for us to take, so here we are, set up for failure from the beginning.  Also, while we're expected to achieve the sky high goals, we're expected to "one up" the previous generation.  Hmm...

While I agree with your sentiment, I do think there are new things out there.  The messages may not have changed, but the messengers have.  Now we can delve into the "bizarre and gruesome" without leaving our own homes.  Not only that, but the "entertainment" is not regionalized.  Wherever you live,  you can still see it!   The Romans did not feature cannibalism.  As with other things, we become more and more desensitized and need more and more graphic "entertainment" to satisfy us.

But let's not forget that all television and movies are not like this.  I am against censorship by any organization.  The only true and effective censorship comes from the consumer.  These programs would go off the air if we weren't watching them.  If what we demand has a low standard, how can we complain if that's what we get?

It really is so truly sad and pathethic how far people will go just to be on tv these days.  Reality tv is one of the worst things to happen to America in the last few years, as far as tv goes.  It promotes immoral lifestyles and doing the wrong thing, instead of showing good, moral, honest, God-fearing and respecting people living their lives in a way that doesn't ruin integrity.

God bless you Sam for what you said to Brian, about recommending he not go through with his 'plan'.  Thank you so much for having the courage to say the truth behind reality tv. 

Losing your virginity on tv, messing around in the porn industry, is a terrible idea.  Just stay away from it.  Having self-respect and morals is far more important than getting 'famous'.