The Gossip Boycott

Last week, Twilight star Kirsten Stewart, made the mistake of comparing the treatment of celebrities to rape. It was a comment which spread like wildfire over the Internet and sent her publicity people into instant damage control. Within a few hours she was widely condemned, by women's groups, law enforcement and the media in general. Even the rape prevention organization that Kirsten Stewart does PSAs for came out against the actress.

Within 24 hours, Miss Stewart issued a statement of apology. She had spoken foolishly and deeply regrets her words which were both disrespectful and insensitive.

It is one more case of a celebrity getting out of hand and society, justifiably, slapping them down.

Right?

The other big celebrity story last week was that actor, Gary Coleman died. Coleman was probably the least troubled child actor of the very troubled cast of Different Strokes. The lives of these young stars read like something out of noir thriller, albeit a very dark one, with drug addiction, prostitution, armed robbery, murder and suicide all happening under the watchful eye of an insatiable media.

And, of course, the cast from Different Strokes is far from alone. The child stars who manage to escape the trauma of their celebrity and live relatively healthy lives are definitely in the minority.

Usually, our response to these stories, when we think about them at all, is that those child actors sure are crazy. However, when you hear the same story over and over again, particularly, when we are talking about children, the only rational conclusion is that the system itself is not only crazy, but incredibly cruel.

We take these kids into hearts, Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap, Cory Haim in The Lost Boys, Danny Bonaducci in The Partidge Family, and then, when things start falling apart, we just keep on watching as if it is still part of the show.

Watching Arnold on Different Strokes was fun but it's even more fun to watch him sue his parents, lose his fortune become addicted to drugs and end up working in mall. It's just another piece of entertainment for our consumption.

Personally, I think any parent who is even considering getting their kid into the entertainment industry, should be forced to sit down and watch a marathon of Behind the Music and E True Hollywood Stories. Picture your kid in 20 years because if they are lucky enough to find real "success" the odds are, this is what they are in for.

Of course, shows like that are not just the documentation of the disease. They are also a symptom. After all, not nearly as many people tune in to see the biography of Ron Howard, one of the few child stars who seems to have escaped his celebrity adolescence unscathed, as watch the inside scoop on Michael Jackson.

The truth is, it's the dirt we can't get enough of. The more they fail, the better we like it.

During one celebrity feeding frenzy (I can't remember which one) George Clooney was asked why we love celebrities so much and his response (I'm paraphrasing here) was that this is not how you treat someone you love. This is how you treat someone you hate.

After all, nobody did a piece on CNN about how Kirsten Stewart was doing PSA's for a rape prevention organization. That wasn't news. She only became news when she said something stupid.

And it was stupid. There is no doubt about that, but we all say and do stupid things all the time. The only difference is that we don't have 50 members of the press following us around 24/7 waiting for us to slip up.

And, it's not just limited to child stars. We love all the dirt.

Movie star picked up a prostitute? Tell me more.

Rock star got arrested? Let me see the mug shot.

Professional athlete slept around? Let’s hope there’re pictures. Or eve better. Video!

President got a blow job in the oval office? Well, I can spend at least a year on that.

Of course, most people would say that they asked for this. They wanted to be celebrities and now that they have fame, fortune and success, now that they are living the glamours lifestyle we all wish we had, all they can do is whine about it.

But Britney Spears didn't lay in bed dreaming of being chased by photographers for the rest of her life. She wanted to be a singer. Tiger Woods, didn't practice putting for hours every day in order to have his personal life exposed to the world. Ben Aflek and Jennifer Lopez didn't start dating so that they could become the center of the gossip universe.

But let's say, they did ask for it. They wanted to be big stars, drive fancy cars, and hobnob with the elite, and this is just the price of fame.

Fine.

Because the truth is, I'm not just worried about them. I'm worried about us.
There are serious things going on in the world, real problems, that require our attention but like rubberneckers on the freeway, we just can't stop ourselves from looking at the wreck on the side of the road, and the news media (for lack of a better term) is in the business of giving us what we want.

So, when they are trying to decide whether or not to spend an hour on an in depth analyses of the situation in Gaza which will bring in a few thousand viewers or an expose of the latest celebrity debacle which will bring in millions, they will chose the debacle every time.

We are the ones who have to stop it.

It's time to boycott the gossip.

So, next time you hear, "Teen star caught drinking at..."

Change the channel.

A link pops up on your twitter feed about the latest sex scandal?

Don't click on it.

Your favorite talk show can't stop gossiping about some celebrity's bad hair day?

Stop listening to them.

We've become a nation of addicts and it's time for us to go cold turkey.

Don't get me wrong. I'm an addict too. I read those stories, click on those links and even get sucked into the despicable TMZ, but I'm tired of supporting an industry which destroys people's lives and distracts all of us from the really important stuff. I'm admitting I have a problem.

It's time to stop.

It's time for us to demand that the media show us the news that matters and if they don't, we're simply going to change the channel.

The only exception to the gossip boycott is when the scandal represents a particularly vile form hypocrisy. If the story is about a politician who is caught with a gay prostitute after campaigning against gay rights, or a pundit who wants the border closed but doesn't want to lose his housekeeper who is in the country illegally. Those scandals represent substantive, issues that need to be discussed and their hypocrisy should be exposed.

So I say let them have it.

As for the rest; the child stars going nuts, the rock idol struggling with drug addiction, the athlete who's marriage is falling apart, let's give them a break. Please.

Afraid, you're going to miss out on all the juicy bits? Well, here's a cheat sheet for you.

1.People from all walks of lives, not just celebrities, use drugs and alcohol. Some of those people will become addicts. The process of addiction is never a pretty one and it's not made any easier by having a camera in your face.

2. People with the talent and dedication to do something really, really well, are probably a little bit crazy and that crazy will often manifest itself in destructive ways.

3.Power and fame corrupt. Telling someone they are great, isolating them from criticism and reinforcing these believes for years will warp even the most stable of personalities.

4.The corrupting influences of power and fame are magnified a thousand fold when applied to the fragile psyche of a child or an adolescent.

In other words musicians, actors, athletes, politicians and, most tragically, child stars, are going to sleep around, do drugs, go into rehab, get arrested, get divorced and generally fuck up their lives.

It's going to happen.

Now stop watching!