When I realized the new episode of “The Real World” was the highlight of my day, I knew there was something very wrong in my life. Is my life not exciting enough that I resort to mindless Tv shows for entertainment?

Maybe Bill O’Reilly is right. Young people are uninformed. The future of this nation depends largely on young people who would rather take time to pick the latest celebrity couple moniker than pick up a copy of any newspaper. There are troops fighting in Iraq, but Britney Spears’ latest outing makes bigger headlines.

I used to know everything pertaining to the entertainment industry, from Keira Knightley’s not-so-secret crush on Johnny Depp to Susan Sarandon’s latest political tirade to Paris Hilton’s pets’ names. My brain would absorb every piece of information I read about these people in trashy magazines. The truth is, these people could care less that I too had a childhood crush on Johnny Depp or that I had fish named Rose.

I now have a slight problem with some celebrities. I realized we build up famous people in our heads as these extraordinary beings, but they really are an elitist group that assumes the spotlight automatically gives them a right to express every thought in their mind. But with fame comes responsibility. When a misinformed celebrity voices his or her opinion on the newest political issue, they are spreading their ignorance to the masses.

What have they taught us so far? That self esteem is a scalpel and some stitches away. Or that their “work schedule is so intense” they need to take a year off to rest. Imagine if your doctor or the garbage men did the same.

Most celebrities live in a frivolous world that promotes consumerism and debauchery, where boyfriends are recyclable and their words and opinions are like the weather, ever-changing. Yet, we are intrigued by their antics, and their lives dictate how we live our own.

Fame, money and looks are considered today’s standard of success and would top any teenager’s wish list. I remember when childhood ambitions were carefully planned and designed to lead fulfilling lives. Little boys used to dream of becoming astronauts, but never eating worms in order to be famous enough to date a supermodel. Little girls used to be career-oriented like a Barbie doll, but now the goal is to emulate Paris Hilton because she looks like a Barbie.

I have an even bigger problem with most reality shows. If being a celebrity is the new American dream, reality shows are the most popular shortcut to that dream.

In a way, reality shows remind us that real life can be exciting, but we can actually do that for ourselves.

I used to be blissfully ignorant about world events. Now I am just aware that I was an ignorant. I decided to take mind stimulating action.  I read newspapers everyday, I haven’t bought any gossip magazines in a month and I am not afraid to ask questions when I don’t know something. As a result, I have lost count of how many kids Brad and Angelina have, and I don’t care much to find out.

 

Florence Cazenave is a senior marketing major from Honduras and serves as a news editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to fmc007@latech.edu.