If you believe that addiction is something new simply because Mary Kate rehab pictures are splashed across your favorite tabloid then think again. Addiction has been a problem in our culture dating back as far as the pharaohs. If there had been tabloids back in Cleopatra’s day the story would have been the same as today, famous people over-imbiding in mind altering substances.
However, famous people are far from the only ones afflicted with a substance abuse problem, they are just the only ones we hear in the news. And man is it news! The story of britney rehab was more popular in the news than the war in Iraq. Lindsay rehab pics were the most downloaded item online for several weeks running. Think about the number of newspapers sold the day John Belushi overdosed, or the news coverage of the Heath Ledger overdose.
Celebrity drug and alcohol problems are not just fodder for the celebrity rags or the tabloids anymore. They are breaking news stories on major television networks. It seems that our fascination with all things celebrity has reached critical mass. Could it be that our own lives are so boring that we must fill them with the trials, tribulations and successes of someone else’s life? Maybe that is a cynical attitude, but what other explanation could there be?
As a culture, we have always been awed and highly curious about the lives of celebrities. Though as of late, within the last few years, it appears we have begun to pay more attention and give more credence to the thoughts, actions and ideas of celebrities than to religious leaders, heads of government, and other leaders who formerly were our role models.
What is really worrisome about this is that young people actually want to emulate people like Amy Winehouse. If you don’t know who Amy Winehouse is, congratulations! You fit into the miniscule percentage of people who have not been subjected to the whining, skeletal and scary rock star from England. Just knowing that the percentage of folks who don’t know who Amy Winehouse is so small is the part to worry about. When winehouse rehab was splashed across the tabloids, in modern day fashion, sympathy went out to this sad sad rocker girl in droves.
In contrast, take the case of steven tyler rehab. Steven Tyler is the lead singer of Aerosmith, one of the most popular bands of the 20th and 21st century. Tyler’s stint in rehab was kept relatively quiet in relationship to the rehab of modern day stars like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan. Coincidence? I think not.
What appears to be happening is that going into rehab has become just one more way to drive the publicity machine and in turn the money machine. No longer is a role model’s problem with addiction or other personal demons they might struggle with seen as something negative. In fact, our society embraces the troubled celebrity even more than before.
It is hard to discern if this means we are more empathetic and realistic or whether being screwed up is becoming a state to aspire to. I guess it’s all in the way you percieve the world.