Who Cares???

This is not a profound post. This is not going to provoke much thought and will probably communicate that I care more about this than I actually do, but as my wife was in hospital this past week after giving birth to our second child, I showed up with a new women's magazine almost every time I visited - Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire, etc.
As I glanced through the magazines during my visits, almost every feature I came across prompted two words: WHO CARES?

For the life of me I can't figure out why anyone still cares about:

• Paris Hilton
• Lindsay Lohan
• My Super Sweet 16
• Nicole Ritchie
• Britney & K-Fed
• Britney's Shaved Dome
• Britney's Addictions
• Posh in LA
• Tom Cruise/Scientology
  

Why does society care so much about people who contribute so little to it? In the arenas of talent, benevolence, character and intelligence, these celebrities/personalities are completely absent.

I'm not about to soapbox about what society should be caring about (Iran, poverty, the environment, the Final Four). I'm simply saying that I can't figure out why people care so much about young Hollywood's casualties.

Did you know that Burma has unveiled its new capital? Did you know that research shows that aspirin aids women's hearts? Did you know that scientists have discovered ways of tracking the rise and fall of ancient civilizations (such as the Incas) by studying fossilized mites that thrive in the dung of their livestock?

Aren't those things so much more interesting that watching a couple of self-indulgent miscreants humiliate and insult middle-class families? Aren't they more interesting than a deranged pop princess shaving her head in a tattoo parlor and checking in to a detox clinic? Aren't they more interesting than watching a 16-year-old plan for her birthday spectacular while assuming adulation and privileged treatment are a right, while reacting to criticism or inconvenience with petulance and acrimony?
Heck! Kobe Bryant has scored 263 points over his last five games, demonstrating unbelievable skill, talent and entertainment. That deserves infinitely more press than all of this other crap, right?

Think about it.

The End