Celebrity Obsession Sidetracks Real Issues

There is an obsession in America when it comes to news. It is news that is larger than the growing global warming epidemic. It is called celebrity gossip.

On Saturday, we were awakened by the overnight massive earthquake that struck Indonesia. The 6.2 massive earthquake immediately claimed over 2,000 lives and left tens of thousands of people homeless. Today, the death toll now stands at over 5,000 while rescue workers are scrambling the devastated regions to come to the aide of the people.

The next day, breaking news comes in. It was the automatic thoughtful fear that Mother Nature has stricken again or that a massive bombing has occurred in Baghdad. Fearing for the worst, we are told that insiders have confirmed that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has welcomed baby Shiloh Nouveau Jolie-Pitt in the world. Throughout the day, media outlets were peppered throughout the day on news of the long-awaited arrival of the celebrity newcomer. It even gotten to a point that days prior to the birth that Namibian officials were in talks of declaring the day of baby Shiloh's birth a national holiday. This was to honor Angelina, Brad, and her family for their hard-working charity efforts throughout the world. The media and the public were bubbling with excitement over the news, even going as far and comparing it to the birth of Christ, until a person would have thought that no earthquake or any disaster had occurred the previous day.

We all congratulate the Jolie-Pitt couple on their newly arrival and other celebrities having children these days. But by the end of the day, what goes on within the personal lives of celebrities does not measure up or solve the real issues that constantly plague our society. The real question is has the media ever given it thought that celebrity stories have become ad nauseam?

Celebrity news has become an obsession in American culture that it has begun to grace the front pages of print publications and top story headlines in broadcast. It has become so much of an obsession that it is the main topic of discussion among millions within the public. Many people, as well as I, am eager to know what's going on with our celebs in movies, music, and sports since they keep us entertained. Yet, we must not forget that we are in war, lives are being lost everyday, rates in the economy are at an all-time high, there are health epidemics, and that terrorist threats are being carried out each day. Therefore, I believe stories like these should stick strictly to the tabloids and entertainment shows, not become major stories in headlines that deal with important social issues.