Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Britney's misery causes bonanza

I just found this article in USA Today:

An economy grows around Britney Spears

According to the article, the worse things get for Britney, the more money people make on her. That's because her tragedies generate such huge public interest.

I have a book at home called Careless Love. It is about Elvis Presley's life, and the author, Peter Guralnick, makes the case that Elvis was given more unthinking adoration than a human being can stand. Elvis was, in some sense, loved to death.

But if Britney Spears meets with an early grave, I think she will have been jeered and booed to death. Oh, there will be other reasons for her demise too, of course - provided it happens too soon in the first place - but if so, the contempt she was so generously given by much of the world will have a lot to do with it. And I wonder how many will greet the news of her death by thanking their God or the stars or their mothers or their own good characters that they, at least, are not like Britney Spears.

Ann

If Britney meets with an early demise the people to carry the biggest blame are her parents. Parents that let their children go into show business as children, to me for the most part are scum. They take a percentage of what their child makes since they act usually as managers. They let their child support the family. Most kids can't handle the adoration that they receive and the money. They get to believe that the laws of man and God and Natrue aren't applicable to them. They are above everyone else and can do what they please, when they please and nothing bad will happen. This because they are protected by those that live off them. The problem is the laws of man and the laws of nature do apply.

Taking drugs, drinking, drugs & drink together, driving cars under the influence, mixing various drugs kill you no matter how famous you are. Then when you combined this with a spoiled brat like Britney or Paris or Lindsey you have major problems.

What I don't understand is with the bizzare behavior of Britney as late why her mother hasn't moved to legally declare her unfit to handle her own affairs and have her committed for psychiatric treatment. She is going to wind up dead or killing someone else.

Again I blame her parents. Letting her go into show business with such fervor at such a young age was a recipe for disaster. The ones that seem to make it are the ones that are still treated like a normal kid - they are given modest allowances and the rest banked and are required to do chores at home like any other kid. The parents worked to keep the swelled heads under control. They don't cowtow to their kids - when they need it they get a good swift kick in the pants.

So do I read about Britney or watch the junk on TV about her - NOT IF I CAN HELP IT. She makes me sick - she is a spoiled brat that needs people to tell her they are sick of her crap. If she finds the photogs such a pain then why is she "dating" one. Why keep going out and pulling the crap she is unless she wants the publicity. Her career is in the toilet, I think half of what she does is on purpose - she wants the limelight and does anything she can to get it.

The ones I feel sorry for are those that are basically trying to lead a quit life and somehow screw up as apparently Heath Ledger did. He did is job - act, was an attentive father and apparently mixed medications so he is dead at 28. He has my sorrow.

So if you want to feel sorry for someone he is worth your sorrow not Britney. IN MY MOST HUMBLE OPINION. Not that Britney isn't in my prayers, for she is but not for her to get her children back but for her to grow up and get her life together and realize she is NOT Gods greatest gift to the world. She is just another singer and they are a dime a dozen. She needs to enter the real world with the rest of us.

Wow, kmar... I respect your opinion but there are a couple of things I'd like to add.

It's not always the parents or show biz. I agree that growing up in show business is not great and produces some spoiled brats, but there are many child stars that grow up just fine (for example, the Olsen twins). It depends on many factors. One of which, is, yeah, family - and her parents aren't perfect, as none are - but not only.

It's not really fair to put Britney on the same par as Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. Those two, in particular Paris, really are can be called spoiled brats. But I don't see Britney as so much a spoiled brat as a troubled individual who needs mental help, and it's terrible, IMHO, that instead of anyone giving her that help, everyone is busy ridiculing her and making money off her misery. If she meets an early grave, the way I see it, it will be the fault of the press.

I read an autobiography of another young pop star last year, and I don't think I'd be too wrong in assuming Britney's experience was similar in some ways: barely any time to herself, her time was managed for her to the minute, an obligation to hold on to her good-girl public image even if it was all lies. Of course, how they dealt with it was probably different, but I can't say I'm surprised she's flipped out (the aforementioned pop star turned out fine, ironically...). Especially when you combine it with the way the press had already been making money off her love life.

Just my 2 cents' worth...

Julie

As you've probably already realised, I have zero tolerance for these divas. But I have to admit to a sneaking pity for Britney. She at least had talent and she seems to be a pretty troubled individual who is getting no support or help for her pain.

I don't think you can solely blame the media though. They give society what they crave. If people didn't read this garbage about 'stars', then they wouldn't bother printing it. I do, personally, believe that the culture of celebrity worship currently in our society is one of its biggest ills and what a wonderful thing it would be if it died a death tomorrow.

I do fear that Britney will end up doing something stupid - she seems on the brink. No doubt if she does there will be the usual hand-wringing and rounds of 'well, how could we have known...?' and 'well it wasn't out fault, nothing we did...' from all of those responsible, who could have helped.

I've been deeply unimpressed with her diva antics in the past. But I sincerely hope she gets the help she needs to bring her out of this dark pit she seems to have descended into.

LabRat

I think Britney thrives on attention, be it positive or negative. Either that or she's secretly addicted to crack. I just hope she pulls herself together for her kids sake. I mean there are tons of stars who went through very difficult times and made it okay. For example, Drew Barrymore. She was in rehab for alcoholism at age 12 and I think she's a pretty well adjusted individual now. I guess you just have to find that balance between show biz and real life and adjust accordingly. I really do feel sorry for Britney and hope the best for her. Not that she hasn't caused most of these problems herself. I just want her to learn from all her mistakes and be a better person for it.

While I am often times disgusted by some of the things she does, in recent weeks I have come to feel a great sense of sadness for her.

She has a 1 and 2 year old. There is a good possibility that she suffered from postpartum depression and never sought help for this. It doesn’t seem as if her family is very supportive either. After all her cousin was her assistant for a while and helped to further the behavior.

To top it all off she is going through a divorce and every detail of her life is being splashed across the screen. Think about it… every move she makes is watched by a handful of people hiding in bushes and jumping out in front of her car to flash a photo at her. Just recently the police here had to arrest some of the paparazzi for reckless driving because they almost ran several people off the road trying to get to Britney.

Think about that for a second… what if someone followed you around all day and picked apart everything you do? What if someone photo’s you scratching your butt or pulling you underwear out (come on… admit it you all have done. That subtle turn to see if anyone is looking) and splashed it across the pages of a newspaper. Add that to depression and lack of family support and what do you get.

I don’t know how well I would handle it either.

It is also coming out more and more that there may be multiple personality issues with her. Either way she is spiraling downward and needs some psychiatric help. It seems from recent reports her family is in LA and trying to help her. Let’s hope it is help and not hindering her.

Either way it is time for people to back off of her and give her some time. She is sick and it is time that people stopped trying to be high and mighty and pretend that they would handle the situation so much better. Maybe you would… but can you say you would if you were in her shoes and her experiences? Her lack of family support? Money doesn’t fix everything despite what some people think. I just hope that some caring people step forward to help her out before it is to late.

I, like many others, pity Spears. But that doesn't blind me to the fact that she has courted paparazzi attention before. That's the sort of bad decision that can follow someone, especially in the claws-out entertainment business. Maybe its that she was young or badly advised or didn't have a strong enough support group, but that doesn't exonerate her for her bad decisions. No, that doesn't mean we should sit back with popcorn and watch the freakshow, but to say "Aww poor Britney" as if none of this is her responsibility is looking at it through rose-tinted glasses.

Have any of you listened to her latest album? I read a review on it recently that sent chills down my spine:

Seriously, if she doesn't want this image and what comes with it, then care should be taken not to market it, starting with those around Spears, if she isn't fit enough to watch over her own image. Otherwise, as long as there's a buying public...you know how it goes.

Personally, I think, in the case of Spears, there is more than enough blame to be shared by everyone involved: parents, Brit, paparazzi...and the public. If people weren't so interested in every little detail of a stranger's life, "stars" would just be regular people. Then whatever psychological issues they might have (or their parents might cause), would never reach the proportions they do. I neither need nor want to know what colour underwear Brit wears--if she does her job, she's fine by me.

One quibble, though, Julie. I'm not sure if I'd classify the twins as "just fine." Certainly, they've done better than Lohan or Spears, but eating disorders are a serious side effect to the pressures of life. Although, except for the hounding by the press, we would never have even known about this.

The child star that jumps to mind for me is Shirley Temple. She did her job, grew up, sustained stable personal relationsihps and became an average to good diplomat. I think her success is in direct proportion to the lack of media invasion in her life as a child. I can't say I'm a fan of her films, but I admire her stability.