Why Do I Do It?

Watch the occasional soap opera episode, I mean?  I've blogged about soaps before, but having had some time off the past week I've been tuning in now and again.  And they, curse them, drag me in!
But I have to say that it DOES get annoying.  I know they need to keep the plots going, but the way these characters behave!  It's like watching...reality TV!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has, however, got me thinking (Uh oh!): with our obsession with youth culture, are we stunting our growth as a society?  One of the finalists on "American Idol" is apparently 17 years old (I don't watch).  But I'm hoping he DOESN'T win, just so he has a chance at a semi-normal life.  If you're a parent looking at the Lindseys and Britneys and Christinas, do you REALLY want that for your kid?
Let me give my theory on Christina Aguillera as an example of what is so wrong with teenage celebrity.  She's talented, no doubt.  She has a natural gift that has been apparent from the time she was a young child.  And her singing style is EXACTLY the same now, as she nears 30, as it was when she was 15.  No maturation, no added training, no new nuance.  Add to the fact that, at the ripe old age of nearly 30, she is an apparent alcoholic, divorced, and was recently arrested for public intoxication while out on the town while her son was at home with the nanny or a sitter.
Don't get me wrong; if a mom wants to have a night out she is certainly entitled, and sometimes divorce is the best option for everyone involved.  But getting sloshed, trying to drive, and getting arrested is maybe a sign that things are getting out of control.
We're obsessed with achieving "success" as soon as possible.  Forget about training, education, learning from those who have more experience than we do.  We want what we want when we want it and we think we deserve it.  Then we blame everything and everyone else when we fail spectacularly because we're not mature enough to handle it.
And then there are the reality shows.  Many of which feature people well out of their 20's and even their 30's who behave like spoiled children.  And are rewarded heavily for it.  Interviews, magazine covers, and loads of cash.  
So instead of being sued for damages after, say, knocking a table over in a restaurant or getting into a fistfight AT A CHRISTENING, they are lauded for it.
So then the pundits follow suit, followed by the politicians.  The next thing you know, we're all acting like a**holes.  We're all turning into spoiled, entitled BRATS.  And if we're not careful, it will be our downfall.

So,  THAT'S what I get from watching soaps, lol!