« So Much For Consistency | Home | God Did That! More Lessons From My Daughter »
Why Do We Pound Them Into The Ground?
By KWiz | February 21, 2007
As a high school teacher of Biblical studies, I try to provide an environment where my students can discuss any topic and know they are in a safe environment to do so. Today, though, for a time, my students wanted to rag on teachers they’ve had in the past. As I listened for a few moments, I finally stopped them and explained that teachers are human, and that in spite of all our noble efforts, we sometimes fail, just as they do. We have strengths and gifts, but those strengths and gifts envelope our weaknesses. Yet and still, we teachers are here for them, in spite of their “entitled” thinking of what they think their education has been and should be about. I had to help them put what we attempt to do for them in perspective, so they wouldn’t continue to pound us into the ground.
I believe the media is doing exactly with our celebrities what my teenaged students are doing with their teachers – pounding our celebrities into the ground, further exacerbating the pain which they probably experience day to day. Over at South Side Star, the author of this blog in today’s post presents the possibility that Britney Spears may be experiencing some postpartum depression which may be fueling her behavior. In any event, it’s clear something is wrong. Nobody behaves so bizarrely without something being inherently wrong. But nobody is bothering to find out what it is. It’s more fun to poke fun at people’s misfortunes. As South Side Star so eloquently and truthfully states:
“Why does Western culture keep pushing its ‘virgin princesses’ over the edge — right into the volcano’s mouth? Or the arms of the beast? … Are we feeding the beasts, or the gods?
“Either way, they get swallowed whole. And we watch.”
A few of those same students to which I referred above said, “I don’t feel sorry for these celebrities who have all this money. They deserve what they get.” But I had to tell them we have no idea what kind of pain Britney or any other celebrity is going through. I believe very much of what celebrities do to get attention is a cry for help – they just may not necessarily know it. The loved ones of these celebrities need to love them enough to tell them the truth and get them the help they need before they go through the demise Anna Nicole Smith experienced.
Let’s stop feeding on the misfortunes of others just because they’re in the spotlight and really attempt to understand that we all experience heartaches, pain, and misfortune. Would we want people to pick, poke, prod, and shine a huge spotlight at us in our misery? Wouldn’t we want (at least maybe unconsciously) someone to pray for us and think well of us? Wouldn’t we want to know someone loves us and cares for us? While they may not know it, these celebrities need our prayers and well wishes. Let’s try to get off our own high horses and do it for them.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Topics: About Women, Just Everyday Life | 2 Comments »
Related Articles
- To Be Thankful
- A Black Woman’s Biases
- What about the Mother of the Murderer?
- Open Wide – Say “Ah-h-h-h”…
- Barack Obama’s Father’s Day Speech
February 24th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Very nicely written!
What surprises me is that your students are studying the Bible, yet some show very little compassion for people like Britney. That I just don’t get.
BTW, thanks for the quote from my South Side Star!
February 24th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Hi kweenkong, thanks for the compliment! And thank you for the post that led to mine!
Yes, it is interesting that some of my students lack what it sometimes seems to be an ounce of compassion. There are three things to keep in mind, though. First, we’re doing an academic study of the Bible. While that doesn’t negate faith issues, it makes the study a little different. Second, the course is required for them to graduate, so they’re not all there because they want to be. Third, the students I teach are relatively affluent; their parents are high-priced attorneys, doctors, VPs, CEOs, plus, many of them go to school in the affluent community in which they live, so their exposure to the outside world, for many of them, is quite limited. They just don’t know much about the world around them. So many of them don’t know how to show compassion. I try to take those types of conversations and turn them into teachable moments. Sometimes it works. It worked for some that day. Not many, though.