Write For Rational Outrage

We're all used to the stunts celebutards use to get attention.  It's become so commonplace that there's a name for the ones who constantly seek out media attention.  They're now known as "attention whores."  The paparazzi feed into the narcissi needs of these attention whores who just can't get enough of having their names and photos in the tabloids.

Talk shows and reality television have widely expanded the number of people who will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame.  Over the last 20 years people have been happy to go on television to expose their deepest secrets to the world, or at least the millions of people who watch trash TV.  Jerry Springer and Maury Povich have become household names for low-class revelations, on-air beat downs and breakdowns, gratuitous nudity and profanity and the legendary "Who's your daddy?" episodes that have been done ad nauseum.  Viewers continue to watch, advertisers continue to pay and these low rent attention whores continue to collect their free tickets to big cities to get their 15 minutes of fame.  Pity the nickname "boob tube" wasn't created specifically for these shows, as the name is certainly dead on accurate.

As technology has advanced, so have the endeavors of attention whores.   By the late 1990s the Internet was widely available and the new millennium birthed a new breed of people willing to do anything to claim their 15 minutes of fame.  No matter how distasteful, immoral or even illegal, the Internet quickly became lined wall to wall with attention whores.

First on the scene were those willing to bare all, quite literally, to become Internet porn stars.  With cheap cameras and props, amateur porn websites popped up all across the webscape.  Record numbers of housewives became wealthy through publishing their sexual escapades and acting out every conceivable sexual fantasy in front of the camera.  Age, looks, weight and marital status didn’t matter, there were niches for every attention whore who was willing to take part in, and cash in on, these gutter antics.   Internet porn leveled the playing field for less than moral wannabe “adult” film stars.

For those less comfortable with sexual exposure, no problem!  Recognizing the need that so many people had to self-promote, soon non-adult video sites such as YouTube were launched.  With these sites everyone now has a chance to claim their 15 minutes through user-submitted videos.  Popular videos can be viewed hundreds of thousands of times, making the subject of the video an instant Internet celebrity. 

YouTube has certainly brought us some gems such as Nalts and HappySlip, the nameless groovy dancing girl and fun instructional videos geared to help us all not suck so much at Photoshop.  However, tucked among these fun and entertaining videos lurk something much more sinister. 

In an attempt to collect on the promise of fame, many people have now begun filming criminal acts with the intent of posting the videos on MySpace and YouTube, for no other reason than to get attention.  In the past people were excited to collect their 15 minutes of fame for doing something truly good, newsworthy or at least entertaining.  Now, it’s evident that people do not mind being jackasses or complete criminals on film if it means they will gain attention or notoriety. 

In fact, YouTube and MySpace videos have become excellent tools for law enforcement.  It makes no difference to an attention whore that they may be arrested or spend a substantial amount of time in jail because they have provided video evidence of a crime, as long as they get the attention they crave.  In my mind, this prompts the question - What the hell is wrong with people? 

The gang of girls in Florida who beat a girl on video so that they could post it on MySpace was a prime example of this social epidemic.  These cheerleaders have shown no remorse for beating the 16-year-old classmate unconscious, waiting for her to wake up, and then beating her again while two boys stood as lookout outside of the house.  For the love of Internet fame and attention, these 6 girls and two boys, ages 14 to 18, will be tried as adults and may face life in prison for the brutal attack.  They decided to attack the girl because she has reportedly done some “trash talking” on her own MySpace page.

Was it worth it?  For the moment, the attackers seem to think so.  None of the girls responsible for the beating are sorry for what they have done.  By contrast, they seem to be proud of the attention and fame they have received as a result of the attack.  TMZ has reported that the Dr. Phil show even bailed the ringleader of the group out of jail so that she could appear on his show.  So exactly why should they be remorseful?   They are getting exactly what they wanted.  The world has seen them deal out the punishment to the victim, who in their minds fully deserved it.  They have humiliated her and her family and have gained notoriety in the process.  Mission accomplished.

Perhaps the reality and gravity of the situation will set in once these thugs go on trial and are faced with the consequences of their attention whoring criminal activities, but then again, maybe not.  The trial will bring more media attention and more notoriety.  In their minds, fame, and this is exactly what they wanted in the first place.

It’s sad to see a society so enamored with the idea of being famous that there are absolutely no boundaries.