Why does the US media want Britney dead?

Occasionally - very occasionally I might add - the old Nefster dips his gaze down the news items and "serious" stuff to see what the world of celebrity is doing.

And recently the whole Britney Spears thing has grabbed my attention.

So here we have a 26 year old woman - a child star turned successful musician (I don't want to debate talent here, shes sold enough records to be deemed to be successful) who has courted celebrity and a fair share of attention but who is, ultimately, a person being hounded after falling on difficult times - and it seems quite deliberately - by large sections of the US media, so called "celebrity gossip columnists", the legal system and her ex-husband.

And it strikes me that none of them will be happy until shes dead.

What the woman needs is peace and quiet and leaving alone for a while to pick herself up. You can't court order someone out of a nervous breakdown or out of drug/alchohol addiction. You most certainly can't help them by sticking a camera lens under their nose every time they breathe. Furthermore, you really really cannot help a woman with a maze of problems by stripping her rights to see her children away. The maternal instinct is one of the strongest bonds in humanity.

So whats the deal? Does the world of celebrity need a new icon in the same vein as Monroe, Dean and Cobain?

Is the ultimate price for being hugely successful - and fairly sexy - death?

Well, Spears isn't my cup of tea in terms of 'sexy', so I guess that's subjective

The media gave her success. I don't think they want her dead; imagine all the revenue she's generating for them? A good old Spears tragedy story would ring much better with mainstream media consumers than anything on the political scene.

She is their's to make and their's to break. I have no sympathy for her after I found out how she is growing her child.

Maybe the press is just tired of reporting about the celebrities underwear color and wants something a bit more dramatic for the weekend?

It might be indicative of burnout on the whole "decadant role model" by the higher ups. If the younger generations are ever going to mature past a certain point, they - like Britney - have to start taking serious adult responsibilites?

Maybe it's only a metaphorical death and (hopefully) a pleasant evolutionary point within the industry.



*edit to add:

I was never really a fan of her style of music and associated themes, but I cannot vilify her as a person for her work.

And she shouldn't be vilified by the public for not being what EVERYONE out there expects and wants of her.

She is her own person, believe it or not - she has rights too.

Maybe it's a call to put down the tabloids and focus on something else for the Britney Addicts.

[edit on 14-1-2008 by GENERAL EYES]

Originally posted by Alphard
I have no sympathy for her after I found out how she is growing her child.

Care to elaborate on that one a bit?

Whats she doing thats so distasteful to you?

Originally posted by GENERAL EYES
It might be indicative of burnout on the whole "decadant role model" by the higher ups. If the younger generations are ever going to mature past a certain point, they - like Britney - have to start taking serious adult responsibilites?

I would say that motherhood is a fairly big responsibility. The implication it seems is that shes failing as a mother - whats that based on?

Maybe it's only a metaphorical death and (hopefully) a pleasant evolutionary point within the industry.

Well the "industry" is already lining up her replacements, so I don't buy the commercial part - this just seems so much more sinister than that.

Originally posted by neformore
I would say that motherhood is a fairly big responsibility. The implication it seems is that shes failing as a mother - whats that based on?

Popular opinion of people who only hear about her through the media channels. It's a voracious machine.

I don't know the young woman myself, but she seems genuine about her love for her kids, but I seriously doubt she has much experience in parenting skills.

I was shocked when she jumped into motherhood so fast.

The manic media should have backed off at that point. ENDED.

Well the "industry" is already lining up her replacements, so I don't buy the commercial part - this just seems so much more sinister than that.

Well, the industry has always been that way.

It's the insatiable appitite of the consumer base that might be the problem here. Maybe that whole circle needs a bit of an intervention, an end to the whole scene.

One of the dangers of being a cultural icon is when the culture turns on you.

I don't envy her one bit, but I definitely understand what she's going through right now on several levels and I can't forsake a person in favor of a pop star.

She's going to have some real work ahead of her if she's going to make it out of this a stonger person and not make the same mistakes twice.

*edit for minor additions


[edit on 14-1-2008 by GENERAL EYES]

There is a lot of sacrificial energy running rampant right now, power issues, fights to the death over an imagined crown all over the planet.

This is just another sign of the times.

the media is in a fashion helping along the saga...

i think right now the 'fallen angel' story line seems to be the angle getting the most play. nothing better for sales & pop culture topic than a celeb's
fall from grace and painting the veil of a doomed soul on the verge of self-destruction...

its a real time melodrama where the public is made to feel part of the
dama & judge/opine on the morality play unfolding.
A subjective or metaphoric 'death' is the driving force, but the media 'vultures' wouldn't be too dismayed if she met with a tragic end...

I've wondered that a time or two over the past year or so...

Working where I work, a medium sized supermarket, I can't help but see the tabloids at the checkstands. Every single one of them, without fail, has Ms. Spears on the cover. Headlines fearing for her safety, yadda, yadda...yadda. OK, fine, that's really cool of you guy, bein' so concerned for her and all, so why don't you leave the poor kid alone, and let her put the shambles that is her life back together again?

She's a celebrity and all, I get that. Being on the covers of tabloids is part and partial to that celebrity, I get that, too. However, pictures of her on the beach, or coming out of a club is one thing. Buying pictures of her cowering in the bathtub with one of her kids is something else entirely. I always suspected that tabloids have no shame. I did, however, once think they wouldn't actively seek to destroy someone. If, god forbid, Ms. Spears harms herself, they'll blame everyone but themselves.

reply to post by seagull


So true.

I don't know. Maybe her new realtionship will smooth over and this new beau will be a gentleman and help shield her from the media frenzy. Federline definitely milked it for all he could get out of it, let's hope this new beginning sets a better series of future events.

Either that, or the motherships will show up shortly and divert all interest in Miss Spears entirely for her sake.

*edit for spelling



[edit on 14-1-2008 by GENERAL EYES]

Britney emailed me during her pepsi promotion. I went to a hollywood party and she was there. I'm a sucker for cute intelligent girls..and she's very smart. it's boring to be educated and act intellectual at times, so she plays the dumb-card. it sells.

The public likes to make fun of celebrities. makes them feel better. So they act dumb. here's the kicker. All of this stuff is fake, meant to sell her records and make her more attractive. she's acting dumb..but I think she may have fooled too many this time..so she has to stop doing that with her marketing managers.

People are really starting to believe this stuff.

saying that, she was a child star and a dedicated talent. and that has affected her somewhat. But I think was really messed her up was her divorce to justin timberlake. They were meant for eachother.

bottom line. the paparazi should be sued, and she shouldn't allow them to be walking everywhere with her. she has to change her strategy and start something new..maybe move out of LA. her new album is fantastic..So I care about the music and not the person. Same with Jackson.

Originally posted by jedimiller
I'm a sucker for cute intelligent girls..and she's very smart. it's boring to be educated and act intellectual at times, so she plays the dumb-card. it sells.

Jedi We're all suckers for cute intelligent girls.

The public likes to make fun of celebrities. makes them feel better. So they act dumb. here's the kicker. All of this stuff is fake, meant to sell her records and make her more attractive. she's acting dumb..but I think she may have fooled too many this time..so she has to stop doing that with her marketing managers.

Conspiracy within a conspiracy! Love it.

People are really starting to believe this stuff.

Yeah...well....3/400 photographers blocking the access to an ambulance after a woman in emotional distress has had her children forcibly removed from her by the state looks fairly convincing to me. I don't think that was stage managed.

saying that, she was a child star and a dedicated talent. and that has affected her somewhat. But I think was really messed her up was her divorce to justin timberlake. They were meant for eachother.

Theres another conspiracy...you see my take on that was that it was all stage managed - well apart from his bubble perm. No ones that stupid....

bottom line. the paparazi should be sued, and she shouldn't allow them to be walking everywhere with her. she has to change her strategy and start something new..maybe move out of LA. her new album is fantastic..So I care about the music and not the person. Same with Jackson.

Shes selling bucketloads of units for sure, which makes me wonder if thats a good reason for the record company to keep her in a permanent state of distress and not afford her the help she needs - which is another conspiracy!

Poor Britney. Shes right in the mire at the moment.

I bet the record companies..Like SONY want her to continue with this tabloid run. makes the little girls buy more of her albums. Did you guys see her new video? called, "You want a piece of me". in it, it explains everything and how she manages the tabloids for her benefit. watch the video and you'll understand. artists like her reveal everything in the music and in their videos.

As a female, and admirer of her latest album, I must say that I got nothing out of that piece that implied she "milks anything" out of said publications, I heard a refute. A kind one, but still a woman refuting the voracious market tabloid mentality.

Her patience is impressive, outstanding and exceptional.

I would end up in the back of an ambulance for far less some days!

Originally posted by GENERAL EYES
As a female, and admirer of her latest album, I must say that I got nothing out of that piece that implied she "milks anything" out of said publications, I heard a refute.

Interesting. I never knew you were a female. So you liked her new album? nice. I think she does make some money from the publication. think about it, she could be selling her own stories. lol. and making money.

Shes an ignorant childish piece of trash. More than the US media wants her dead. So do respectable people everwhere.

Excellent point, and not beyond a reasonable doubt.

Heck - maybe part of her therapy should include donations to charitable childrens causes (for example) instead of playing off the whole "snorting coke off a hooties breasts in a bathtub" and glorification of excess type forays.

It would definitely bring some balance to the force that is Spears.

And the whole "white trash" nonsense that's been so popular as of late amongst many? I speak in her defense.

"Takes one to know one."

Now let's put the indicretions of past mistakes behind us and conciously meditate upon a more socially and globaly concious, balanced, focused and CHARTIABLE Miss Spears in the future.

If Miss Jolie can do it....

Chant with me here, people.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHMaybeitspossiblepossiblepossiblepossible!

What is going on with ATSNN... scrolling down the recent posts and it is filled with some of the lamest, most moranic stuff I have ever seen on here.... I don't give a rats ass about brittney. she and her chums bore me to tears.

Originally posted by TyrannyofAmerica
Shes an ignorant childish piece of trash. More than the US media wants her dead. So do respectable people everwhere.

This is quite sad. Please hear a mother's point of view.

When I look at the media’s portrayal of Britney, my sweet daughter comes to mind. She suffered, imo, post traumatic stress syndrome prior to active addiction and still remains in the little room I call the abyss.

I refuse to watch anymore.

We have a normal level of stress easily handled. The next level of stress is identified as the crisis stage. If, at this crisis level the source of stress cannot be dealt with it crosses over into trauma.

When one suffers a traumatic experience (loss of job, divorce, death for example) their normal thought patterns are forever cut off. Our brain, however, has the capacity to form new pathways. These pathways (thought patterns) are somewhat like going around the world to get to town, hence, high risk behavior. Until the person who suffered a traumatic experience finds meaning as to why this happened they will forever remain in that little room.

I watched my daughter metamorphasize (spelling?). I am so ashamed of watching her being eaten alive by the media piranhas. I will not watch someone being torn apart simply because we watch it and the ratings go up.

The public’s thirst for blood is sickening!