Role Models

What's the deal with parents complaining that celebrities are bad role models? They complain that the world's most popular rapper has been shot almost ten times, that one of the most talented soul singers of our time sings about and needs rehab, that some Disney channel star posed nude, that the daughter of the Achy-Breaky Heart guy posed on a magazine wearing nothing but bed spreads...

First off, who cares? Second, it's a sign of lazy parenting. A mom should have the courage to tell her daughter that people are messed up, that people make bad decisions, and that the best way to avoid getting into a mess is to always think about a choice before acting. Instead, they expect anyone who has ever been famous to act as perfect angels, because they would rather let the television do the parenting. I don't mean to justify what these people have done; famous people can be really fucking stupid sometimes. It's just that there's nothing bad about a negative role model. I'm a pretty pessimistic person, and even I view these screwed up celebrities as an opportunity to teach a child a lesson.