How many times can we ‘cross the line?’

“Sometimes I wonder, and then again – I wonder.”
It’s a phrase my mom would often use during my childhood, to describe anything at all. The quote would relate to a stupid comment I had made, someone cutting my mom off on a highway, or maybe even the things we would see on TV.
This is, after all, a wondrous world which asks many questions of us. I find it funny, therefore, that amidst the hustle and bustle of finals, term papers, and Christmas wishes, the one question on my mind is: how many times can we cross the line? How many times can we – as a society – repeatedly lower the standards of taste without there being any real repercussions?
Of the many important news events to take place during the course of this past semester, (such as the Democrats retaking both congressional houses, the ongoing war in Iraq, and yours truly being elected junior Homecoming Prince) it seems like they are the topics getting the least amount of coverage as we near the end of 2006. Rather, it is America’s obsession with celebrities which has overtaken the spotlight in recent weeks.
From Britney Spears and Paris Hilton’s drunken exploits to Danny DeVito’s appearance on The View to Michael Richards’s racist remarks; it appears we will never be able to get enough of celebrities at their worst (or maybe that really is their best.)
Just how de-sensitized to this stuff are we? There’s so much boundary breaking and line crossing that oftentimes when we do reach an ethical quandary it will just go by the wayside as we set the bar even lower. It will take a long time, however, for someone to set the bar lower than Britney Spears did last week. I thought we had somehow heard the last of her out of control life? Maybe after she dumped K-Fed she could get it together for the sake of her kids – or maybe she will react in the complete opposite way. Perhaps it’s too early to tell if her “sans panties” excursions were simply a sign of her crying out for help; nevertheless Britney (a mother of two) pretty much lost whatever dignity she had while attempting to get out of that car.
Perhaps the oddest part of it all is that while many laughed at Spears’ expense, no one has really condemned Britney and told her to get out of the public limelight (at least not yet.) But will anyone ever tell Britney to give it a rest? In fact, should anyone be chastising her? Yahoo.com revealed that her name was the most searched term on the Internet this past year. Spears undoubtedly will also profit in some way from her recent publicity stunts. This is part of an alarming trend which has seen celebrities profit off of their unethical public behavior.
After Michael Richards made his now infamous tirade against blacks at a stand-up comedy club, the sales of the Seinfeld DVD’s soared through the roof. In addition, a copy of Simpson’s book went up for sale on eBay and reached a high bid of $1,600 before the site removed the book.

If we keep paying attention to these celebrities and their out of control lifestyles, what does it say about us? Perhaps we are no better then them. That’s not for me to say, but what I can tell you is that if we continue to subscribe to these lifestyles