15 Minutes of Fame

     It's just my observation but it appears many of us are seeking our 15 minutes of fame without caring whether the fame is positive or negative.  I guess the goal is national or worldwide fame but any fame will do even if it is only among your circle of friends.  It reminds me of raising small children vying for your attention.  Any attention (positive or negative) is better than no attention, which seems odd to most adults, but young children are learning so they are constantly experimenting.

     That doesn't explain why adults still have this desire for attention maybe they never received the attention as a young child, I'm not really sure.  What I believe is that we as a society promote this awkward desire for fame by publicizing every little incident on the news and Internet.

     Recently, at the University of Missouri someone posted a note on a bulletin with some racial slur, which ended up on the 5 o'clock news.  I think we all agree that racial slurs are unacceptable but is a note on a bulletin board a worthy news story on the nightly news. By reporting this on the news we have given this person their 15 minutes of fame if only with their small group of friends and fueled others to do the same.  Another approach would have been for the school authorities remove the note shredding it and ending the issue without giving any recognition to the person who wrote it.

     Sometimes it's important to recognize a real problem from a random immature act.  Many college students are on their own the first time in their lives and despite their age some are still immature which is obvious by their behavior.  Hopefully, these students will grow out of their immaturity in time but some may not just look at the politicians and celebrities.  They are already famous but still seeking more attention.  We could try ignoring them, they won't go away but if no one pays attention maybe they'll try a different approach.

     Let's not give people their 15 minutes of fame for immature behavior; it needs to be dealt with but not on television.  This only promotes more immature behavior; reality shows are a good example in promoting famously bad behavior but it gets them lots of attention.  "Just Saying...."