Feelin' Dirty in the Grocery Checkout Line: Tabloids Gone Mad

Having to go into a grocery store knowing that you are about to pay an arm and leg for food is difficult enough without having to wait in line and be bothered with senseless tabloids exploiting the private lives of famous people. It is not only disrespectful to them, but us and our kids too endure looking at the stuff every time our eyes hit the magazine stand.

Pictures and strategic large-font headlines of baby bumps, secret affairs, weight gain, weight loss, poorly dressed, goings-on of children of celebrities; it's all the main focus of any tabloid attempting to lure in the prospective reader. We'll admit by the time my grocery list has been scratched off I'm slightly on the exhausted side, and yet we still have the grueling task of keeping our young kids happy and quiet until we can leave the store with our groceries paid. Tired eyes wander to find something to keep us occupied and upbeat.

Every now and then a headline or an image will spark one's attention and without picking up the tabloid, they will take a look at the cover to find out more. That's when a weird dirty feeling is conjured up. Before reading the rumors one should consider if they would want the same information about them or their family spread in such a way, especially if it's a lie? That's not likely. Is it really their business to know who is no longer together or who is with child? Not really. Will problems be resolved or will one feel better by knowing the ups and downs of others? Again and again, no!

It is hard to believe that people spend their money on tabloids, but many readers engross themselves in the latest gossip for entertainment. With reality TV being the in thing today it's no wonder people feel the need to know the personal goings-on of just about anyone.

A danger that comes with tabloids is the spreading of false rumors and somehow because they're celebrities, we decide (wrong, in my opinion) that "It's what they signed up for." These rumors can shake the lives of whom they're about, sometimes creating trouble where there wasn't any to begin with.

You've heard rumors of an affair but not hear confirmation of a break-up from reps until months later. In that circumstance we have to wonder if there were major problems even before the rumor appeared, or if it was the rumor itself that eventually caused the couple to split, whether or not an affair actually occurred. It's all kind of like sickening high school type stuff, but adults are readily participating.

Despite frequently seeing or hearing famous people on TV, movies or the radio, we are not their family or close friend, and we should not feel like we're entitled to know their personal information or get a report every time they go to the bathroom or venture out without their panties on.

Our society's infatuation with celebrities, their children, minute details of their life, etc. really freaks me out. What's the benefit of knowing these things? We do not walk away from the grocery store checkout line any smarter than when we first got there if we read tabloids. It's sad our society feels the need to invade the privacy of celebrities' lives, sometimes spreading false rumors just so the tabloid can make a profit.