Celebrities: influencing more than vitamins?
Dune Lorenz
Issue date: 3/22/10 Section: Entertainment
People will always disagree on things. Some people like strawberry jelly with their peanut butter sandwiches, others like grape; it is destiny.
Similarly, some people see celebrities' drug antics as a threat, while others see it as a misdemeanor. With the recent overdoses of Brittany Murphy and Michael Jackson, the question, "How much influence do their actions have on our youth?" arises.
Amelia Jackson, a freshman majoring in elementary education at PUC, said, "People want to live like the people they see on television. Children idolize people they see on television and hear on the radio every day. And when they talk about drugs and being wasted, they want to try that."
The realism of whether children have common sense or a disregard for celebrity drug use can be argued continuously as there are too many deciding factors, with growing up in different environments and whom a kid may surround him or herself with, to really determine a particular attitude toward drugs and celebrity idolism.
Focusing on those factors brings up more interesting points to throw into the debate, as some of the argument is that the focus is not on the celebrities at all, but the circumstances surrounding the child.
JoElen Fulk, a senior majoring in early childhood development said, "I believe that a person in their teens is much more affected by their direct environment, such as close family members living in their household or their peers."
According to drugaddictiontreatment.com, Dr. David Sack of Promises Treatment Centers in Malibu said, "Whenever a drug gets attention like this in the media, people want to try it. It takes a while for things to break out. Sometimes they never do. But there are always people who abuse drugs who are looking for the next big thing."
Gabrielle Smith, a freshman majoring in criminal justice, echoed Dr. Sack's point. "Celebrities' drug use plants a seed in kids' heads that make them curious. They want to see what the fascination is with the drugs," she said.
Similarly, some people see celebrities' drug antics as a threat, while others see it as a misdemeanor. With the recent overdoses of Brittany Murphy and Michael Jackson, the question, "How much influence do their actions have on our youth?" arises.
Amelia Jackson, a freshman majoring in elementary education at PUC, said, "People want to live like the people they see on television. Children idolize people they see on television and hear on the radio every day. And when they talk about drugs and being wasted, they want to try that."
The realism of whether children have common sense or a disregard for celebrity drug use can be argued continuously as there are too many deciding factors, with growing up in different environments and whom a kid may surround him or herself with, to really determine a particular attitude toward drugs and celebrity idolism.
Focusing on those factors brings up more interesting points to throw into the debate, as some of the argument is that the focus is not on the celebrities at all, but the circumstances surrounding the child.
JoElen Fulk, a senior majoring in early childhood development said, "I believe that a person in their teens is much more affected by their direct environment, such as close family members living in their household or their peers."
According to drugaddictiontreatment.com, Dr. David Sack of Promises Treatment Centers in Malibu said, "Whenever a drug gets attention like this in the media, people want to try it. It takes a while for things to break out. Sometimes they never do. But there are always people who abuse drugs who are looking for the next big thing."
Gabrielle Smith, a freshman majoring in criminal justice, echoed Dr. Sack's point. "Celebrities' drug use plants a seed in kids' heads that make them curious. They want to see what the fascination is with the drugs," she said.
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