Why Were We So Cruel To Britney Spears?

I watched the documentary about Britney Spears. It has gone viral, along with the movement of people who care perhaps too deeply about helping Britney emerge from the legal conservatorship of her father. This isn’t the type of story I usually spotlight, but there are moments in that documentary where Spears is brought to tears by the mob of paparazzi photographers following her every move. The moment when the sleazy tabloid editor talks nonchalantly about paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for pictures made me angry. It should make all of us angry.

The fact that an economy exists around this type of harassment is tragic. It is tempting to blame the photographers, or the media for her story ... but the truth is it is our fault. The consumer’s fault. The economy is fueled by our curiosity and someone makes money from it. Our attention keeps them in business, so consider how you might remove yours as a source of income for them. Refuse to click or share stories from sensationalist media. Unsubscribe. If any type of media deserve to be made obsolete, it’s tabloids.