Hello Fam,

Below you will see our first guest blog post by Mr. Elliott Robinson who we have much love for considering he has “Wisdom in Love.” We hope you’ll enjoy and as you can imagine, we’re interested in your comments.

Smooches and Air Kisses,

Profs Cali and Mac

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While perusing Facebook last week, I received a notification that I was tagged in a post.  I clicked over and found an article about NBA star Gilbert “Agent Zero” Arenas of the Orlando Magic.  Arenas filed a lawsuit against the producers of the reality show “Basketball Wives” based on various claims including trademark infringement.  He is also seeking to limit the participation of Laura Govan (the mother of Arenas’ 3 children) in the show.

 After some legal chatter back and forth on the merits of the lawsuit, I expressed my  appreciation for the lawsuit and my hope that the show would simply disappear.  I mean do we really need yet another “reality” show where African-American women are portraying every negative stereotype from the last 100 years?  Do we?

Well, why did I do that?  You would have thought I called for a repeal of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and a referendum placing every women in the kitchen sans shoes. 

 Women came forward in support of the show and the right of the wives to “earn a living.”  One woman even posted the phrase, “Make that money!”  Uh, how much money did she think Ms. Govan would earn from the show?  Shaunie O’Neal (executive producer) is the only one cashing any serious checks from this ill-advised, but probably profitable enterprise.

Source: pageanplanet.com

Well, that got me thinking.  At what cost does the pursuit of fame outweigh self-respect?

 A Long Gone Era

In this age of “fame,” the rules are quite blurred in comparison to previous generations.  When I was growing up, the two individuals most “famous for being famous” were Zsa Zsa Gabor and Charles Nelson Reilly.  Gabor’s aura was dignified and during her later years she was billed as a socialite, while Reilly’s persona was that of a learned scholar.  We never questioned their fame/ importance because you don’t question a woman who reminds you of a European heiress or a man who sports leather blazer patches and carries a pipe.

 Everyone Needs Role Models

 Fast forward thirty plus years and we are experiencing a very different approach to the pursuit of fame.  The idea of finding a cure for cancer or being the hometown girl/boy who makes good is not motivating the masses.  No, it’s the pursuit of those fifteen minutes. 

However, the pursuit of fame is not conjuring up images of royalty or wise professors.  Oh no!  What keeps them grinding is the chance to be the next Snooki, Omarosa, The Situation, Khardasian (pick one) or if you play your cards right, say your prayers and eat your vitamins….Paris Hilton. (cue angelic music) 

Get Rich or Die Trying

 There are no boundaries, no rules, no morals, no shame.  Just an overriding desire to “Make that money!” 

• If it means humiliating yourself on a game show.  “No problem!”
• If it means revealing your deepest, darkest secrets and then being eviscerated by a talking head & his studio audience.  “Count me in!”
• If it means vying with 20 other half-naked, socially misadjusted hopefuls for the “love” of a perfect stranger.  “When’s the audition?”
• If it means being thrown together in some T.V. producer’s version of a lab rat experiment and then clawing and backstabbing one another until a “star” emerges.  “I’m gonna’ be a star!”
• If it means making a YouTube video where you jump off the roof of your house into a thimble of yak urine.  “Hey, get the camera?

Ah… We are truly in the clutches of the “Get Rich or Die Trying” generation.

On the Horizon

As I look on the horizon, I don’t see the reality star/ “famous for being famous” model going away anytime soon.  It’s an incredibly profitable business model for production companies and T.V. studios.  So the only hope we have is that the American public reaches a limit for this brand of “entertainment.”

The problem is people really love watching human train wrecks.  That feeling of knowing that while your life is not what you’d dreamt about as a child, it’s still better than “that” hotmess.com you watch every Tuesday night.  It’s simply a quiet storm of people behaving badly.

I’m expecting to see “Free Laura Govan” T-shirts any day now.  Geez.

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Elliott Robinson, JD brings his unique brand of humor and sensibility to love, relationships and family.  This speaker, writer and blogger at WisdominLove.com believes a strong dose of wisdom can remedy any ailing relationship.  You can follow him on Twitter at: @elliottrob or follow Wisdom in Love @WisdominLove.