Return to the Valley of the Prostitot

Newsweek has not only stolen my term for girls who emulate their favorite starlets by dressing sleazy, “prostitots,” but has also proved what I have said all along; It if weren’t for the fairer sex, gossip and human interest stories would be extinct.

The central thesis of the above Newsweek column is that the current crop of mainstream celebrity harlots has captured the attention of many a young girl and in turn said girls are wanting to dress like them, thus creating a nation of adolescent girls who should know nothing of sex looking like dime store hookers. And that my friend is the definition of a prostitot.

When BritneyLindseyParisNicole et al. muck about with drugs, alcohol, horny men and no knickers, it sends a message to those without the capacity for reason just yet that said behavior is fine. The very fact that the above beast suffers no known consequences affirms the fact that if Sally Littlefreckles decides to tramp it up in the local school yard with various and a sundry testosterone filled feral animals known as young boys, she too will believe in her heart of heart that neither she will suffer the sling and arrows of non-virtuous behavior. As many a mother who has stuffed her newborn infant in a trashcan on prom night will tell you, the consequences can be grave indeed.

This does go back to the age-old question of whether or not celebrities have an obligation to act in accordance with the expectations of their consumers and thus not hussy it up on Main Street USA on an ongoing basis. Charles Barkley used to say that he is not a role model, he’s just a basketball player. The fact is that he’s wrong. He is a role model whether he likes it or not by virtue of the fact that he wants as many people as possible, kids included, to buy tickets to his basketball games and purchase whatever swag he’s shilling for.

Let me explain it this way; if you opt to make films or albums for children then you are obliged to set a good example for those whom you are actively influencing on a daily basis, much to the chagrin of their parents. You see, as an entertainer, you are not in a passive role. You are aggressively seeking to change the thoughts and beliefs of consumers, specifically children whom are not equipped as adults are to make certain kinds of decisions, so that they will think and believe that your product is good and therefore worth plunking down their parents money for. That interaction makes BritneyLindseyParisNicole et al. obligated to not abuse said power and make the best impression possible. If that is too much to ask, then stop peddling your wares to minors and go do porn like the irresponsible brats you are.

I think the reason why this topic gets to me so much is that it is actually a microcosm of a much broader problem. BritneyLindseyParisNicole et al. are selfish and self-absorbed tarts that don’t give a lick about the consumers and are only concerned with finding the happiness, structure and consistency that eluded them in their childhood. This is a known quantity. However, they are not the mothers and fathers of the worlds children. They may have their own child and God help that little one but at the end of the day, each child’s parent is responsible for his/her discipline. The problem is that many of today’s parents actually very much resemble said beast in every painful detail save the millions of riches these bitches have pilfered from families far and wide. I’m asking the above floosies to model appropriate behavior for the kids of today and in many cases not even their parents can do that.

This is where the Newsweek article falls a bit short. It spends roughly 6 pages saying that celebrity tarts have a huge influence on the culture of today’s youth but that can be effectively counteracted with consistent and involved parenting. That’s fantastic for those that actually pay attention to their children aren’t threatened by them but what about the ones that don’t pay attention to them and are threatened by their existence. Many children are brought into this world unwanted, raised unwatched and live uncared about. That’s the reality of our surroundings. Newsweek is right when they say that children learn from their parents first but to paraphrase the great Bill Cosby, “yes but what if that parent is an asshole?”

As a social worker and a mandated reporter, I’ve been mortified by how little appropriate modeling goes on in the homes of this country. Many adults apparently believe that they don’t have an obligation to grow up when they have kids themselves and continue to behave in a manner unfitting possessed drunk. Many parents continue to use drugs despite having kids in the home; many continue to serial date and expose their children to dangerous and mean-spirited people (many of whom will molest said children when given the opportunity); many will curse and act a fool while never wanting to take responsibility for their own actions and then will wonder why their offspring will fail life at any time they experience even the slightest bump in the road.

So we have a quandary here in today’s cultural landscape. Obviously any person who has a child has to model appropriate behavior and any entertainer whose bread and butter is the same must also act accordingly. However, many don’t no matter what people like me say and the cycle of neglect and abuse just continues to perpetuate itself.

This is essentially the problem with cultural liberalism in a nutshell. When you’ve decided that there are to be no judgments on behavior, it leaves the door wide open for nuts of all stripes to run wild in the streets as there are no consequences, save the natural ones that occur too late. And because this is the information age, any such behavior is recorded and broadcasted for all the world to see because since their can be no judgments, there can also be no value in anything like say privacy.

Newsweek paints a nice picture of the landscape with data showing teen pregnancy, sex and drugs is down and many parents are paying enough attention to their girls so that the beast cannot cause too much harm. However, Newsweek doesn’t work where I work and doesn’t meet the people I meet on a daily basis. The picture is deceiving and the prostitots are multiplying.