Thursday, January 25, 2007

Sometimes, It's Just Better Not to Procreate

American Idol has value far beyond its apparent goal to find America's next superstar. It really makes you re-examine whether you really want to have children after all. I mean, sometimes i wonder, who are these people's parents? Couldnt their parents have told them that they cant sing? That they shouldnt embarrass themselves on public television to discover what's patently obvious? No, of course not, because those parents are standing right next to them, encouraging them on.

These have been my thoughts all day. On yesterday's episode, there was one girl who was tone deaf and could not sing a single note in key. The judges asked her about this and she said she knew she couldnt sing, but she wanted to be the first American Idol that took a tone deaf person and made her a singing superstar. This is a new level of ridiculous even for AI. She knows she cant sing but she wants to win a singing competition. And then she has the gall to be outraged when they say no.

Where are her parents?

Sometimes, it's just better not to procreate than unleash more stupidity onto the world. I worry about that sometimes because i'm not immune to stupidity myself...shocking, but true. Of course, i hope that if i were ever blessed with a child that i would do everything right and he/she would turn out to be a wonderfully well-adjusted happy human being. But we all know the odds of that happening in this modern day and age of instant gratification and overstimulation are probably as good as winning the American Idol competition, even if i were to overcome the already incredible odds of having a child despite our permanent infertility (insert MIRACLE here). There is that part of me that wonders what would happen if i became a parent and screwed it all up? Would my sole contribution to humanity be an addition to American Idol's slush piles?

Deep thoughts that keep me up at nights. Tonight, i am happy to be childless and free from this worry. I dont have to worry about anyone's peace of mind but my own. It's not by choice, but it is its own blessing. If i have not yet achieved peace of mind, how can i possibly presume to pass it on to anyone else?

Human beings can be so arrogant at times, so enamored with our own self-worth and blind to our faults. Thank God, we are loved nonetheless.

4 Comments:

At 10:22 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also find it astonishing that nobody in these kids' lives has had the guts to tell them they can't sing. Do it gently, sure, but do it before they make a fool of themselves on national TV. That doesn't seem like love to me.

 
At 10:46 AM, Blogger linda said...

I think there's a movement in many parent groups to support your kid's endeavors no matter what. "Let the child find himself/herself!" Bleh. Remember a couple of years ago when the parents of our military boys in Okinawa that were arrested for rape said to the press: "My boy would never do such a thing! He is innocent!" Well that's fine and dandy but they were found guilty. Parents often have a blind faith in their childrens' abilities and an unquestioning attitude towards their conduct. I don't get it. It really scares me at times.

I hope that if I get to be a parent I'll be able to see my child for who she or he is, and not what I want them to be, and hopefully I'll have the sense to tell them, GENTLY, that they sing like a cow in heat when they've got stars in their eyes of going on "American Idol". You know?

 
At 2:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've heard that there is actually a prescreening with the producers before the contestants go before the judges and some of the worst are still allowed to pass through just for entertainment value.

One would hope these kids were only after their 15 minutes of fame and weren't that delusional. Otherwise you are right, their parents have not helped them one bit.

 
At 12:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps these parents figure you tell a child 100 times not to touch the hot stove, it will keep coming too close. If you let it burn it's fingers once, it won't happen ever again.

Of course, cheering them on to touch the stove is not good parenting.

 

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