———————————————————————

—————————

—————————

by Hal Clarke

I have always wondered why rich people don’t have more children than they do. With big bucks there is the potential to do pretty much whatever you want, at least in theory, so why not spawn as many “you replacements” as you can? You’re rich, dammit, so you can afford day care, a live-in nanny, all the best clothes, schools, food, and on and on for your kids. I suppose being rich and having children could potentially put a cramp in your lifestyle, what with the whole “I’m responsible for another human being, at least legally” thing, but money provides the assurance you can avoid many pitfalls of low-income child rearing. Being wealthy doesn’t guarantee raising children will be easy, nothing does, but it certainly can take a bit of the heat off, especially where the wallet is concerned.

My point in all of this revolves around the Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy hub-bub (Britney’s 16-year-old sister) that the media is currently getting its jollies from. First of all, this topic isn’t any more news worthy than any other 16-year-old getting a bun in the oven. In fact, the Jamie Lynn business isn’t even really that scandalous at all when you consider her family is rich, her sister enormously famous, and Kevin Federline isn’t even in the running as the possible father. So why is every news media pushing this non-story?

I won’t play dumb on the whole “16 is awful young to be pregnant” thing, but unlike most 16-year-old moms-to-be Jamie at the very least won’t have to worry if having a child will mean applying for government aid to support it. I’m not one to judge who should be pregnant or when or why, well, not in this article, but if you and your family are rich at least no one will have to worry about where your next meal will be coming from, if at all. There are millions of children around the world who are in that precarious situation, starving, poor, and desperate for a better life. Instead of them getting help, millions of media dollars will be poured into tracking Spears every move for the next nine months. As far as I’m concerned, that’s shit and a really lame state of affairs.

By sensationalizing this story the irresponsible media is basically condoning and promoting young girls to follow Jamie Lynn’s lead. They surely won’t come out and say that, but by sensationalizing Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy they mislead potential young mothers into thinking teenage pregnancy is a glamorous, paparazzi filled nine months. And for anyone other than the rich and famous, that is far from the truth.

Jamie Lynn can afford to be a 16-year-old mother, at least financially, but most children cannot. Once and for all the media should wake up and stop promoting and sensationalizing gossip for gossip’s sake because you never know, the next big story frivolous lawsuit just might be a 16-year-old mom suing The Seattle PI for encouraging her to get pregnant. It won’t be so funny then, will it?

—————————

Are you rich, young, pregnant, and looking to punch Hal Clarke in the face? Or maybe not. Either way, shoot him an Email: halclarke@undependentmedia.com

Back to Commentary

Back to the Main Page

———————————————————————