Skip to main content

Is it worth it?

I was just reading thet Susan Boyle, the runner up on Britain's Got Talent, has entered a clinic as she's suffering from emotional exhaustion.

As everyone knows, Susan was the 48 year old who had learning disabilities, caused from oxygen depravation at birth. She had claimed to never have been kissed.

She made it all the way to the finals of the competition and ended up runner up. The exposure and the pressure from competition evidentually took it's toll.

In this case, is reality television worth it?

Several years ago American Idol held auditions in Cleveland. Our son Adam wanted to try out for the competition. As the readers of my wife's currently inactive blog know, our son suffers from bipolar disorder. As far as his singing is concerned, he is very talented. But as a concerned parent, I could not, with a clear concience, let him go to the auditions. At the time, he wasn't diagnosed yet with bipolar disorder, but was having seizures caused by stress.

Being raked over the coals by Simon Cowell, might have had devastating effects. I am not a stage parent though I want the best for my kids.

Comments

Shelley said…
I think the harsh spotlight could put pressure on anyone and damage their psyche.
June 02, 2009 9:09 AM
Pigeon said…
Every day life has more than enough pressure. I think you have to be able to handle stress well to deal with that type of situation.
June 02, 2009 9:48 AM
Syd said…
I'm sorry to hear that Ms. Boyle's heath suffered. There must be so much pressure to "win" these competitions. I can't imagine being in such a spotlight.
June 02, 2009 9:48 AM
Busy Bee Suz said…
I could never do it...nor would I want my kids to do it either. Reality, really is NOT real life.
Good call Cliff.
June 02, 2009 11:21 AM
clean and crazy said…
i agree, last year a past contestant, who did not make it past the auditions killed herself. reality tv sucks and it won't stop because it gives people something to look at other than themselves. great post, you always get me thinking.
June 02, 2009 1:50 PM
Diane Vogel Ferri said…
Hooray for you for being the voice of reason and doing what's right for the child - not chasing after this insane fame/attention/wealth that this country is obsessed with! If he's a singer he can and always will sing.
June 02, 2009 2:39 PM
Mike Golch said…
this is why I never want to even try to be on one of those shows.
June 02, 2009 2:40 PM
Pat Jenkins said…
exposing or having yourself exposed is traumatizing for anyone!!! whether you suffer from some emotional distress or not!
June 03, 2009 5:59 AM
Ms Hen's said…
Way too much stress.. and for what?
June 04, 2009 2:57 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post 800: Time to chat

Hi Guys, It's hard to believe that this is post number 800 for this blog. I started this blog out of my desire to communicate. Since radio and television is becoming more and more automated and less and less personal, I'm glad I made the decision to go in this direction as it has given me many blessings. When I first decided to write my musings, a friend from the radio and television boards who goes by the name of newsnomore, told me not to be discouraged if I didn't get any readers. The fact that I did in the early going made me surprised and grateful that anyone was enjoying what I wrote. I've had people tell me that maybe it wasn't meant for me to ever be in radio, that maybe my calling was blogging. Nowadays I think blogging makes for better two way conversation than terrestrial radio, especially the way I do it, non confrontational. The closest I come from any confrontation is the innocent digs that Pat and I shoot at each other. On an average day I get betwee...
12 comments
Read more

Bananas and Sleep Apnea

First thing I want to do is welcome all the good folks from Australia who are checking me out as a result of Google searches. I recently wrote a post on sleep apnea , discussing my history with it and my new CPAP machine. Because of this and the name of my blog, this is the top site google lists when somebody types "bananas sleep apnea" into the search line on Google. All of the sites I have seen, that were not the usual sites that come here, ended in "dot au" which I know as Australia. Normally the only hit from down under is by my good friend David McMahon. The reason for the search is that a research team in Australia has found. as a result of a study, that drinking a banana smoothie may assist in easing conditions that cause sleep apnea. Phospholipids, or fatty acids, in bananas stay active in the mouth for six hours and may keep the throat open, therefore reducing the risk of choking. Further studies will expand to those, like myself, who need a breathing machi...
19 comments
Read more

Why?

What I'm posting now is with the blessing of Chelle. Chelle is the cousin of Suzanne's husband, Richard. I had gotten the impression from both of them that they were about as close as sisters. Suzanne had been a friend of mine since I had discovered one of her blogs in July, 2006. We would make reference to each other on our blogs and would have dialogue via email quite a bit. It was no surprise to me that she was friends to many other bloggers as well. I felt it was quite an honor to be held in as high esteem as I was. We even talked to each other on the phone on occasion. I felt as we had known each other for a long time. I also knew that Suzanne was having some personal problems, much of which had to do with a very troubled marriage. I would let her bounce things off me, and I would send her some encouragement. While she was going through some of her marital problems, she made herself available to give me a lift when I needed it. My son was having some problems of his own a...
17 comments
Read more