Let's Talk Turkey

Why I'm thankful I'm not keeping up with the Kardashians

At just about the exact moment I was mulling over what I wanted to share with you this month, I got a Yahoo! alert announcing that after a whopping 72 days of marital bliss, Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce. As a result, I didn’t start writing my column immediately because I had to make a black armband first.

Let me see, if you can believe the cost of her nuptials was somewhere in the twenty million-dollar range, that means it cost about $277,000 a day for her to figure out “she don’t!” I was disgusted when I initially heard how much money was being spent on a wedding for a couple I figured would be married for about five minutes. I think what bothered me then and what bothers me now is how people like Ms. Kardashian not only grab their 15 minutes of fame, but manage to turn it into a cottage industry in the process.

I am also troubled because it seems that a segment of our society feeds on just this sort of celebrity. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but in the past I thought you had to accomplish something meaningful in order to gain national or worldwide attention, much less acclaim. People used to have to take a giant step for all mankind, or sing We Shall Overcome knowing their lives were in peril, or at the very least, give a performance so breathtaking we had to jump to our feet and applaud.

Nowadays, it appears all you have to do is make a sex tape followed by a reality show. Don’t get me wrong: I think Kim Kardashian is gorgeous to look at. I just don’t think she has done anything to merit her ascent to the hallowed heights of fame, fortune and celebrity she seems to have achieved. And at the moment, I am feeling pretty queasy when I think about what all of the money that gets thrown her direction (or that she throws in other directions) could do to make the world a better place.

Of course, I’m going to suggest it would be better spent going towards something meaningful like breast cancer research. But, I realize that not everyone shares my passion and/or concerns about this particular topic – so I won’t be greedy. I’d be happy if someone could take back the reported twenty million and use it in any way that mattered. You know, like feed the hungry, or house the homeless, provide clothing for those in need – even buy some textbooks for a school. You don’t have to search very far to find a worthy cause.

I realize that some of this celebrity is actually fed by the dire economic and social problems we currently face. I’ve touched on this before. Life is tough. Times are hard. Where’s the harm in allowing ourselves a flight of fancy now and then? I’m all for flights of fancy – I just have to draw the line when the flights are taken on private jets and the “fancy” costs more than most people make in a lifetime.

I’ll admit, I’m probably oversensitive when it comes to these sorts of extravagances. I was born at a time when hard work, honesty and commitment to your fellow man (or woman) were considered virtues. You gauged someone’s worth by the way they lived their life and the good deeds they did, not by the amount of money they had, how they looked, or who they knew. Of course there were a few who didn’t have to toe this line. But they were in the minority. Or at least that was our perception.

Sometimes I wonder, am I just turning into the crotchety old woman who used to scare me as a kid? You know the one. She complained about everything to anyone who would listen. Her glass was never even half empty – it was bone dry! ...I don’t think that’s the problem. Or at least I hope it’s not. I just think I’ve lived long enough (and made enough of my own mistakes) to recognize when something is not only pure folly but insulting. I’ve also lived long enough to know that if you perceive a problem you had better have an idea for fixing it.

Okay, it took Ms. Kardashian 72 days to see the error of her ways (if only!)... so for the next 72 days, I’m going to make sure that I do something really worthwhile and loving for myself, those I hold dear, and the planet. That means that from now until January 11, 2012 I am going to mindfully make sure I’m living my life up to the standards instilled in me, and that I expect from others. Hopefully this behavior will become such a habit I’ll pursue it even after that date has come and gone!

To get the ball rolling I’m going to wish each and every one of you a wonderful start to the autumn season. I hope you get to spend lots of time with family and friends. I hope your health is good and your prognosis even better! When you gather with loved ones for the holidays take a moment to be thankful for the bounty we do have – and take another moment to think about those less fortunate ...like the Kardashians.