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Journalism of Courage
When you8217;re having trouble coping with life, the worst thing to have to deal with is boredom. Okay, that8217;s a slight exaggeration 8212; there are worse things, like being hit by lightning or stubbing your toe. But boredom is a huge issue.
Regardless of whether you think it8217;s just an affliction of the spoilt and upwardly mobile, or an invention of GenNext X or Y or whatever alphabet we8217;re on, the fact is that boredom kills. Not just in a metaphorical 8216;8216;it destroys you from within8217;8217; way. It physically kills too.
And while we all know drugs are bad and overdose kills, that message doesn8217;t seem to be getting across. For every sincere do-gooder exhorting impressionable young minds to say no to drugs, there are a bunch of actors or rock stars who seem more impressive and talented for it.
And with celebrities in your face 24/7 nowadays, it8217;s hard not to be aware of who8217;s doing what. Even if you don8217;t particularly care that Kate Moss was stoned through most of the 8217;90s or that Donatella Versace was hooked on coke for nearly 20 years. If you see that the world8217;s beautiful people have glamorous lives and a drug problem on the side, well then maybe you feel that8217;s something you could deal with too. They8217;re your brand ambassadors for a life of dissipation, yes, but also a life of fun. Who would say no to that?
So what8217;s 8216;8216;cool8217;8217; these days? What8217;s always been cool 8212; drugs and alcohol, in any number of potentially lethal combinations. And with the nearly soft-porn music videos and oh-so-suggestive lyrics, it8217;s no wonder that sex is also up there as a boredom buster.
Not that censorship is the answer. There is no hard and fast answer. And if there was, I8217;d bottle it and sell it for a million bucks, because there are enough people out there wrecking their systems, just looking for a vent, or a handle on life.
The Pope8217;s got his spiritual wasteland theory and maybe the world should get closer to god, but half the problem is there just aren8217;t enough legal stimulants out there. What are all these Nobel Prize winners doing in their spare time anyway?
