Now the parents will be charged with a host of crimes, from conspiracy to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, though sadly, there is no law on the books against seeking fame without genuine talent. Heaven knows the jails would overflow if such a statute existed.
If the Heenes weren’t such comic figures (an experimental flying saucer?), their stunt could serve an instructive purpose, for certainly their fame obsession is an example of the vapid state of American ambition.
Celebrity now defines success in our culture. One needn’t make any real contribution to society. Just land on TV – preferably on a show where you get your own theme song – and in the time it takes to say, “I’m Jon Goslin’s agent” you, too, can be among the rich and famous.
Or infamous.
Whatever.
We ought to be worried about such shallow values because studies now prove American middle schoolers would rather be famous than intelligent.
That’s reality, folks, and it’s not made for TV.