Pregnancy merging politics and Hollywood.
I inherited two things from my mom: her curly hair and her fanatical obsession over celebrity gossip—neither of which I'm extremely proud of. One, curly hair is atrocious when it comes to brushing. Two, I'd much rather be able to solve functions than know whether or not Rihanna ate a salad for lunch. Fortunately, I'm not as bad as my mom. Sometimes it's as if she psychically knew that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt broke up before Access Hollywood did. But I'm sure even you have had your dose of celebrity gossip, as it's everywhere, including the White House.
Even if you're not really into the mundane world of politics, I'm sure you've heard that the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, has a pregnant 17-year-old daughter. The reaction of America?
Sympathy.
"Oh, Palin handled it so well. She's being so supportive. Oh look, her daughter is marrying the guy. How sweet. Palin is the motherly spirit of America."
The list goes on and on. Let's get the facts straight. I'm not being partisan and anti-Republican, I'm just trying to make a point. Go back a year. Anything similar happen? Think Jamie Lynn Spears. She had a teen pregnancy, is engaged to her fiance, and stayed in Mississippi to quietly raise their daughter. Newsweek accused Spears and her mother of "glamorizing teen pregnancy" and argued that her "promiscuity sets a terrible example for young women." While I'm not saying the Spears family holds great morals and values, I think that they should get a break.
Okay, fine. Palin might be considered an ideal mother, running for Vice President and all. Frankly, I do not care if Palin was on the PTA for one year and is a "Soccer Mom," or as she calls herself, a "Hockey Mom." However, both Ms. Spears and Palin did support their daughters, making neither one of them the better mom.
If Palin isn't a good enough example for you, I'll give you a better one. We live in our little suburban world, where teen pregnancies aren't too common and looked down upon. For the rare teen pregnancies that do occur (more often at other schools than MVHS), when the girl marries the guy it somehow justifies what they did. Yet, we don't look past Britney's frivolous activities, belittle her sister and praise Palin's daughter. I'm not saying teens should get knocked up. I'm saying it's time for us to stop judging people based on their backgrounds, and start looking at their actions.