"Is Nothing Sacred?"

I was best known for this phrase when working in an office filled with women and privy to some of the most intimate details of their personal (read sexual) lives. I’m no prude and of course I’ve dished out my fair share of details but there are certain bits of information that begged the response, is nothing sacred?

Perhaps it’s my conservative middle eastern upbringing, the one that prompts my mom to say, I’m glad you’re enjoying therapy, just keep it to yourself. We’re not meant to air out our dirty laundry in public. We must always put on a happy face, even when we’re not, let people think we’re doing better than we actually are, even when things really are great.

Clearly, with the proliferation of reality shows, many people are devoid of such personal perameters. And here’s the thing I really don’t get…haven’t reality shows been out long enough that we all know that if we do go on them we’re going to be editied in a way that would make even Mother Theresa seem like a jezebel?

Are people really so anxious to go on a show called The Marriage Ref and show the world how ridiculous they are just to talk to Madonna, not even in person, but, via satellite?

And let's take The Bachelor. I am amazed that year after year there are 20 something 20 somethings more than willing to literally compete against other women for a man they haven’t even met? And let's not forget the countless numbers of women willing who just didn't get the part. The part of reality star ready to be edited in unflattering ways and then sold for public consumption.

And while I can understand the lure of a show like American Idol; getting on the fast track to fame when you actually do have the talent deserving of it, I think such shows eat into the values that older generations learned to appreciate. Values that build that thing called character. What will become the future of positive personal attributes like moxie and pounding the pavement, dedicating a lifetime to an artistic pursuit, stick-to-it-iveness, and being in something for the long haul despite adversity?

I can just imagine all the future E True Hollywood stories. So and so started on American Idol. She didn’t win but was still offered a record deal and the rest is history. How can those types of stories compare with Madonna’s rise to fame, living in near poverty in NY’s East Village, handing out self recorded demos to anyone in or near the industry who would listen and eating only ramen noodles for a year. Whatever the actual details, we know that what she went through was a struggle and that not just her talent but her drive and dedication brought her there, not a competition on national television that would have cut defining, character shaping years from her life experience.

I won’t lie. I’m a bit guilty of it myself. Hoping that someone out there in publishing might read this and sweep me out of inexistence and into the personal essay writing spotlight.

Then again, I did just resolve to be more positive (and Shhh, I have put in my time)…it just might happen.