South Park and Britney - not a good combination

I love South Park. Such a clever and bloody funny show along with its social and political commentary. But Matt Stone and Trey Parker have just managed to make me feel distinctly uncomfortable for the first time.

As I type, an episode is playing that makes fun of both Britney Spears and the way people obsess with her etc. Early in the show, the South Park kids trick their way into Britney's motel room, pretending to be her children. An upset Britney was on the telephone but on hearing that her kids were there, really brightened up. On realising that it wasn't her kids, the cartoon Britney put a shotgun in her mouth and blew most of her head away.

No, I didn't think it was funny.

From there, the program focussed on the inappropriate media attention so often turned on her.

I have to admit to having quite a soft spot for Ms Spears. In some pictures, she reminds me almost painfully of the great love of my life who passed away several years back. While her music doesn't do a lot for me as a rule, having watched some of her performances on television, it is obvious even to this old fart that the girl is a knock out performer when on the top of her game.

Just what is this obsession with Britney Spears? The poor girl can't move without media crawling all over. I recall watching an episode of E! one evening, when I was too lazy to even bother changing the channel, only to see them airing footage of Britney visiting a petrol station for cigarettes at something like 4am. She can't even slip out to the all night servo for a pack of smokes without it becoming 'entertainment news'.

My God but I feel sorry for this girl. She was a young teen when she ended up in the entertainment 'business'. She didn't have a normal childhood. She didn't have a family around her as she grew up in that insanity. All that anybody around her seems to want is what they can get out of her. The poor girl was little more than a gibbering, mental wreck yet her recording company pushed her back into the studio, putting out another album, even giving her an Executive Producer credit on it. Maybe Britney wanted to be back in the studio, but was she ready for it? I doubt it. The rest of us would have most likely have been in psychiatric care.

There is so much garbage written about Britney Spears. On one occassion, I walked into a newsagents and was assaulted by headline after headline about Britney. One magazine after another was making wild claims. Britney's engaged! Britney's pregnant! Will Britney ever find true love again? How can one person generate so much rubbish attention? I spend much more time around waiting rooms at the doctor's and at hospital than I would like to. What else is there to do but read the old magazines and get updated on the gossip. Go on, ask me. Ask me for some details about Britney's relationship with Kevin Federline as reported by magazines like Gossip or OK! Or what about Jessica Simpson's breasts (apparently they are real, but that is another article for another time).

A more recent report alleges Ms Spears spending a lot of time at Marilyn Monroe's graveside, obsessing over how much pain Monroe was in when she took her life (or was assassinated, depending on who you believe). Take it from me, that is not healthy behaviour.

Perhaps it is time that everyone began to take a more mature approach to this attention to Britney Spears. Is it really necessary to follow her every single tiny movement? To follow her up stairs, shoving the camera beneath her skirt to take happy snaps of her butt? Hoping that she has another bad episode, going without panties in company of media whores like Paris Hilton? Maybe if the consumers send the message through to the gossip media that we want the girl left alone, then she will be able to try to regain her life. Otherwise, next time it may not be just a cartoon that is blowing its head off.