Privacy -
It surely must be the sign of an immature society that we have not yet progressed to the point of accepting that the private lives of others are not for our entertainment.
If professional athletes take performance enhancing drugs, well that is information we are entitled to have and judgments we are entitled to make. Why, because it affects the their public side.
But if a politician has an extra-marital affair, or goes to a strip club, does that impact on the job we elected him for? And if an athlete like Michael Phelps smokes marijuana, should that be splashed all over the media? And should it disqualify him from the product endorsements his Olympic Gold Metals might otherwise merit?
Some might say that is the price one pays for being a celebrity. But wouldn’t you be upset to find someone posting pictures of you drunk and making a fool of yourself at the Christmas party.
It appears that our society has stooped to the level of the likes of Jerry Springer where we revel in the suffering and stupidity of others and we have forgotten to respect our neighbour and to respect his privacy.
The Internet and Reality television has heightened the exposure and ridicule we heap on foolish or weak people. And it is a sad commentary on our society that we have now classified this as "entertainment".
Someone once said "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone" and that same man also said "Judge not, lest ye be judged". Words to live by, aren’t they? But we don’t do we?