Rolling Stone compares Britney Spears meltdown to George Bush

[ribrepin]

From Rolling Stone (Feb. 21, 2008) article on Britney Spears:

"She's the perfect celebrity for America in decline: Like President Bush, she doesn't give a fuck, but at least we won't have to clean up after her mess for the rest of our lives."

"She's the canary in the coal mine of our culture, the vivid representation of excess of the past decade. She didn't think there a tomorrow worth saving for, and neither did we. After blaming everyone else for her problems, Britney's finally starting realize the degree to which she's messed up, but her sense of entitlement keeps her from admitting it to herself or to anyone who is trying to help her."

Pretty insightful comments if you ask me. I hope Britney gets it together, but at least her screw-ups won't be affecting America for generations to come. Has anyone one considered the possibility that we have a bi-polar president?

[The Traveler]

1. I would say there are at least

five different poles operating there. Too many voices in that head, if ya ask me. Problem is he thinks they are all God talking to him ...

[ribrepin]

4. And you can count on George to listen to the most outrageous God everytime

[The Traveler]

5. He worships some Lovecraftian deity

Yog Sothoth or something else that wants a lot of blood.

[davidinalameda]

2. Brittany may be crazy

but she's not evil

[ribrepin]

3. No, she's not evil

She's mostly hurt herself, but some of the obliviousness to the chaos around her reminds me of George. Like the article says we won't be cleaning up her mess for generations to come. I feel sorry for her, but not for Mr. Bring it On.

Bipolars are known to make really bad decisions. Who does that remind you of?

[davidinalameda]

6. I don't think Bush is bipolar

he's too single minded and doesn't swing from one extreme to the other

I think he's either a drunk or a dry drunk, which is worse

[TahitiNut]

11. The relatively minor Axis-I disorders Bush may have are DWARFED by the Axis-II disorders, ...

... most obviously NPD, and the exploitation of those disorders by a coterie of sociopaths.

[Marr]

14. She's just an addict.

And a wealthy addict can take a lot longer to hit bottom, since they can fund their lifestyle for a good long time.

[Random_Australian]

7. Well, there were a couple of insightful points there, but I must take exception to the

"has anyone considered the possibility that we have a bipolar president?"

How about you consider the possibility that people who aren't that different from you do bad things? Are callous, et cetera? That mental illness has nothing to do with good or bad, right or wrong?

How about that? Just fucking once?

Maybe he works like us? In the same way we live just fine while millions starve, he lives just fine while fucking up everything.

In other words: "Graaaaar! You have pushed someone's buttons! Beware!" Even if it were only accidentally.

Sorry to respond like this; however you have to be about the eight millionth person to say things like that.

Strange that you picked bipolar, though. Most people go for sociopath. Or anything involving the words "personality disorder". And then there is the borderline ones - "are they saying it is a mental illness or not" kinda ones involving the occasional egomaniac, quite a few psychotics and a smattering of neurotics. But yeah, I can't remember the last time someone picked bipolar when saying "has anyone considered the possibility that the president is _______" so extra points there.

[ribrepin]

8. Chill Dude

I was being snarky...I don't seriously think Bush is bipolar. I did think it was interesting that the article compares Miss Spears decline to life in the new millennium.

I have sympathy for Miss Spears' situation, but I just want the war-monger to go away. It would be a really good day if mr bush junior and cheney were prosecuted by the world Court.

[Random_Australian]

18. Yay! I like your response.

I accept what you say as true and withdraw any non-chillness.

[ribrepin]

19. I like your response too

I love the internet...where else can you sit in your house in the exurbs around Seattle, WA and push the buttons of someone in New South Wales in Australia? Have a good day and enjoy the Australian summer. I know I enjoy the Seattle winter rain.;-)

[margotb822]

9. I think I might have said this before

But, I was almost convinced that she was getting paid to act out by the administration. Every time we had a political crisis, Britney would be there to distract the sheeple. Unfortunately, she is in need of some serious help. I feel most sorry for her because her entire decline has been a matter of public spectacle.

Now W, on the other hand, is just a moron.

[ribrepin]

10. She has been a good distraction from the Bush downfall

but I don't think she's being paid. Nobody in their right mind would lose even supervised visitation with their kids for that asshole.

[margotb822]

12. It was sort of a joke

When she lost her kids, it stopped being as funny though. I think that's when we all realized that she is actually in need of serious care.

[ribrepin]

15. We all stopped laughing when she lost all visitation and continued driving aimlessly around

As a mother, my heart bleeds for her.

[Marr]

13. The subject of Bush's personality and what effect it's had on policy is an interesting one.

I think his personality was profoundly influential to begin with, in that it made him receptive to a lunatic neocon foreign policy. They played to his ego and offered him a chance to one-up his father, which seems to be one of his most basic needs.

But in most everything beyond that initial foreign policy decision, I think his personality hasn't amounted to anything more than stylistic flourishes on a course defined by others. Corporate America has been steering the boat, Bush has just been sitting on the deck drinking maitais.

[ribrepin]

16. Bush's personality is a fascinating subject

While I believe someone else is steering the boat, Bush's personality has had an effect on the country.

During the Clinton years, my company had a CEO that was a Clinton clone. He was tall, smart & good-looking. He was pretty austere, but a very competent manager. About the time Bush came into office, we got a new CEO. Again--a tall, good-looking guy. His first move was to redecorate his office with expensive new furniture and cut staff. He irresponsibly suddenly quit with no notice. He just didn't show up one day for a company with a 15 million dollar budget.

We now have a woman manager. She competent, but we are having financial problems. I think she has added too much upper management. I think the president's personality is reflected by business in this country. That why we need a President who can lead.

[Marr]

17. That's interesting.

I'd agree that there's been a real effect on the culture that's hard to describe. There's a certain hopelessness, along with quite a lot of anger. Even people who haven't been paying attention to politics seem to have a sense that they're being cheated by this system.

[dbt]

20. Damn, do you work for Clear Channel? (eom)

[ribrepin]

21. Clear Channel?

WTF?