The Crazy World We Live In! Blog

How people reacted to the death of Anna Nicole Smith is like a living Rorhshach test -- each reaction says something about the person. Let's take a look....

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Some shake their heads and talk about the drugs and the fast life. Others say she shouldn't have sued for the rich old man's money -- that it's cursed. Others talk about the tragedy of losing her son and now leaving her little baby. And yet others point the finger and caution their kids -- this is what happens when you think you're ALL THAT.

Yes. There are many reactions to Anna Nicole Smith's death. For hours, the news covered the story. And shocking it is. Her son found dead in the hospital room and now the star dead in the hotel room. But what's the lesson here for us psychologically....

Well, it ISN'T THAT IT'S BAD to live your life large. Many famous people do -- and do so happily. No, what the lesson is here is that no amount of money, fame, glitz and glamour will make an unhappy person happy. Our culture tricks us into believing that fame and fortune should make you happy. But time and time again, we see this isn't true.

The basic fact of life is this: WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE. By that, I mean, whatever your emotional problems are, dressing them up won't change them. Money, fame -- they can even convince you temporarily that you are okay. But ultimately, YOU ARE ALONE and need to come to terms with the person you are and the life you are leading.

In many ways, Anna Nicole was the proverbial "train wreck". Her celebrity allowed her to gussy up her problems and surround herself with "yes" folks. But ultimately, she was alone. And it is an old-fashioned tragedy that she was unable -- and by now, probably unwilling -- to face up to her difficulties and find the REAL HELP she needed.

Years of dieting and diet pills, years of drugs, stress and the high-life -- all will take a toll on a healthy individual. Add to that, the emotional swings of this person...that's the recipe for a tragedy -- this tragedy.

But what's really interesting is that the public IS FASCINATED ABOUT THIS STORY because, I think, it somehow makes us feel better about ourselves. So we may not be famous or rich...but we are okay, normal, not going to turn up dead in a hotel room.

For some, there is actually a sort of "she deserved it" quality. As if Anna Nicole was punished for wanting to be a famous model/celebrity/whatever, than a small town girl from Texas. Look, I think Ms. Smith was lost and lonely and sad. But you have to admire the fact that she set out to accomplish something, to be famous, and she certainly was. Also, by all reports, she was a nice person who loved her child but couldn't seem to clear away the emotional debris in order to be truly happy.

So why would anyone seem to feel that she deserved what happened? There is a weird thing that us "normal" folk have with the rich and famous. On one hand, we idolize the famous -- follow their every move, emulate their fashion, fantasize about their lives. And then there's the other hand -- that nasty hand -- that hates them for everything they have, for their seeming lack of struggle, for all their "luck". And as we love them, we also are jealous and wish them ill.

That's why we secretly delight when a magazine reveals this star is a drunk, or this one has an eating disorder, or that one is -- dead.

Yes, we like to admire the stars but we also enjoy seeing them crash to earth. So here's the question -- what was your reaction to Anna Nicole Smith's death. And just what might it say about you...