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Balloon Boy: It's All About Money
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Monday, October 19, 2009
Dr. Patricia A. Farrell
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, New Jersey: "Balloon Boy" captured the attention of not only the American public, but probably the world this week as people sat waiting to hear about a disaster or a miraculous rescue. The possible tragic loss of a six-year-old boy in a helium balloon accident, riveted people to their television sets. The prospect of a child in such danger was something that people did not want to comprehend.
Minute by minute, the newscasters carried updates, and frantic police and other search teams scoured the countryside looking for the missing child. Ask yourself two questions: 1. How much money and manpower was spent in this needless effort? 2. How many people who were truly in dire need of aid did not receive immediate attention because of this intense hunt for this child?
We now know that it was all a hoax. The problem remains. Not only with the hoax, but possible child endangerment charges, which may be brought against the parents. It seems, from all reports, that the parents worked eagerly to gain for themselves enough publicity, so that they would be seen as good candidates for a new reality TV show. Would you ask your children to lie not only to anyone around them, such as the media or law enforcement persons, but to anyone who asked. And if you did, what would you expect might be the result? What type of parent would you be if you did this?
The frenzy to become an immediate media star, via reality TV, seems to have reached the point where deception and using children as pawns may now be the norm. Do the children have rights? If they have rights, are they entitled not to be used in this type of hoax? What happens to children after they have been involved in this type of activity? Can we expect that they will walk away unscathed by all of this? Are they afraid their parents will be arrested, and, if they are arrested, will the kids feel responsible and guilty because of this? These are all good questions. None of us has the answers, but in my opinion, there are going to be consequences for these kids and I hope they are not dire.
In an age where we are constantly battered by people who have engaged in all types of manipulations in a frenzy for money, power and fame, how do we teach our children values to live by? Do we teach them to lie or do we teach them to be honest, useful, good citizens of our country? This week's balloon boy escapade would seem to bring some of this into sharp relief.
More facts, undoubtedly, will be coming out over the next days and weeks and we can only hope that these children, in particular, will be placed in good hands and, in a loving situation. Coming on the heels of the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" saga, this latest bit of publicity-hunting activity is quite disturbing. It seems to indicate that although parents are the guardians of their children, they may not act in their best interests when dollar signs begin to float their brains. You can almost hear, playing in the background, that song from the Broadway play, "Cabaret," that goes, "Money, money, money..."
http://www.drfarrell.net
Minute by minute, the newscasters carried updates, and frantic police and other search teams scoured the countryside looking for the missing child. Ask yourself two questions: 1. How much money and manpower was spent in this needless effort? 2. How many people who were truly in dire need of aid did not receive immediate attention because of this intense hunt for this child?
We now know that it was all a hoax. The problem remains. Not only with the hoax, but possible child endangerment charges, which may be brought against the parents. It seems, from all reports, that the parents worked eagerly to gain for themselves enough publicity, so that they would be seen as good candidates for a new reality TV show. Would you ask your children to lie not only to anyone around them, such as the media or law enforcement persons, but to anyone who asked. And if you did, what would you expect might be the result? What type of parent would you be if you did this?
The frenzy to become an immediate media star, via reality TV, seems to have reached the point where deception and using children as pawns may now be the norm. Do the children have rights? If they have rights, are they entitled not to be used in this type of hoax? What happens to children after they have been involved in this type of activity? Can we expect that they will walk away unscathed by all of this? Are they afraid their parents will be arrested, and, if they are arrested, will the kids feel responsible and guilty because of this? These are all good questions. None of us has the answers, but in my opinion, there are going to be consequences for these kids and I hope they are not dire.
In an age where we are constantly battered by people who have engaged in all types of manipulations in a frenzy for money, power and fame, how do we teach our children values to live by? Do we teach them to lie or do we teach them to be honest, useful, good citizens of our country? This week's balloon boy escapade would seem to bring some of this into sharp relief.
More facts, undoubtedly, will be coming out over the next days and weeks and we can only hope that these children, in particular, will be placed in good hands and, in a loving situation. Coming on the heels of the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" saga, this latest bit of publicity-hunting activity is quite disturbing. It seems to indicate that although parents are the guardians of their children, they may not act in their best interests when dollar signs begin to float their brains. You can almost hear, playing in the background, that song from the Broadway play, "Cabaret," that goes, "Money, money, money..."
http://www.drfarrell.net
Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D., LLC
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
