Faustian bargain

I think Someone once asked if there was a point in gaining the world, but losing your soul.

Rock and pop stars are more than twice as likely as the rest of the population to die an early death, and within a few years of becoming famous, reveals research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The findings are based on more than 1050 North American and European musicians and singers who shot to fame between 1956 and 1999.

How long the pop stars survived once they had achieved chart success and become famous was compared with the expected longevity of the general population, matched for age, sex, ethnicity and nationality, up to the end of 2005.

In all, 100 stars died between 1956 and 2005. The average age of death was 42 for North American stars and 35 for European stars.

Long term drug or alcohol problems accounted for more than one in four of the deaths.

The music business would do well to take the health risks of substance abuse and risk taking behaviours more seriously, say the authors.

This is not only because of the long term effects on the stars themselves, but also because of the influence these stars exert on others.

One in 10 children in the UK aspires to become a pop star, say the authors, and the droves of eager hopefuls applying to take part in series such as the “X Factor,” confirm the attractiveness of this career option.

When so many kids today think pop stars and drug dealers are "livin' da life," it doesn't take a genius to figure out where society is headed. Wall-to-wall coverage of the celebrity shenanigans doesn't help, either. It's past time to reinstate the practice of ignoring and shunning those who show they don't have any sense. You want attention? Earn it.

(HT: Evangelical Outpost)