OBSESSION WITH "OCTOMOM"

What is it that is making people so obsessed with "Octomom"-Nadya Suleman the mother of the octupulets? Are people so very interested in this person because they can't decide if she is crazy or crafty? Is she a women who is a victim of her past or just very clever and manipulative about her future? Should we pity her or scorn her? Should she be coddled or condemned?

Well, I wanted to get some other views about this women and her situation because it seemed like from all the media obsession, there was only negative feelings for this women.
So, during this past week I ran a little experiment to see where people stood and what they thought about this mom and her situation. I wanted to get some positive feedback so that I could have a balance of viewpoints to evaluate.

So here is what I did: Everywhere I went I would work the question "so, what do you think of Octomom" into the conversation and see what reactions and comments I could get from others.
I put this question out to middle class ladies, working moms, working dads, single guys, young, old and even various nationalities. I put it out in the work place, in the grocery store line, to bank tellers, to my manicurist and stylist.

And the results of this little experiment - ALL negative responses. Geez, it was like throwing gas on an already burning fire. Every discussion stoked up the passion and anger that people are feeling towards this women. Yet there seems to be an obsession with discussing her and reading stories written about her.

My experiment proved to me that women for the most part seemed more infuriated than men. They are angry because she is pretending to really care about her kids, when she clearly is just thinking about herself. The majority of women (who are working moms) are enraged that they are having to work to support their kids and that this women has successfully worked the system to her advantage (disability, welfare) and is getting away with it. Many women commented on the fact that she used her "savings" to pay for another round of IVF instead of paying for food and shelter for her kids. And not one women that I entered into conversation with felt that this women should be allowed to keep all these kids because she clearly was not responsible for the first 6 she had.

As for the male response, it was mostly that "she's crazy". The guys comments dealt with issues of responsibility and finances. For the most part they are pissed that their taxes are paying for this women and her kids and what is she doing to contribute.

I gotta say that this was an interesting week. I've loved the passion that came with these discussions. I just wish that the passion and obsessions could go to better causes. Giving so much attention to such a self-centered, selfish person is so wasted.