Why should I behave?

In May of next year, author James Frey will release My Friend Leonard, the follow up to his 2003 memoir A Million Little Pieces. The 2003 book chronicles Frey’s attempts to kick chemical dependency, and the new book is the story of he and his friend Leonard’s continuing misadventures after rehab.



In August of this year, Bad Girl by Abigail Vona was released to much critical acclaim, and good sales figures. Vona has no previous writing credits and has sold her book on the fact that she was a troubled and violent teen alone.



In September, Paris Hilton released Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose, which has sold moderately well, considering the book is written by a completely fucking brain dead idiot.



These are only a few examples of a growing trend in modern publishing.



My point is that what incentive are people given to just behave themselves anymore. I’ve been a well behaved and well disciplined individual all of my life, and I’m just some average Joe Schmuck. If I wrote a memoir, regardless of its creative use of diction and style would probably be left to collect dust on shelves.



What is being taught now is that, “have a ball, don’t study, drink too much, wake up in a puddle of your own vomit in an unknown street, break the law, run from the cops, do drugs, forget consequences and then write it down” is the new mantra of a generation. Why should anyone bother to buckle down and work hard if all you have to do is act life a drunken clown throughout your youth, clean up and get a million dollar book deal.



I must say, I think that would have been a lot easier and a lot more fun than going to school and working hard the way I did; the way most of us did.



I really can’t stand it because it is ill deserved acclaim and because there are so many other books out there that people should be reading instead.