It seems like every day when I go on line I read something that causes me to think: “Another indication of the end of civilization as we know.” Well, this morning I had another one of those painful epiphanies when I read that Bristol Palin, the daughter of the former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, has signed on with a speakers’ bureau and is available for up to $30,000 per speech.
Now I am sure that Ms. Palin is a perfectly nice young lady. And I don’t begrudge her the choices she made to have sex or give birth to her son Tripp before she was married. I’m sure that she has learned some difficult lessons about life that hopefully will help her navigate her life in the future. but, at 19 years old and with almost nothing on her life’s “resume,” can she really offer anything of substance to any reasonably intelligent audience?
And isn’t there a bit of hypocrisy in having Ms. Palin be a spokesperson for sexual abstinence and against teen pregnancy. The fact is that if she hadn’t gotten pregnant and had a baby, she would be just another child of a celebrity. Instead, she is likely to make tons of money from the decisions she made. And things have worked out pretty darned well for her, haven’t they? Though I also don’t begrudge her that either, she is not exactly an exemple of how those decisions would typically impact a young woman’s life. To the contrary, giving birth as a teenager out of wedlock is usually associated with a lack of education attainment and a life of low-paying jobs.
Just to be fair, I have the same feelings of jaw-dropping disbelief and discouragement about anyone who gains fame and money after the horse has left the barn. it just kills me when I hear professional athletes, actors, politicians, and pop stars who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar (you name the vice) and then travel the country and write books telling people, “Do as I say, not as I do.” but at least they accomplished something in their respective professions before they hopped on the double-standard train. Ms. Palin is where she is today due to nothing more than her mother’s own celebrity and her own decisions. Doesn’t anyone, especially those who traffic in this form of “motivational” speaking, see the hypocrisy and just plain absurdity here?
The real lesson I guess is that making money (fame and fortune) trumps all reason or decency.
Worth repeating....Doesn’t anyone, especially those who traffic in this form of “motivational” speaking, see the hypocrisy and just plain absurdity here? Concerning Sarah aswell! I could not have said it better. Thank you Dr. Jim Taylor
perhaps men and women of intellegence won't need motivational speakers? those who attend wish to hear from "one of their kind".
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. :)
Posted by: Kiwi | 05/18/2010 at 10:41 AM
I don't see it as hypocritical, but it does strike me as absurd. The whole concept behind having someone do motivational speaking against teen pregnancy and all that jive is that it has serious consequences and a negative impact on both the mother and child's life. Yet the person they've chosen will not see either, despite having an absent dropout as the father of her child - she's getting an easy ride.
What kind of message does that send?
Posted by: Inside_Passage | 05/18/2010 at 02:06 PM
As far as I can determine, Bristol has accomplished nothing of worth during her short life. She has been given absolutely everything she ever needed. She has a high school education (barely) and rides mommy's coattails everywhere. She uses her child to further her own ambitions, something I believe is completely reprehensible. Does anyone know of any random acts of kindness that Bristol has committed? Has she ever done volunteer work to help others less fortunate than her? Has she ever even held a door for someone who was disabled? Anyone???
Posted by: sjohnson | 05/18/2010 at 03:05 PM
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Posted by: sjohnson | 05/18/2010 at 06:44 PM
Doubt anyone that knows her or actually cares about her is reading this column.
Posted by: Inside_Passage | 05/18/2010 at 07:10 PM
Hee hee hee!! Guess you don't know the history of this blog. I will leave it to Syrin to clue you in. Rest assured, the Palins are reading it.
Posted by: sjohnson | 05/18/2010 at 09:28 PM
The history of this blog is why I ended up on Vox. I'm sure the political backlash from that news story was a learning process and I expect that someone clued her (Sarah Palin) in if she didn't.
Posted by: Inside_Passage | 05/18/2010 at 09:40 PM
FYI....People are finally talking around here!!! This week has brought to light for me a confirmation from two seperate people that Bristol indeed has been pregnant twice.... Thats all I'm sayin for now
Posted by: Syrin from Wasilla | 05/18/2010 at 10:42 PM
[this is good] Very interesting Syrin. I'll be waiting.
Posted by: ManxMamma | 05/19/2010 at 03:51 AM
[ciò è buono] wee haa. . . . . .how can we help. . . . .we need to take down these crazees. . . . .. . . .help!!!!
Posted by: barracuda78 | 05/19/2010 at 04:53 AM
[c’est top]
Posted by: daisydem | 05/19/2010 at 05:40 AM
Bristol Palin is getting paid for teen sex.
If her her paid speech topics refer to any pregnancy or child she had when she was a teenager she is profiting by having sex as a teen. It's as simple as that.
She's not doing this just because she is a child of Sarah Palin. If that were so we would see Track and maybe Willow out there making paid appearances.
No, Bristol Palin is essentially trying to make money because she had pre-marital teen sex.
Bristol has career options. It appears that she is choosing the teen sex speaker path instead of furthering her education and choosing some other line of work.
Posted by: Get real | 05/19/2010 at 09:14 AM
Thanks for your comment
It's all very interesting!
As we know, there are many people dedicated to this issue, and the undeniable fact that someone's hiding something. I've stayed away from the pregnacy and non-pregnancy issue for the most part. Just getting confirmation from a very reliable source at least gives me a sense of validity in this area.
Posted by: Syrin from Wasilla | 05/19/2010 at 10:11 AM
[this is good]
Syrin,
I am glad that folks are starting to talk.
Posted by: mxm | 05/19/2010 at 12:59 PM
Bristol Palin is essentially trying to make money because she had pre-marital teen sex.
And, that's the hypocrisy of it!! She hasn't practiced abstinence, she doesn't know how to be abstinent or the sacrifices that may be in that. However, she will be paid to speak about that very subject...
Posted by: Syrin from Wasilla | 05/19/2010 at 02:54 PM
well.. as much as i am upset about a public figure having teen sex and premarital sex, it's so much more upsetting that half of the responsible party is missing.
if you think about rape prevention and rape survivors talking about the experience in rape prevention seminars, then it's not as ironic.
Posted by: Kiwi | 05/19/2010 at 04:28 PM
Wait. What? I'm confused. What half of the responsible party is missing? Are you referring to Levi? He is definitely not missing. Second, are you equating rape survivors speaking out against rape with a non-abstinent teen speaking out in favor of abstinence while profiting from her nonabstinence? Can you please elaborate?
Posted by: sjohnson | 05/20/2010 at 04:34 AM
abstinance require two people. you never know what actually happen.
is levi the baby's father? if so, yea. ever since they broke up, there's no news of him anymore. from the beginning of the news that bristol was pregnant, no blame was ever on him in making his girl friend pregnant / having sex with her. no blame was ever made on him not taking responsibility in raising the child. no blame or shame or whatsoever was made regarding his decision to breakup with her. when i'm saying he's missing, i'm saying he's missing from the scene.
Posted by: Kiwi | 05/20/2010 at 08:49 AM
Thank you Kiwi for your comments. I agree partly with your assessment that abstinance requires two people. Also, Levi has been in the news. He's done interviews, photo spreads, several articles and custody trial. However, Levi is NOT the one who is making a career of Not having sex, when it's obvious..
With all due respect....He's not missing from the scene
Posted by: Syrin from Wasilla | 05/20/2010 at 09:26 AM
What actually happened is that they had consensual sex and produced a baby. It is all pretty well documented. I don't recall blame being put on either one of them. The criticism of Bristol now is that she is promoting abstinence. Can we spell "hypocrite"? She even said to Greta Van Susteren that abstinence wasn't at all realistic. You are well behind the curve on this, Kiwi, but if you have the time, you can Google the info and find a wealth of resources. There is life after Palin, so I can fully understand if you haven't followed this issue as closely as some of us. You must have a more sane life than I have.
Posted by: sjohnson | 05/20/2010 at 12:35 PM
sjohnson, I love your last lines, "There is life after Palin, so I can fully understand if you haven't followed this issue as closely as some of us. You must have a more sane life than I have."
Posted by: ilovepoodles | 05/20/2010 at 01:28 PM
Ha! I can't rest until Sarah is resting comfortably in her compound with an ankle monitor on. Pre Palin....Oh those days, I miss them so..
Posted by: Syrin from Wasilla | 05/20/2010 at 01:57 PM
Well, you are much more charitable than I am. With all the people she has thrown under the bus and lives she has tried to ruin, I won't settle for less than the orange jumpsuit and shackles and an IRS repossession sign on the front door of her compound.
Posted by: sjohnson | 05/20/2010 at 02:43 PM