Casey Anthony: Is this the "Princess" Mentality taken to its extreme?

[Taverner]

If Anthony killed her daughter (which most likely is a 'yes') I am wondering if this is a side-effect of the "Princess Mentality."

Since the 90's, the idea of the woman as princess has been hyped by advertising, television and reality shows. It may have seemed innocent at first, but once seized by the public it has enabled a "me first" attitude that makes any previous associations seem downright communitarian in contrast.

Has it changed America? You bet - just look at any reality show, the fawning and worshipping of the celebrity to a near-godlike status. People starting to take seriously the otherwise inane sentence fragments spouted by the Lindsays, the Parises, and the Britneys of the US.

"I deserve the best!" is the mantra that many girls (and boys...let's be honest) cling to. Casey Anthony was no different: to her, Caylee was a prop who got old after a year or two. I have no idea how she died, but Casey waited a month to report it. On top of that, she partied at a time when most folks would be greiving. Her defense, that 'everyone grieves differently' holds no water: if she really was grieving, wouldn't she have reported her daughter missing?

Whether she left the child in the woods and drove off (much like abandoning a dog, something that is done all too frequently) or actually killed her is irelevant. "Me first" was what she was thinking. Her life of parties, clubbing and having fun would have to end or at least slow down if she were to be a parent. So, why not just remove what is keeping her from being "princess."

This entitlement mindset is not foreign to men - although it manifests it self differently. The idea of being "the boss" (aka the king) is also hammered into our children's heads, and has been for some time. Domestic violence is a manifestation of that - your 'subject' (partner) is not obeying 'the king,' so he or she must be punished.

Now I'm not saying every single child raised since the 90's is guilty of this mindset: indeed, many ethical parents have raised their children to have outstanding character. DU has, and has had, many of them among us.

But to see the constant "princess" meme hammered time and time again into our kids' heads is to see an advertising beast, without ethics or morals, try to make our children into sociopaths.

Your thoughts?

[Dappleganger]

1. No, I think that Casey is a socio-path.

And that she has been enabled to escape consequences for her entire life by her parents.

[Taverner]

4. That is also a major factor

But at some point, Casey made the decision that her life and her happiness was more important than her child's.

Caylee was a prop to her - so to her, getting rid of her was no different than throwing out those acid wash jeans.

[Taverner]

8. It turns out Casey did research on how to kill her daughter

"Court documents released in November 2008, for example, show that someone searched the Internet in the Anthony home for phrases like “neck-breaking,” “shovel,” and “household weapons.”"

Jesus FUCK! What kind of person would try to break their own daughter's neck??????

As a parent, I just can't fathom that!!!

[H2O Man]

2. Not really.

She carries numerous and severe Axis II traits. But I do not think the "princess" bit fits.

[Taverner]

6. What are Axis II traits?

Would that mean a personality disorder?

[Lex]

3. As I understand it, her parents would not allow her an abortion

or the money for one, or to give up the baby for adoption either.

How does that square with your theory?

[Taverner]

5. Well, considering I didn't know that until now

It does change things - but you have to admit, the media celebrates the whole "You are the center of the world" mentality - and it's hard not to take that into account

[blondeatlast]

7. While that mentality is pervasive, I don't think it applies here.

That isn't to say that at some point it won't happen--it's just a few steps away from the "purse pet" phenomena.

God, how I hope I'm wrong.

[Taverner]

9. I just read she googled "neck breaking" in the days before the deed

For the life of me...I just can't fathom...

[LadyHawkAZ]

10. It's not just the princess mentality

The media does celebrate the "me-first" mentality but it also puts a lot of focus on women having children. Watch the covers of the magazines at the checkout for a couple of months, and see how many times there's a pregnant celebrity, new-mom celebrity, or a "teen mom" on the cover. And the celebrities will tout how wonderful motherhood is, without mentioning how much the multimillion-dollar bank account, the house, the nannies etc. help that along.

So you have women being told "celebrate yourself!!" on one hand and "have babies, it's great!!" on the other, and the two don't mix well, especially if you don't have a multimillion dollar salary. Most don't take it to this extreme, thank goodness.

I agree with the main point, the media is doing a lousy job by our kids.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

11. Please Please Please

Keep Casey Anthony off DU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Taverner]

13. I can understand your sentimient, however

I do think this is more than a tabloid story

I'll promise you this: this will be my one and only Casey Anthony post. Ignore this thread, and you'll never see me post on it again

Deal?

[Lex]

18. Don't click on the threads

is probably best if you don't want to read the information contained therein. :hi:

[SoCalDem]

12. It probably came down to something as mundane as immature parenting & potty training

A cop once told me that I would be shocked to know just how many kids are killed, maimed because a parent flips out when they shit their pants one too many times ..

He said that any time a 3-4 yr old is missing or injured, it often is potty-training related..

I can remember how frustrating that time was, but I just kept them in diapers until they were really ready, and we had very little drama, but I know that many of my friends practically went nuts over potty training..

[Taverner]

14. I hope it wasn't that

Because to me that's actually scarier - that we could ALL be Casey Anthony, given the right elements

:scared:

[SoCalDem]

17. That;s true, but most of us are mature enough to take that step back,

count to ten, and just put the kid in the tub & clean 'em up.. Some young, careless parents are not able to do that, and turn on the kid..

parenting is not easy, and I see too many people who seem to have few if any skills at it:(

[bluestateguy]

15. I'm afraid I have never heard of Casey Anthony

That whole economy and two wars has kind of drawn most of my attention. I apologize.

[Taverner]

16. In all honesty - that's a good thing

You can't un-read an article, and I wish I could...

[Yavin4]

19. Some People Just Should Never Have Children

despite what society and our religious institutions say.

[Taverner]

20. Yes. Absolutely.