Voyeurism killed the reality TV star

As humans, we have an innate curiosity about the lives of others, an innate voyeurism.

However, just like in the line about the ill-fated cat, this curiosity is not the most positive thing humans are known for.

Recently, as stated in the MSNBC article "Teen Mom' Amber: ‘I'm still suicidal," Amber Portwood has been in and out of rehabilitation facilities, battling depression and suicidal tendencies.

Does this name not sound familiar?  It should if you've seen MTV's "Teen Mom," a show that is meant to depict the lives of "16 and Pregnant" graduates as they deal with everyday issues of having children and relationships with family, baby daddies and education.

The only difference? Cameras catching their every action, basically, what every other person does at that age with children in tow.

But the problem that comes along with starring in such a television program is that every detail of these people's lives are broadcast for all to see.

Along with all the pressures of being 21, having a child, dealing with custody issues and battling depression, Portwood must also deal with the prying eyes of the public.

What will she do next? How can she bring a child into this world when she's only a child herself? Why the (insert explicative) do people watch this (insert second explicative)?

And that much exposure and voyeuristic desire causes problems, and Portwood is not the first to experience such drawbacks.

It's hardly been two months since Russell Armstrong of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" committed suicide—which, by the way, resulted in Bravo reediting season two of the show, as well as creating suicide prevention alerts and an introduction to the season on Sept. 5, as the Entertainment Weekly article "‘Housewives of Beverly Hill's will air next week—and with suicide prevention alerts" states.

Stated on hollywoodreporter.com, the second season's Sept. 5 premiere drew in 2.2 million viewers, a 42 percent increase over the previous season.

And you can't tell me the large increase was not due to people who had never seen the show and tuned in after hearing about the suicide, wanting to find out what the season would be like.

After all, they were just curious.

Even when a person is only a media darling and not a reality TV star does such publicity result in tragic consequences. Just look at the death of Princess Diana as she and the others in the vehicle were running from pursuing paparazzi.

The public wants to know what these people's lives are like, so they must have their answers.

These people who star in the shows have no direct connection to me or the person who sits three rows back from me in class. 

But they become known to us because we now have a vested interest—and I'm using that in the loosest terms possible—to society at large.

Unfortunately, these voyeuristic tendencies won't go away.  As I stated, it's part of our human nature for good or ill.