What Is Wrong With Us??

We are a sad sad, really sad bunch of so-called civilized people. When people like this:

Can behave in a totally drug addled way -

When they can do and/or say whatever they want -

With no fear of consequences -

And knowing that instead of seeing any sort of fallout from their stupid stupid actions -

Their starts seem to rise ever higher. Why do we get all excited about grown adults acting stupid and reward them by throwing our money at them.. HERE, TAKE IT ALL, YOU ARE AWESOME!

Charlie Sheen is a child. Lindsay Lohan is an addict. Paris Hilton is an attention whore and only became famous after her sex tape was released (and don't tell me she had nothing to do with that, I wasn't born yesterday). And we all seem to love it. Its ridiculous and says an uncomfortable lot about people as a whole.

I'm curious though - is this mainly an American thing or are other cultures just as fascinated with badly behaving celebrities as we seem to be?