Lindsey is off to jail.....who's next?

Today Lindsey Lohan is going to jail. Not really such a huge surprise to anyone, but with all the attention surrounding her fate - it makes me wonder how it will effect the rest of us.

Now, you may not think that Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan have anything to do with you or anyone you know. But they do have a huge effect on society as a whole. They are social icons that represent style, taste, fashions, and trends. They are walking billboards of celebrity and fame.

Our culture is obsessed with celebrity and fame. In our entertainment choices and attitudes we mimic and parrot those who have fame. With reality television so popular now and the ease at which we can all post our lives on line......so many in our society clamor to be like those in Hollywood.

In the past celebrities were not known to go to jail. There were a few exceptions, but those were extreme cases and it was easy to separate ourselves from those people. We as a society did not relate to them on a personal level. Usually these people had committed heinous crimes to get put behind bars.

But, Lindsey is really kind of the girl next door. She is the spoiled girl down the block....she is the "sweet sixteen" brat who just "wants what she wants"....no matter the consequences. And now she is going to spend time in the Big House. Is this something else that people are now going to find just a little more acceptable?

One of the best things that deters people from breaking laws and going to jail is the social stigma of the jail itself. No one else you know is going to jail, so why would anyone want to allow themselves to go there either? Jail is considered a scary place filled with unknown hazards and consequences. With celebrities now going to jail more often than ever, the spotlight is spreading from the red carpet to the prison cell. It seems a little less scary and a lot less uncommon.

I would bet money that there is a study that shows that people who know someone in jail or that has been to jail have a higher probability to eventually go to jail as well.

I think it is fair to say that a jail visit just became a little more of a probability for a whole lot of people today. It has entered people's minds as a possible scenario now instead of something never to be a consideration at all.

Some people may learn a lesson from Lindsey's consequences, but I think there are others still who will live on and continue to emulate her....right into a cell block.