P!nk.....through the lens

I just read a letter posted by P!nk on her website regarding the choice they are making to publish pictures of their newborn daughter themselves and donate any money to fantastic charities - among them the Ronald McDonald House and Autism Speaks! She goes on to talk about how out of control the paparazzi is in our country, especially when it comes to children. I want to post a few excerpts from her letter because they are views I've been thinking for years. I know celebrities 'signed up for this', but really most didn't. This is a much newer phenomenon. Yes there has always been some type of paparazzi. But think about 30 years ago, it wasn't like this. Celebrities didn't have the need to get restraining orders or hide their children's faces when they go out in public. There was much more of an understanding between the photographers and celebrities. This kind of behavior never would have been accepted in the '50's or '60's. There was so much more respect.
I honestly could care less if I see another pic of a celebrity outside the forum they are famous for - a movie, a concert, etc. And the way they are going after the children of celebrities is honestly sickening. A child has the right to maintain their innocence and not have a hundred flashes going off in their face. They have the right to go to school without creepy old men camped out side their school with a long lens camera. I'd call that pedophilia personally. But because it's a celebrities kid, it's ok?? No it shouldn't be. But as a society we accept it? What is wrong with us? Are we all just complete voyeurs?  And look at poor Suri Cruise. She's a perfect example. That kid never looks happy! I mean NEVER! Would you be happy with cameras in your face every time you step out the door?
Anyways, on to a few excerpts of P!nks letter:

In EVERY other country that I recall, children's faces are blurred out in magazine photos. Why is USA the only country that continues to financially incentivize intrusive paparazzi behavior to capitalize on photos of babies, infants and children? Why is this acceptable to any of us? Why is this even legal? These are questions I ask myself as a new parent. Why are celebrities/public figures having to seek restraining orders to keep strange grown men with still and video cameras from sitting perched outside of their children's pre-schools and elementary schools, preying on little innocent kids? After all, if a stranger was sitting outside of a school taking photographs of random little girls and boys, wouldn't he be arrested? Or, at least in Philadelphia, he would have to face a more primal sort of recourse. But because it's the child of a celebrity, somehow it's okay? I'm just not sure what is wrong with us as a society, that we do more than tolerate this, but our appetite for it seems insatiable. We buy these pictures. We buy these magazines that publish these paparazzi pictures. WHERE DOES IT STOP?

Here's the bottom line: we don't want you to take our little girl's picture. We don't want you to one day follow our little girl home from school. We don't want our little girl's picture in a magazine or on a blog. If you take or publish her picture, it is against our wishes, and without our consent as parents, as people.

To anyone out there that buys a magazine, or goes onto a website to look at pictures of other people's children, may you at least think for a second about what you may inadvertently be supporting. We are so appreciative that people are interested in seeing our daughter. We WANT to share our joys with you, but as parents (and new parents), we should be able to govern these decisions, shouldn't we? And to be clear, I'm speaking directly to these "stolen" photographs--paparazzi photos.

So when you see our middle fingers up in all of our pictures, now you know the motivation. It's all we can do to stop images of a newborn baby from being printed without our consent. Can you imagine a world where they would blur out our middle finger to protect a "consumer" over blurring out an innocent child to protect their integrity and privacy?

I really appreciate her comment about this being a world where we will blur a middle finger, a stupid finger, to protect you from being offended, but we will not blur the faces of innocent children that should be protected. Nice America. That's where we are at. So like P!nk asks in her letter, please think twice about the magazines you buy and think about what you are supporting. I mean we all wan to see cute babies, but I'd like to see them in a more controlled way, not pics from crazy ass paps. If you would like to read all of P!nks letter you can find it here - http://www.pinkspage.com/us/news/important-note-pnk