Are We Entertained by Brokenness?

Do we live in a society that thrives on watching people fall apart publicly?

Even when the root of that unraveling could be mental illness or addiction, we still laugh, repost, and turn it into entertainment.

What’s worse is that while we mock these struggles in the spotlight, countless people live out the same battles privately. Their pain doesn’t trend. Their collapse isn’t a show. Yet the weight they carry is just as real.

I think about this often because I’ve been there myself. When my drinking spiraled out of control in college, I sometimes enjoyed being “the fool” at the party, the one who tried to drink everyone “under the table”. I’ll never forget tripping over a bottle one night, lying on the ground smiling while several people erupted in laughter.

To them, it was hilarious. To me, in that moment, it felt like attention. But deep down, it was emptiness dressed up as fun.

The next day, one of my closest friends called me. She was angry and told me she was tired of me giving everybody a show. At the time, I brushed it off, convincing myself that I didn’t have a problem. Later she admitted she hadn’t realized how serious my drinking really was. The truth is, neither did I.

That’s why this reflection matters. The world rewards performance and punishes vulnerability. People mask insecurity with arrogance, comedy, or alcohol because being broken openly isn’t safe. Yet every time we treat someone’s unraveling as a spectacle, we reinforce the silence that keeps others suffering.

Sobriety has taught me that healing requires honesty, humility, and compassion. It has taught me to see past the performance and recognize the pain.

What we mock in others may one day be the battle we face ourselves.

Perhaps the better question is this: What would change if we stopped being entertained by brokenness and instead responded with compassion?

Call to Action

This October, I’m sharing my journey in a series called Let Sobriety Be Your Signature. My goal is to break the silence and remind us that every step toward healing is a mark of courage that cannot be erased.

I invite you to reflect on how we respond to the struggles around us, not just in the lives of celebrities, but in our families, our communities, and maybe even in ourselves. Do we laugh, scroll, and move on? Or do we make space for compassion?

Every signature of healing, no matter how small, carries weight. Let yours be written in truth, in courage, and in compassion.

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