Before writing this article, I decided to do a little research. So, for the first time, and hopefully the last, I visited TMZ.com. Yes, I admit it. For 5 minutes, I scrolled through, looking at Kim Kardashian’s new hairdo, the latest pics of Brad and Angelina, and much more.

However, I was looking for something else. I researched their reporting on arrests. They didn’t have facts in their articles, only headlines and subtext. OK, I lied. I looked at that site for half an hour. I invaded countless people’s privacies and slightly enjoyed it, chuckling a bit when I read the latest of the activities of Justin Bieber.

I learned a bit of the juicy parts of the lives of our rich and famous, and I am ashamed, but a little bit satisfied. However, what makes it even worse, is the knowledge that I am definitely not the only one who has done this.

We all do it. We know it’s wrong. We wouldn’t look at embarrassing photos or even mugshots of our friends and family. Even so, it gives us a little bit of a thrill to look at TMZ, People, The Globe, and other gossip sources. Celebrities are always in the news about their most recent DUI or drug possession arrest.

Take Amanda Bynes or Justin Bieber, for example. Justin Bieber was arrested for drag racing. Not only did this disturb the life of other motorists, if a car got in his way, the passengers would have been killed. However, Bieber still has 56 million Twitter followers, second only to Katy Perry.

Why do 56 million people support a potential killer with blatant disregard for our safety? This is why celebrity crime is rising. This is why celebrities commit crimes: because we let them.

When our favorite celebrity gets arrested, we don’t want them to be punished, because we want them to keep entertaining us. When another celebrity gets into a shocking scandal, we can’t keep our eyes off of the tabloids. We worship these people, who clearly are not good role models.

I wouldn’t want my little cousin to grow up, believing that if her favorite singer can drink and drive, she can too. Adults always say that this generation is one of the worst. Maybe that’s not true, but it sure makes us look bad when we idolize rule-breakers and criminals.

Past generations used to idolize people who actually made a difference. Sports fans everywhere rooted for Jackie Robinson when he defied all odds to break the color barrier. Music fans bought the albums of Frank Sinatra, who was a public supporter of Jews in America during the anti-Semitism of the 1940s.

Celebrities used to be positive role models that were activists and allies, not punks and narcissists. Everyone bashes our generation because we support the wrong people. If we want to fix it, we can start by telling our idols that they can’t get away with breaking the law, by ending our support of them and backing the right people.