Learn to look away from the 'Octomom' trainwreck

I've tried to ignore her, but she's everywhere. Every time I turn on the TV, go to check my e-mail, or checking out at the grocery store amid the dozens of magazines, there is no escaping the plague of Nadya Suleman, otherwise known as the twisted tentacle mess of Octomom.

But despite the pseudonym, no, Octomom is not of a creature of the eight-legged genus, but rather a creature of the psychotic species. The 33-year-old Californian initially warmed the hearts of Americans with the arrival of her octuplets, but those sentimental feelings quickly dissipated as the country learned that the single parent was also the mother of half a dozen other children.

America loves a good train wreck, and Suleman's story is no exception. Who in their right mind would intentionally undergo in-vitro fertilization to produce eight more children while already struggling to provide for six other children? A sick person, that's who. No, not sick à la Michael Jackson, but sick in the sense that Suleman looks like a prime candidate for intensive therapy.

Clearly, this woman has some underlying issues and feels that they will be resolved by pumping out babies faster than Britney Spears pumps out beat bouncing, body gyrating singles. Three of her first group of children are considered to be disabled, her father has publicly questioned her mental stability, and she has been living off of $460 worth of food stamps each month.

But alas, have no fear Octomom; you will soon be settling into your newly furnished home in Orange County (one of the wealthiest regions of the Golden State), which includes the assistance of a professional cleaning crew as well as dozens of volunteers who have been rushing to finish painting, laying the carpet, and installing the hardwood floors in time for the first of the octuplets to come home. And when we're not exerting physical labor for the benefit of Suleman, we continue to feed into her mental instability by making donations on the Nadya Suleman Family Donation Web site and buy the magazines with her face plastered on the cover.

We watch in both utter amazement and horror as she explains to Ann Curry her illogical reasoning for wanting to bring eight additional babies into the world. It's like dissecting the cow eyeball in biology lab: completely disgusting to watch, but you can't help but feel compelled to stare anyway.

So what's the real reason we don't like Octomom? Is it because of her creepy yet undeniable resemblance to Angelina Jolie? After all, if Angie can manage six, why can't Suleman handle 14? If celebrities can do it, so can we. Or maybe we dislike Suleman so much because technically "our" money (specifically the taxpayers of California) helps pay for her welfare and food stamps?

What's truly sad is the future of Suleman's children. Suleman's children did not ask for this, yet they will inevitably suffer the consequences of their mother's irresponsibility and selfishness.

Suleman has solidified her name within the world, and by continuing to sensationalize her, we as the spectators are only adding fuel to the frenzy that we have helped to create.

Yes, we have contributed to the hype that ensues each day and are providing Suleman with the attention, glory, and fame that she so desperately desires. What Suleman truly needs is help, and not in the form of a personal Web site and around-the-clock babysitters.