Although I'm one of those people who rarely pays attention to celebrities, I happened to notice this article (http://omg.yahoo.com/news/kim-kardashians-bangs-love-hate-150924022.html) attached to today's Yahoo home page.  I essentially shrugged it off--  until I reached the comments section, where the comments ranged from snide to downright insulting.  While envy has probably been around since the world existed, in recent years it seems to have become acceptable. 

Whether a subject is physical attributes, material possessions, or something else, it is only human nature to envy those who are better off than oneself, or who have someone one does not have.  However, there is a huge difference between "I wish I had that" and "I wish the other person did not have it."  The first example can have positive results:  one can either appreciate someone else's good fortune, or become motivated to better oneself.  The second example is entirely different:  bitterness and resentment over "I wish the other person did not have it" can result in everything from sarcasm and verbal attacks to attempting to destroy what someone else has earned.

When I was growing up, the latter was deemed catty and petty.  It was not considered a desirable characteristic or behavior, and was certainly not considered acceptable.  Whether it is a matter of hurting someone's feelings, or ruining their ability to enjoy something they earned, it is still unacceptable.  While many people are more fortunate simply because they are lucky, most who are more attractive, wealthier, or in some other way better off than average, are in such a position because they earned it.  In contrast, those who thrive on green-eyed-monster envy seem to prefer putting other people down rather than earning for themselves. 

A couple of years ago, before the Kardashians became famous, the "target" was Valerie Bertinelli.  As one of my first encounters with pettiness, I could hardly believe the remarks I read.  The fact that Ms. Bertinelli cared enough about her health and appearance to lose weight resulted in streams of negative remarks all over the internet.  Most of the remarks could be translated as "We don't look as good as her--  so she shouldn't, either."  Further back, this type of pettiness went much further than nasty comments:  when a middle-school girl got a nice new hairstyle, some of her classmates were so envious that they threw acid on her.

When envy is unhealthy, it can range from childish to dangerous.  Many people seem to enjoy making themselves feel big or important by tearing others down.  It is a relatively new trend that is certainly not "acceptable."