Thesis on the ontological aspects of celebrity and its reflections in society. (Or how are stars different from us unwashed masses) by Jeremy (My real name) I am writing this as I happened upon a thread in the board section and it was discussing certain well-known people and the possibility that they were members of this site. Some people showed a genuine interest in the subject whilst others felt seething antipathy. I began to postulate as to whether this person was truly worthy of such an emotional outpouring, either negative or positive. From there, I considered whether any "celebrity" warranted adulation or what have you at all.
In my opinion, no, they don't. It seems to me if they are lauded at all, it should be for their creativity or there achievements. Artists or inventors, musicians, scientists, et. al. they have earned a modicum of respect. That is because they have left something tangible for us, something for posterity. It is the other category that I have little regard for.
That is to say, I enjoy a good movie or a television show, there are some sports that I enjoy watching. But as a whole I am of the mind that actors and sports stars are fun to watch, but superfluous. Before I go any further I want to stress that I am not saying that we should liquidate all actors or athletes, simply that we should put them in perspective before we give them validation.
I admire the creative, that is where my respect lays. But I will not be in awe of them, and therein lies the the problem. We, as the hoi-poloi invest to much in those we deem to be famous; we esteem them at the sake of ourselves. For example, I think Salma Hayek is a strikingly beautiful woman, and she is ambitious, intelligent. But I am more impressed with Kevin Smith. Why, because he is creative, he is able to compose prose that works like poetry. But in either case, I would not be awe-struck if I met them in a average situation, i.e. on the street.
For all intents and purposes, they are like us and we are like them. They maybe better looking, in better physical shape, wealthier, but they are still the flawed humans that we are. Yet they are treated with infinately more deference than if they were not famous. That is the contrast. The only "power" they have, is that which we give them; it is like any belief system.
I suppose that is the reason there is so much schaden-freude when the fail. We, as the public, feel the need to exercise our "power" and remind them that in fact they are human. But we then become as petty and superficial as they are (Oops, little too much editorializing there).
So when we hear a rumour of someone famous possibly being a member of our little tribe, we want to be their "friend" (used in the context of the definition of "friend" as it pertains to this site.) Why is that? I, personally, could care less if they were or were not my "friend." We crave this as a way of having some vicarious celebrity ourselves. In this we are at fault.
The same theme is explored when a famous person's travails are made public. Witness the Paris Hilton tape. Granted she is a special case in that she is famous for simply being famous, but that is a digression. I have seen the clip from the internet and I am as guilty of being curious as the next. In the interest of full diclosure I was fascintated to see her debase herself. Of course, I am quite sure that the video was never intended to be part of the public forum. Nevertheless, we are unable to turn away when these things do occur. It is the nature of celebrity, the inexplicable desire to be like them, even BE them, which is the root cause of our reactions.
This duality, adoration and repulsion, is what sets us apart from the famous. We experience it in our everyday lives, but with a celebrity, it is writ large in the ticket sales or the Nielsen Ratings. They feel the same as we do, but are also public will made manifest: star vs. has-been.
Celebrities are famous because of the whims of the masses. If we treat them as humans, regardless of their stature, then they become us. So if you see a famous person on the street, make their day, ignore 'em.
(There might be a part 2, I'm not sure.)
In my opinion, no, they don't. It seems to me if they are lauded at all, it should be for their creativity or there achievements. Artists or inventors, musicians, scientists, et. al. they have earned a modicum of respect. That is because they have left something tangible for us, something for posterity. It is the other category that I have little regard for.
That is to say, I enjoy a good movie or a television show, there are some sports that I enjoy watching. But as a whole I am of the mind that actors and sports stars are fun to watch, but superfluous. Before I go any further I want to stress that I am not saying that we should liquidate all actors or athletes, simply that we should put them in perspective before we give them validation.
I admire the creative, that is where my respect lays. But I will not be in awe of them, and therein lies the the problem. We, as the hoi-poloi invest to much in those we deem to be famous; we esteem them at the sake of ourselves. For example, I think Salma Hayek is a strikingly beautiful woman, and she is ambitious, intelligent. But I am more impressed with Kevin Smith. Why, because he is creative, he is able to compose prose that works like poetry. But in either case, I would not be awe-struck if I met them in a average situation, i.e. on the street.
For all intents and purposes, they are like us and we are like them. They maybe better looking, in better physical shape, wealthier, but they are still the flawed humans that we are. Yet they are treated with infinately more deference than if they were not famous. That is the contrast. The only "power" they have, is that which we give them; it is like any belief system.
I suppose that is the reason there is so much schaden-freude when the fail. We, as the public, feel the need to exercise our "power" and remind them that in fact they are human. But we then become as petty and superficial as they are (Oops, little too much editorializing there).
So when we hear a rumour of someone famous possibly being a member of our little tribe, we want to be their "friend" (used in the context of the definition of "friend" as it pertains to this site.) Why is that? I, personally, could care less if they were or were not my "friend." We crave this as a way of having some vicarious celebrity ourselves. In this we are at fault.
The same theme is explored when a famous person's travails are made public. Witness the Paris Hilton tape. Granted she is a special case in that she is famous for simply being famous, but that is a digression. I have seen the clip from the internet and I am as guilty of being curious as the next. In the interest of full diclosure I was fascintated to see her debase herself. Of course, I am quite sure that the video was never intended to be part of the public forum. Nevertheless, we are unable to turn away when these things do occur. It is the nature of celebrity, the inexplicable desire to be like them, even BE them, which is the root cause of our reactions.
This duality, adoration and repulsion, is what sets us apart from the famous. We experience it in our everyday lives, but with a celebrity, it is writ large in the ticket sales or the Nielsen Ratings. They feel the same as we do, but are also public will made manifest: star vs. has-been.
Celebrities are famous because of the whims of the masses. If we treat them as humans, regardless of their stature, then they become us. So if you see a famous person on the street, make their day, ignore 'em.
(There might be a part 2, I'm not sure.)
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
solimond:
oh, and yes. Jane Jensen is the girl from Tromeo and Julliet. I had thought her attractive in the movie, so I did some research. Turnes out she's a rocker, and a damned good one too. If I had to compare her with anyone, it'd be Garbage. Check her out if you like.
nycveganpunk:
Could care less about whether or not Messier retires In my opinion, he basically joined the Rangers for a cup of coffee and all the talk here in NYC is how he is New York Sports royalty. On a much more important note for both of us, I think tonight is the night we find out.