Tags
Related Posts
Share This
The Illusion of Celebrity
You can be whatever you want when you grow up.
Especially if what you want is your own moment in the limelight.
Gone are the days when children dreamt of becoming firefighters, doctors and lawyers; here are the days when Hannah Montana and Zac Efron are the stuff of legends. Our generation desires fame. We live, eat and breathe celebrity gossip, trading it socially as our own.
“Do you think Rihanna will leave Chris?”
“Tom’s gone crazy, and he’s dragging Katie down with him!”
10. Want a great textual reputation? Practice makes perfect. Not missing a single stroke on that T9 string in the heat of the moment comes from attention to detail. Know what you’re trying to say and know how to say it – something that can only be accomplished by paying attention to what’s happening on the receiving end of your fingertips.
9. Sit in the back of your classes. You never know when an important text will come in – and you don’t want to be obvious about it.
8. Text someone you wouldn’t normally phone up. It lets them know that you are thinking of them, and can be an inadvertent way to build on a new friendship.
7. Learn to text without looking at your phone. This comes in handy while driving, sitting in a meeting and while talking to someone who is annoying you.
6. Don’t text while you are talking to someone. It is a major social faux pas. If it is that important, excuse yourself to the restroom and text in the stall like a junkie hiding their habit.
5. Don’t answer your texts right away. Savour the experience. Bask in the message you received and then give a thoughtful response. Just because it is instant messaging on the go doesn’t mean we have to be impulsive.
4. The best texts often happen randomly – you’re out at a restaurant with friends and somebody’s sending you messages. Just stay composed long enough to make it to the bathroom and let loose. You’ll be rewarded with quick and satisfying texts and no regrets. After all, only a weirdo would wanna see you text at dinner.
3. We all know flirting gets things going. But few know how to press the right buttons. Girls like a rose @)>-%—, and guys’ll dig your classic xoxo hugs and kisses. Wanna play it innocent? Send an angel: OJ; Wanna seem dangerous? Send Jaws: ____|\___\(O)/___
2. Remember that in the world of texting, less is more. Keep your crush coming back, wanting more.
1. An oft overlooked aspect of textual activity is proper positioning. Texters rarely think about giving the right support. Make sure the palm of your dominant hand rests comfortably on your phone’s lower back, giving you both the proper support.
Celebrity has become the myth of our generation. Brad and Angelina are a bedtime story riddled with morals to be gleaned along the way. Michael Phelps is a cautionary tale of what might happen if we push our children too far and too fast.
We often find ourselves blaming “the media” for the obsession in our youth to be thin and beautiful, to look like what we see on television and read about in tabloids. However, this displacement of blame and responsibility is yet another symptom of the problem. The media cannot be successful without an audience of willing participants.
In his book, Intimate Strangers: The Culture of Celebrity, author Richard Schickel explores our obsession with celebrity and the ever-rising need of new names and faces to fill the gossip column. With the advent of reality TV and the personal assistant there is an endless list of TV slots to fill and 15 minutes of fame to cash in on, and people are leaping at the chance to take part.
Schickel argues that only ‘’celebrity power’’ gives our generation a ‘’sense of community – common idols, if not common ideals – in a world where the traditional communitarian forms . . . are honoured more in the nostalgic breach than in living lives.’’
Intimate Strangers explores the mythic personality and the power of persuasion it carries in our culture. Schickel claims that celebrity hype has replaced inquiry into the value and function of the arts. His bleak outlook suggests we are prepared to replace our traditional standards and qualifications of what makes a star worth our time for the faux intimacy celebrity provides.
It is easy enough to believe that the lonely and woeful, carrying the baggage of broken childhoods, would jump on the bandwagon of celebrity, but what about the rest of us? The mania of fame is not exclusive by any means to fringe groups, but rather is pervasive into all aspects of our culture. Recent typical conversation lends itself equally, if not more so, to Joaquin Phoenix’s Letterman appearance than Obama’s stimulus package. In fact, numerous studies on the power of celebrity claim when today’s youth are asked “what do you want to be when you grow up,” they are more likely to respond “Hollywood celebrity” or “assistant to Hollywood celebrity” than high government official or company CEO.
Yet in the end what goes up must come down: celebrities routinely shatter the illusion of perfection by doing things that prove they are still human. We expect celebrities to fulfill the larger-than-life personas they embody and when they fall short (read: when they act just like us) we feel betrayed.
It has become our right to know every detail of their lives and privacy is a sacrifice entertainers must be willing to make. There is a fine line famous personalities must walk between being too safe, or boring, to too out of control.
We were all on the edge of our seats in rapt attention when Brittany and Kevin hit a rough patch, but when Brittany took the partying too far, “went psycho” and had her kids taken away, the public turned its back in horror.
The reality of celebrity fame is that being photographed on a consistent basis doesn’t really change your humanity. We all want role models to look up to but deifying stars won’t fill the empty void.
Is Christian Bale’s rant really worth boycotting his movies for?
Do Michael Phelps’ pot-smoking tendencies cancel the merit of his Olympic gold medals?
Should random 20-somethings really be given their own reality show so we can faithfully tune in to watch them live?
Does anyone really care? Yes, they do. They care a great deal. There is an endless supply of famous personalities, some finding their fame on the basis of being famous itself.
No one can bask in the limelight without someone watching – and we are all too willing to tune in.
Recent Comments