The Absurdity of Celebrity
I am truly mystified by celebrity culture. How anybody could possibly admire a celebrity simply because they are famous is befuddling. This seems to lack common sense. Why should a celebrity get the attention, privilege, and admiration a plumber, farmer, schoolteacher, or nurse doesn’t get? I am aware that celebrities are part of an industry that allows us a distraction from the mundane and it can be quite captivating. Especially when that industry capitalizes off humanity’s lowest common denominator (the average storyline of violence, betrayal, deceit, etc.). The more you see the weakness and darkness in others’ behavior the more comfortable you can be with the weakness and darkness within us.
An actor may have comedic talent and laughter can be very healthy, yet the performance you are laughing about is not indicative of the person that is making you laugh. After all, criminals can have comedic talents. Whatever career you would deem most important to society’s well-being it certainly isn’t going to be an actor, singer, politician, or new-age industrialist. It seems our values are misplaced, and it signifies a broader societal sickness.
Because celebrities have an outsized influence on our culture and since 99% of the celebrities the media focuses on rarely display spiritual depth or moral character, they contribute to a society that's lacking spiritual depth and moral character. This is to be expected as the entertainment industry is simply a reflection of our culture but still, why should celebrities be admired or privileged?
There are Gandhi's and Mother Theresa's and Martin Luther King's living among us, but they are not getting the attention that a Kardashian gets. It’s true that usually celebrities are seeking attention and these people are not, but why are we giving our attention to them? If we want our young men to become true gentlemen, wouldn't we want to focus on people who display gentlemen's qualities? If we want our young women to feel beautiful from the inside out, wouldn't we want women with all different types of faces and figures loved and deemed beautiful, without the need for cosmetics, plastic surgery, cleavage, promiscuity, or youthful appearances? If we want a society that admires morality, ethical behavior, integrity, dignity, and compassion, shouldn’t those things be demonstrated more often in the movies, shows, and characters that children are watching as opposed to the Machismo, vanity, violence, betrayal, deceit, jealousy, materialism and sexuality etc…?
What’s not befuddling is what has become of us and our culture. The need men have to be dominant physically, financially, and sexually at all costs in order to feel successful and the confusion and self-distain young girls suffer from pertaining to their bodies, beauty, and self-worth. We have become so superficial, lazy, selfish, materialistic, and completely gluttonous! We measure success on money and fame, we’ve become numb to societal ills and completely disconnected from nature as our priorities are elsewhere. Meanwhile, our ship is f**king sinking and few can be bothered!
People should be respected for their dedication to their craft and hard work no doubt. People should be admired and followed because of their contribution to the well-being of their communities! Only the young, old, and sick should be privileged.
How we truly become successful is by helping others! Should a doctor be admired, who will not even see you if you can't afford to pay them for that office visit? Sure, the doctor worked hard to become a doctor so is hard work enough? Hard work doesn’t require compassion or integrity. I remember reading that for the Native Americans success was measured on the number of horses a tribe member had which required great effort but the admiration was measured on the amount of horses one gives away which requires love and compassion.
In this world the best seats are saved for the rich and famous, they also don’t have to wait in lines. F**k that! In my studio, all are treated equally because in my eyes all are equal and the celebrities that come to my studio understand and appreciate that!
sincerely, bryan