The public fascination with celebrity is a symptom of the emptiness of a consumerist lifestyle.
Posted by razzbuffnik on June 26th, 2009
When Elvis and John Lennon died, I was shocked and saddened to hear about their deaths and I can remember well the circumstances of when I first heard the news.
Whacko Jacko is another matter. I’ve always thought that Jackson was an ineffably sad person and a classical example of how talent and intelligence don’t necessarily go hand in hand. He had so much talent and so little nous.
It still mystifies me why we the public are interested in the opinions of celebrities about matters that are outside of the entertainment industry. Why aren’t the real geniuses outside of the entertainment industry as lauded and courted by the media?
That’s actually a rhetorical question, I know why.
It’s because most of the public in this fat consummerist first world society we (who have computers) live in, are dissatisfied with their lot and want to live vicariously, the lives of the rich and famous.
As John Cooper Clarke once said in his amazing poem, “Beasley Street”;
The girls are on the shelf
Their commom problem is
…that they’re not someone else
Here’s a video of the whole poem.
June 27th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Interesting interpretation of a wonderful poem.
Someone once wrote that we have “a morbid fascination for human tragedy.” I wonder how many people are grieving MJ just because they feel like they have to . . .
June 27th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Oh, boys, boys, boys…take a deep breath….I’m not aware of anyone who was interested in MJ’s opinions of the Iraq war or even the music business BUT when I watched and listened to his videos and watched him moonwalk in 1983 at the Motown tribute?
It was thrilling, no pun intended. I don’t ever remember reacting to performances on video or on TV as I did to his. Did I go to a concert? No. Did I even buy his music? No. But, I’ve not done space travel either and, yet, I still can see and enjoy the brightest stars on a clear night.
That this particular star seemed to eclipse all others in talent and terrors was obvious. He didn’t cut off his ear, but he mutilated his body and sadly, for the past 20 years, his talent.
All of us, can relate to not living up to our possibilities, or not handling our gifts and our talents, no? I think more of Gerard Manley Hopkins on this news, O, Margaret, why are you grieving over Goldengrove unleaving? We all go off the rails sometimes, and those with fame, celebrity, and wealth can go off more visibly and more spectacularly, but it all leads to the same spot: bizarre behavior and inner black holes that suck the life out of you.
I take odd comfort in knowing that no one will be watching LIVE as our dead bodies fly through the air to the medical examiner’s office, though. Celebrity? NO THANK YOU.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Tysdaddy
“a morbid fascination for human tragedy.” I felt like looking at him, was like looking at a train wreck about to happen. Too horrific to look at.
Pat
The problem I have for MJ is that he had what so many people don’t. He had it all, money and talent to burn, but he choose to loose himself in spiral of narcissism and self indulgence.
In my area there are a few Sudanese refugees that somehow have got through the horrors of their early lives and are having a go at getting on with the rest of their lives.
I tend to judge people (yep, I do that) by what they do and say. I’ve never heard anything resembling intelligence come out of Michael Jackson’s mouth and his off stage behaviour was at best, weird, and at worst, perversely criminal.
“Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder”
Never truer words said and it’s true, I’ve seen many things that have hardened my heart to the passing of the likes of Michael Jackson.
It’s also true no one with any sense ever asked for Mr Jackson’s opinion about weighty things but other celebrities are constantly being asked about such things whilst those who actually know what they are talking about get ignored because an over indulged first world public has the audacity to think that their own lives are crap.
If people in the richer countries (like yours and mine)stopped focussing on the lives of celebrities and had a look at what’s going on in the rest of the world, they’d realize how good they’ve got it.
This whole situation bugs me so much I could just scream!
June 27th, 2009 at 11:10 am
So, go to the window like Peter Finch in “Network” and yell out, “I’m fed up and am I’m not going to take it anymore!”
Seriously, Razz…I do not get why this makes you so angry you could scream. If I put on my psychologist’s hat, I might have some theories but I’ll spare you those…the whole point to me is that many people think others have “it all” and in fact they don’t. Isn’t this just another very public, sad example?
On a lighter note, I tried to make an angel food cake yesterday from scratch for my neighbors who just had a baby girl. Angel, girl…get it? Anyway, I made three cakes in the course of the day..all worse than the next. If they fell on my toe, they would have broken my foot. I went through containers of egg whites, real egg whites, confection sugar, almond extract. Not one eatable bite!!
So much for the fly by the seat of your pants approach. I’m going out today and buy Betty Crocker’s Angel Food cake mix and call it a day.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Well, Razz, I hear you, I do. What I find particularly sad about the death of MJ is that it so eclipsed the end to Farrah Fawcett’s brave struggle with a truly horrible cancer. That was something we could all learn from (as opposed to overdosing on prescription meds) but she’s barely been mentioned since MJ died.
I’ve never been a groupie in the sense that I cried when pop stars got married or kissed posters on my bedroom wall. I just don’t get it. But millions of people ARE like that so perhaps this is a case of live and let live? On the other hand, I do admit to changing the radio station I was listening to yesterday because every other song was by Michael Jackson. Enough already. If he really had so many physical problems to deal with, I would have had far more respect for him if he’d openly used his celebrity to help others with the same afflictions, as opposed to hiding behind masks. I only hope his kids aren’t as damaged by their unusual upbringing as MJ seemed to be by growing up in the public eye.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Actually, Razz, we just have to face it: we’re not Michael Jackson people. End of.
I went to a gig recently for a Maori band called Hui-a based in London and that event brought a tear to my eye. They’ve taken traditional Maori sounds and blended them with modern beats. Great stuff! Now that’s my sort of music and from what I see of your musical taste, you’d like it, too. We don’t have to join the MJ bandwagon. We just march to the beat of our own drum and it ain’t necessarily Top 40.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Epic
I’m starting to think it’s cultural thing. I suspect that you and I come from cultures that don’t have all that much time for people who feel sorry for themselves, particularly when they seem to have so little reason to, in comparison to people who really have terrible lives. I know that here in Australia at least, that even one’s friends won’t let you wallow in self pity for very long and they will give you kick in the proverbial to get you to move on with your life.
By the way, one of my favourite bands at the moment is a Kiwi group called, “Fat Freddy’s Drop”.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:29 am
I never will understand people’s obsession with celebrities. I don’t get that people in the case of Actors get so much money for “Pretending” for films or TV. Or becoming World Famous for just playing music or singing songs. In my opinion the Heroes ar police, ambos, firefighters & other emergency workers. Also the average men/women who contribute properly to society by their daily normal jobs without which society would fall apart. Yet when one of the average normal people die who really cares except their family & friends, the media doesn’t give a toss. MJ was a talented person but when it comes to the crunch all he really did was sing songs. Plus he was just so damned weird & freakish. Yet he is hailed a star. Wasn’t that long ago the media was judging & condemning him for his wacky ways now he being portrayed as almost godlike by them
Faecal Germs… Glad I don’t live on Beazley St.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:14 am
Tony
Hear! Hear! I agree completely.
July 16th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I think the public has always had a fascination with celebrities. Michael Jackson is one that a lot of people don’t understand the fuss because they are put of by the weirdness and the allegations or just don’t like his music, but for those who are fans of pop music it makes sense to me that there’s going to be a lot of commotion when the King of Pop dies young.
In Ancient Rome gladiators had their devoted fans. Bonnie and Clyde had their fans. Every culture looks up to somebody – kings, athletes, musicians, bank robbers, poets – it’s always been that way.