Writer's Block: Star struck

[myurbandream]

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I think that what we give to our celebrities is maybe not right, but it is fair - there's a difference.

We value our celebrities because they entertain us. (Consider how in ancient Rome, gladiators and other entertainers were slaves, and in the origins of British theatre, acting was considered a very low-class, unclean profession. Entertainment has moved up in social scale throughout history.) People are willing to pay for all kinds of entertainment - sports, movies, tv, games, etc. If we valued their ability to entertain less we wouldn't pay them as much.

We idolize celebrities because they're talented and beautiful and we aspire to be like them. But we also demand that they be talented and beautiful - most celebrities are, and when they fall short we criticize them for it. They may be on average fabulously wealthy, but that doesn't mean their jobs are easy - and we also demand their privacy in return for what we give them. Would you like to have fans stalk you and paparazzi shove cameras into your personal business every single day?

Considering how critical we are of our celebrities, and how much we ask of them, I think it is fair that they are treated the way they are. I certainly wouldn't want to be a celebrity - you'd have to pay me a lot of money to put me through what they deal with daily!

Comments

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[thespis2010.livejournal.com]

I agree. Kind of what I was trying to say in my entry. I mean, the arts as a whole has for centuries not been looked at as a real job. Now that it is gone up in class, we in turn demand a hell of a lot from our favorite celebrities and like you said if they fall short of our glory, then we stop supporting them which sabotages their careers, or it could. Everything they say and do depends on us and that's a lot of pressure. Honestly, I think a celebrity should get whatever they can out of the game and when it's over it's over but they're straight for generations to come. Isn't that what all of us strive for?