Celebrity - A Symbol of Society's Downfall

[Lightworker]

Hi all..

I was wondering what you all thought about this whole celebrity thing. In light of Whitney's passing, and all the others gone before her in what appear to be overdoses, whether intentional or not, what role do you think we as fellow humans have to play in an individual celebrity's downward spiral?

Do we fan the flames of their self-loathing by continuing to buy the magazines that are quick to judge, condemn, make fun of etc them?

Do we set them up for a fall by celebrating them, elevating them to celebrity status, then wait on the sidelines for an opportunity to tear them down?

Would you let your children seek fame?

What do you think it says about us as humans, when this type of thing happens over and over?

Are you bothered?

I didn't read the other 2 Whitney threads in detail, but I did notice a hypocrisy in the press, they were all wishing her soul well, and her family well, but in the recent past, they jumped at every opportunity to depict ugly pictures of her deterioration. Is this fair?

 

[smelly07]

I just think she was an addict who sadly met her end the same way thousands of other humans do famous or not.

whatever led her to become that way can not be blamed on anybody inparticular.

If my child had a passion for acting/singing i wouldnt stop them pursuing their dream lots of singer/songwriters and actors/actresses are passionate about what they do and it doesnt always end in tears. x

 

[Lightworker]

I suppose you are right..but I feel like over the years it has gotten worse for celebrities. They are followed everywhere, pressure to be good, look good, act good..man..thats a whole load of pressure.

I noticed that some celebrities manage to do such awesome performances and are the cream of the crop, like Denzel Washington, Nic Cage, John Travolta and still appear to remain level headed, but then some go the other way. Even now what worries me more is that celebs are getting younger and younger....look at Rihanna..she is peaking at such a young age, and my DH says she is a car crash waiting to happen. Like Amy Winehouse etc... so sad

 

[nosocks]

I think it Is really sad that particular 'celebrities' get a rough deal from the press and their downfall could be a result of their fame. But I don't really think things have gotten worse really. For every person in the spotlight that loses control- there are hundreds that stay level headed- just like for the rest of the population. We just get drawn to these stories by the media more and more.
And unfortunately that is what the media are there for- finding the ugly stuff- and yes I guess as consumers we fuel it- but i think it has always been this way and papers wouldn't sell without the news whether its politics of pop.
I wouldn't want my child to say 'i want to be famous....' But if these chose a career that led to it I would have tp support them.

 

[Yammas]

I think the lack of privacy is moreso now than before with all the hacking and phonetapping that goes on and paprazzis waiting to get the worst picture possible it must be hard for them but at the same time they can simply avoid them by keeping a low profile, they dont have to be splashed across the papers all of the time unless they want to like Jordan and Cheryl Cole every week theres a different story so it works both ways.

I think it is a shame when you see someone so talented being torn down and even when they are at their worst there are no kind words of support merely critiism. I feel bad for her I thought she could be like Britney Spears and get herself bk on track but I guess that goes to show we dont know what goes on behind closed doors.

If my child wanted to be famous I'd want them to be famous for doing something rather than just famous for being famous but I's warn them of what can happen if you dont have your head screwed on as people will always try to take advantage unfortunatly or lead you on a path that you dont want to be.

 

[tina3747]

I do think it worse these days. If you think back so many years, celebrity meant glamour, fame , adoration ect. Marilyn Monroe, audrey Hepburn .. You'd only ever see them in their best light not in the 'circle of truth' in heat magazine. Thng is though, even back then with all this adoration they still met the same fate so maybe the media isn't to blame.

I wouldn't want to be in the spotlight,i think just the way the media is allowed to print untruths or not verify before going to print is so wrong. I'm all for jounalists doing their job properly, finding a story the right way without lies and personal intrusion such as phone hacking . They're just whoring themselves at the end of the day, lowering as far as you can go within thier industry.

I remember going to the TakeThat musical in London. We were sat maybe 5 rows from the front. Just as it was about to start, David walliams came towards our row with a lady, we al stood up, let him pass then sat giggling and watching him throughout the performance. In Mondays news, a story was printed saying David walliams was seen sitting in the back row of the theatre canoodling with 4 girls throughout the whole performance. The only truth was that he was there, no wonder theyget pissed off with the lies! I'm sure some celebs do spin certain things for attention ect but they're the not real celebs, probsbly big bro contestants !!

 

[Lina]

The press does seem to love to built them up only to tear them down. I think humans are naturally curious creatures and have always been taken with the rich and famous, where previously it was Kings and Queens now it is ordinary people who have 'made' it big. Funnily enough it has been given a name 'celebrity worship syndrome'. The curiosity is normal but there is a fine line which is all too often breached by press and this in turn makes us non-celebs see that they also have problems just like us and sometimes even worse. It makes the average Joe grateful for their lives and satisfied with their lot. Celebrity obsession does in many ways epitomize societies moral decay especially where behaviours and habits are concerned.

 

[indy and lara]

People seem to idolise the 'famous' in a way I just cannot fathom and probably never will. I think that lots of people are very talented but I have never wanted to 'be' them or know all the intimate details of their lives. I don't understand the growth of all the celebrity magazines and shows like E! News.

I do think that it is possibe to be hugely famous and successful on a worldwide basis while continuing to live a relatively private life. There are numerous example of celebrities who do this. However, selling your life to the press seems to be a fast track way to escalate your worth and many are seduced into doing this. Once you have sold your engagement/ wedding/ divorce/ new home/ new baby/ etc photos to the magazines it is pretty hard to put the genie back into the bottle.

If Em wants to become an actor/ singer then I would encourage her all the way as they are her dreams. If she wanted to pursue celebrity for the sake of celebrity I would find that a lot harder to support. I would hope to be able to explain to her all she would stand to lose by selling her life to the press but at the end of the day it would be her choice.

 

[Sarahkka]

I was a fulltime theatre artist for about 10 years, working mostly in writing, developing, and performing children's theatre and bringing theatre residencies into schools. Studying the arts is a lifelong discipline that should be approached with humility. The complete lack of any discernible talent (let alone discipline or respect for the art forms of singing, dancing, or acting) that is rampant in the celebrity universe made me dismiss it long ago. I don't read celeb gossip mags, websites, watch any of the TV shows, or whatever. I LOVE it when some new totally manufactured starlet is on all the magazine covers in the grocery store and I have no clue who they are. It is a kind of glorious freedom, that indifference!
I think it used to be that "stars" didn't really know what they were signing up for. Most were prodigious talents who had to learn quickly to deal with a lot of focus and pressure. But the "hollywood" or its equivalents of fifty years ago did not have to deal with the same kind of intense media scrutiny that we have today. It is pretty appalling.
Also, I think (with some exceptions) that even twenty years ago, you usually had to have some talent to achieve fame. Nowadays, so many celebs are famous for being famous. Reality TV is one of the most vile products of modern society and hugely responsible for that phenomenon, I think.
There are so many interesting and important things going on in the world, why waste your precious time and energy on such dreck? There are lots of ways to relax and "escape" without resorting to tuning in to shows like TMZ, etc.

So yes, I do think that if I watch it, then I am also somewhat responsible for it. I am supporting the whole nasty process. I feel sorry for some of those miserable tortured celebs because I have a feeling that they must be pretty isolated. I imagine that it might be very hard to find anyone whom you could really trust. That could do pretty damaging things to anyone. But at some point, there had to be a choice to get out of it, you know? And we live in a world with no shortage of suffering. Without trying to sound dismissive or unfeeling, I feel far worse about kids in war zones, or people trying to survive natural disasters, if you know what I mean?