But where that argument falls down is when you consider how many people don't make that conscious choice, but simply park themselves in front of the television and stop thinking. It's not even the watching of the programming that is necessarily the distraction; it's the hype that surrounds the so-called celebrities that appear on all these shows.
The media's obsession with the ins and outs of relationships, weight gain and loss, and all the other minutiae of these unimportant lives is passed off as vital news. The fact that this artificial world of film, T.V., and music stars garners so much attention is how it acts as the distraction. People get far more caught up in the wedding of two people who appeared on a reality show then they do in the fact that people go to bed hungry at night.
Roseanne never played by the rules when she was in the spotlight and was roundly criticized for some of the things she did. She now says that during that time she "went a little crazy" from being at the centre of things. She too came in for her share of tabloid press with her marriages and divorces, and sometimes-odd behaviour.
In her quote she makes pop culture and the distractions it creates sound like a deliberate effort on the part of somebody somewhere to influence the way we think. The thing is Hollywood has always operated in this manner. Since the early days of silent film they have always tried to make sure that the stars are kept in the public eye one way or another. How else can they sell tickets to movies?
The media, the studios, and the stars are all in on it together. It's a symbiotic relationship in that they depend on each other for survival. The media needs the stars to report on, the stars need the media to keep their names prominent in the public eye, and the studios need the stars kept prominent so they can sell tickets, DVDs and merchandising rights.
It's in all of their best interests to make us think they are important. They sell us on how wonderful it is to be a star, and wouldn't you love to have their glamorous lifestyle. People watch and dream of being something other than what they are. The product is almost secondary; the real show is the lives of those involved in its making.
Article comments
1 - Geek's Girl
This was a very well written and thought out piece gypsyman - thank you.
2 - Bliffle
Any of the famous celebrities I've seen at the grocery checkout counter seem to lead really boring lives. I think they're pallid imitations of the celebrities of years past. Yes, boys and girls, we have a celebrity gap.
What happened? Why are todays celebs such bores? Is it the water? Did fluoridation ruin American gossip? It's gotten so bad that I find that even MY life is more interesting than Brad Pitts! When I reflect on my own misspent history, usually only involuntarily in the dark of sleepless night when the devils of conscience appear to torment me, while I'm properly shamed at my transgressions and misdemeanors, I also have to smile at the great fun I had and the rewards of life experience and exploration.
Even celebrity miscreants seem to be one-note sinners. Maybe they spent 10 years strung out on heroin. Duh. So, they were blotto for 10 years.
Maybe I should write an autobiography. Nah, nobody would believe it.
3 - Don Baiocchi
"Roseanne and Milwaukee"? Any "Roseanne" fan knows the show was set in Lanford, Illinois, which was outside Chicago. Tsk tsk.
Otherwise, great post.
4 - Pat Fish
I love pop culture.
But I don't love pop culture because I really care.
No I don't care who Brad Pitt is having a baby with. But I'll forever be fascinated by how the celebrated arrange their lives so that they can grab the headlines. The whole process fascinates me.
Jennifer Aniston has had her tits shown in every major publication yet she continues to assert photographers are catching her unawares.
Captain Kirk sells his kidney stone on E-Bay and I scratch my head in amazement. Anything, absolutely anything, to keep the name out there, to hang onto a fading career, to be considered for the next role.
Hey, it's how they make a living. I smirk at all the silliness and wonder how low they will go.
It's fun to watch people make fools of themselves. Especially when they are making fools of themselves on purpose.
5 - A.L. Harper
Excellent piece! I'm impressed with your depth and sensitivity. One might think this subject had touched you in a personal way.
I think the reason that “celebrity culture” has gotten so out of hand is that it isn’t as ugly as what has been going on in the real world for that last 5 years. It’s easier to look at than what is really out there. We have created it so that we have something to distract us but I don’t think that it is, in itself, a distraction unless we want it to be. It’s just too boring and pointless to be.
6 - Scott Butki
Wonderful piece. It's not every day you get something this weighty and thoughtful about a woman known for grabbing her crotch during a baseball game.