Obsessed with reality
Scrolling through the endless world of the Internet, people are bombarded with article after article and become completely engrossed in celebrity nonsense.
The desire to read up on how tragic the lives of famous celebrities really are is addictive. Case and point, on a daily basis “regular” people around the world that feel bad about him or her self are uplifted by the misfortune of others. We come to the realization that celebrities are in fact not perfect, suffering just like the average Joe and find some sick gratification that their problems are exploited all over the front page of the daily newspaper.
“Perfection” has always been the expectation when we think about celebrities. Where this perception came from I have no idea, but it has manifested into an uncontrollable impulse for people to chase down celebrities, learn about the nitty-gritty and then have consumers like us craving to pick up a magazine with the latest and greatest celebrity dirt.
Thoughts of eating disorders, substance abuse, jail time or mental break down of these perfect celebrity faces has created magazines such as People, National Enquirer and US Weekly and endorsing news television shows like Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight. Unlike regular news television or the London Free Press, these ideas are created for the sole purpose of showing the public what they want to see and hear. We have created these monsters by tuning into the channel or purchasing the magazine that has the latest info on Anna Nicole Smith's death or Paris Hilton's jail time.
If I were to pass away suddenly, would the Interrobang write articles about me for weeks on end? I don't think so. Would the FSU website conduct a countdown if I was sentenced to do jail time? Absolutely not. Why has the celebrity obsession gone so far that now people are even glorifying the crime and obscene behaviour conducted by those in the limelight?
Rather than picking up The Globe And Mail and beginning to understand more about the community, or becoming more well rounded in regards to world wide issues we are more inclined to jump at the chance to hear the name of Britney's newest addition to her oh-so stable current life circumstances.
I am definitely guilty of purchasing a People magazine here and there but I am unsure of the reasoning behind my actions. I do not thrive on the glorification of Nicole Richie's so called “eating disorder” nor would I find Brad and Angelina's relationship a conversation starter next time I am at a party, yet I will spend endless amounts of time learning and reading up on the downfalls of the majority of the ‘role models' that are on the big screen.
I have a difficult time trying to wrap my head around the fact that many young girls are thinking it's “cool” to starve themselves turning into a “bobble-head” just like Hilary Duff, but if a classmate or family member was associated with such a rumour we have a completely different reaction from the general public. The stigma that goes along with participating in an act that is seen as “wrong” is lessened when your face is seen in one of those trashy magazines. It seems that aside from Paris now being jail bait, the majority of young and popular celebrities are treated anything but normal.
The desire to read up on these six-figure stars influences the paparazzi to get that one in a million shot giving readers another weekly issue and of course the addicted fans will dish out the dough. I never said I was going to stop reading up on this useless information, but I will say that these individuals we are reading about are anything but role models now a days and the time spent consumed by these stories should be done out of pure entertainment and nothing more.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The desire to read up on how tragic the lives of famous celebrities really are is addictive. Case and point, on a daily basis “regular” people around the world that feel bad about him or her self are uplifted by the misfortune of others. We come to the realization that celebrities are in fact not perfect, suffering just like the average Joe and find some sick gratification that their problems are exploited all over the front page of the daily newspaper.
“Perfection” has always been the expectation when we think about celebrities. Where this perception came from I have no idea, but it has manifested into an uncontrollable impulse for people to chase down celebrities, learn about the nitty-gritty and then have consumers like us craving to pick up a magazine with the latest and greatest celebrity dirt.
Thoughts of eating disorders, substance abuse, jail time or mental break down of these perfect celebrity faces has created magazines such as People, National Enquirer and US Weekly and endorsing news television shows like Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight. Unlike regular news television or the London Free Press, these ideas are created for the sole purpose of showing the public what they want to see and hear. We have created these monsters by tuning into the channel or purchasing the magazine that has the latest info on Anna Nicole Smith's death or Paris Hilton's jail time.
If I were to pass away suddenly, would the Interrobang write articles about me for weeks on end? I don't think so. Would the FSU website conduct a countdown if I was sentenced to do jail time? Absolutely not. Why has the celebrity obsession gone so far that now people are even glorifying the crime and obscene behaviour conducted by those in the limelight?
Rather than picking up The Globe And Mail and beginning to understand more about the community, or becoming more well rounded in regards to world wide issues we are more inclined to jump at the chance to hear the name of Britney's newest addition to her oh-so stable current life circumstances.
I am definitely guilty of purchasing a People magazine here and there but I am unsure of the reasoning behind my actions. I do not thrive on the glorification of Nicole Richie's so called “eating disorder” nor would I find Brad and Angelina's relationship a conversation starter next time I am at a party, yet I will spend endless amounts of time learning and reading up on the downfalls of the majority of the ‘role models' that are on the big screen.
I have a difficult time trying to wrap my head around the fact that many young girls are thinking it's “cool” to starve themselves turning into a “bobble-head” just like Hilary Duff, but if a classmate or family member was associated with such a rumour we have a completely different reaction from the general public. The stigma that goes along with participating in an act that is seen as “wrong” is lessened when your face is seen in one of those trashy magazines. It seems that aside from Paris now being jail bait, the majority of young and popular celebrities are treated anything but normal.
The desire to read up on these six-figure stars influences the paparazzi to get that one in a million shot giving readers another weekly issue and of course the addicted fans will dish out the dough. I never said I was going to stop reading up on this useless information, but I will say that these individuals we are reading about are anything but role models now a days and the time spent consumed by these stories should be done out of pure entertainment and nothing more.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
