Our
View: Celebrity obsession overdone,
pointless
Many difficulties are plaguing the American conscious lately. The ongoing struggle
abroad, another possible recession, the blatant corruption within the Bush administration,
and for many students, final exams. But recently there has been a surge in public
concern and awareness
for a different kind of interest—the lives of celebrities.
When gathering around the watering hole or meeting a friend for lunch, the topic
of celebrity gossip has become an increasingly popular issue. Gone are the days
of Bush-bashing and serious consideration for important decisions, like new music
and shoe choice. These issues, once considered timeless, necessary points of
conversation have taken a backseat to the issues of celebrity lifestyle.
Friendly banter has become a secondary priority for many friends, while the hotly
debated question of whether or not Angelina Jolie is pregnant occupies too much
of the conversation between friends.
Logically, everyone knows celebrities are ordinary people who breathe the same
air and walk the same streets, but many of us are consumed with the latest details
of celebrity living. While many people consider this obsession a healthy indulgence
freeing us of our own seemingly mundane existence, people are becoming less satisfied
with their own blessings and are instead attaching themselves to something that
is empty and has no real significance.
The truth is, although our own successes and blessings are omitted from the pages
of popular magazines, they are no less significant. Rather than satisfying our
fantasies of lives of luxury and grandeur vicariously through strangers, we should
learn to take pride in our own accomplishments. Taking pride in our work and
relishing in the fruits of our labor will instill a sense of fulfillment and
satisfaction no celebrity could hope to replace.
The careers many of us choose require we earn our money by the sweat of our brow
and toil of our minds. It may seem grand to be grossly overcompensated for minimal
work, as most celebrities are, but our struggles have blessed us with a sense
of accomplishment and purpose.
Being surrounded by pretty things may have some superficial value, but these
objects only serve as obstacles toward the true goal many of us are battling
to realize—inner peace and fulfillment. In this sense we, the common folk,
have the advantage over those we idolize and revere.
But maybe it is our humanity that establishes a connection between us and celebrities,
driving us to know the intimate details of their lives. We understand their faults,
because they are guilty of the same sins and grievances we face.
Alcoholism, adultery and children out of wedlock are among the most common mistakes
celebrities
make.
We take assurance in the fact that even the most respected members of society
are capable of the same indiscretions we ourselves often commit. Taking pleasure
or comfort in the suffering of others is morally detestable and should be shunned
rather than condoned by our society.
Whatever the reason that compels us to learn the circumstances of a celebrity’s
lifestyle, our priorities should lie with people in our lives and things that
actually effect us. An occasional indulgence into the lives of these odd enigmas
is understandable, but compulsively researching celebrity information can detach
us from the things in life that really matter.
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