The Fame

As I watched the Early Show this morning, an upsetting segment about young people’s obsession with fame. This comes as no surprise to me and really, does it shock you either? Since I was a child, there has been no better idea than being rich and famous. Aside from growing up to become doctors and lawyers, being rich and famous was the next option on our list. And in most cases, it was the first. Who wouldn’t want to be so rich they had no worries, be well known to all, and truly loved what they did for a living? I would trade in my job for a shot at millions of dollars and the ability to entertain the world. So as I continued viewing the segment, I found myself not at all surprised at the comparisons they ended up making:

Ø      25% of women studied in a recent survey would rather win ‘Americas Next Top Model’ then the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ø      50% would rather be hit by a bus than get fat.

Ø      51% said that becoming famous is their number one or number two goal in life.

I will admit that this article is mostly about young women but truthfully, gay men are not that different when you think about it. We obsess too much, just like women and we sleep with men. See, we are more alike than you thought. What really got me rather heated, is when one of the authors they interviewed, stated that it astounded her and that we have lost a balance in life. Quite frankly it astounds me that she is so appalled at the idea what people want to be famous. It was also added that those who focus mostly on celebrities and Hollywood; know significantly less about what’s going on in this world politically compared to someone who does not. They eventually ended up saying that we pay more attention to the celebrities, movies, and drama in Hollywood than we do the “important” topics in our political present. Well duh, who would want to focus on wars, hunger, and oppression all the time? Watching what is basically the same movie all day every day. But in Tinsel town, there’s always something to entertain us, make us laugh, relax, and often times help us to de-stress.

What these reporters and the news media need to learn, is that when you are confirming that 20% of Americans believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth, it is not a direct reflection on how often we watch celebrities. Moreover, it is a direct reflection on the decision of those individuals to not pay attention in school. After all, isn’t that what it is there for and as such, why we are required to go for at least 12 years of our life? I say we have our youth concentrate on what’s more important now, so that they don’t make us all look like idiots later. Because learning the Earth revolves around the Sun is not something you forget … at least not without consuming a veritable ton of alcohol first.