Fame & Celebrity

"Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized." - Albert Einstein, from Living Philosophies, 1931

It amazes me how, in our society, we idolize the rich and famous.  A huge industry is devoted to invading their privacy, with or without their consent.  And all this causes them to have lifestyles more and more detached from the lifestyles of their admirers.  We can relate to celebrities less and less because of the lifestyles we have bestowed on them.

We overestimate what we can learn from them.  Yes, these are people who often had resolute discipline to succeed, but I think that luck (or, if you prefer, "circumstances") is often a big factor as well.  Great actors, musicians and athletes don't automatically have deeper insight into life than other people.  Many of them are blessed with natural talent or a favorable environment which allows them to succeed where others who worked equally hard have failed.  The same holds true with businessmen.  The ones who succeed have usually put in long hours, but many others may have been just as smart and worked just as hard, but didn't have the right circumstances or connections to become a Sam Walton or a Donald Trump.

To me, a great athlete, musician, or actor has been given a special talent by God and has probably worked hard to develop that talent.  I'm not saying there isn't anything to admire there -- after all, self-discipline and perseverance are important qualities if you want to succeed in life -- but I don't think any religion or philosophy says that the path to wisdom is to be a pampered superstar.  Many celebrities live a sort of dream life.  They're coddled and flattered by their handlers.  They get to enjoy a perpetual adolescence, long on instant gratification and self-indulgence, short on responsibility and maturity.  People are excited just to meet them, to have their picture taken with them, to get their autograph, anything to be associated with them.  It's not hard to find examples of their detachment from reality, or their obliviousness to consequences.  I'm not saying it wouldn't be a fun life to lead, but it doesn't have much to teach most of us.  Sure, we can have fun, but we know that if we get out of control, we have to bear the consequences.  We don't have money or fame to shield us from responsibility.

Once an athlete leaves the playing field, once a guitarist puts down his instrument, once the camera is off of an actor -- I don't think that on average they're better or wiser than anyone else.  But they're surrounded by attention and adoration.  I'm not saying their dream life doesn't have some nightmarish qualities; fame must be a burden when you can't find any privacy, when your "friends" sell stories about you to the tabloids, and when flashbulbs constantly assault you in public.  But millions of people (actually, billions of people) would trade places with them in a second, and for good reason.  Most of us can only dream of the financial security and the opportunities to experience life that celebrities enjoy.  I once read that, for every door that fame closes, another door is opened.  No, Michael Jordan can't go to the park anonymously with his kids, but he can buy a house with a backyard bigger than most parks.  I realize that's an imperfect substitute; if you live in a cage of gold, it's still a cage.  Personally, I wish that we lived in a world where Jordan could go to the park, or to the store, or to a movie, and not be bothered by the press or by autograph hounds.

I'm not writing this to vilify celebrities, because the real fault lies with their admirers.  It's our obsession with the rich and famous that causes them to live lives which are completely unlike ours.  We designate these people as role models by showering them with so much attention, all the while giving them a life which we can relate to, and learn from, less and less.  In effect, we set them up for a fall, by giving them so much opportunity to act on their worst impulses.  We created the climate where Magic Johnson could have unprotected sex with thousands of women, endangering their lives and his own.  It's amazing, truly.  Amazing that he was so insulated from reality that he didn't consider the possible repercussions, both for him and for the women.  And equally amazing that the women were so blinded by his fame that they disregarded the danger as well.  I'm sure that these women were not all lonely souls, desperate for some man to show them a little attention.  Most of them were probably attractive women who could have a sex life more satisfying (and safer) than a one-night stand.  But they were willing to risk their lives and their futures to have sex with a "star".    In Magic Johnson's case, at least it's understandable why women were attracted to him.  There are other stories about the lure of fame that defy comprehension.  For example, a big '80's rock group had a contest to see which member could go the longest without bathing and still have sex.  The winner lasted 30 days and 16 girls.  It must have been pretty disgusting for number 16, but she was so mesmerized to be with this guy that she could ignore what her senses must have been telling her.  I'm not a Puritan denouncing pre-marital sex (and I'm definitely not denouncing rock 'n' roll).  Adults have the right to make their own decisions.  But it astounds me to see how powerful a grip fame has on people.  We obsess over celebrities the way the ancient Greeks were fascinated by the gods on Mount Olympus.  It's a sad commentary about how much our own lives lack interest and fulfillment.  I'm surprised that, after all these years, the late-night talk shows haven't caused us to lose our interest in celebrities, or at least to stop revering them.  When I watch the talk shows,  it looks to me like the host's job is to try and make these people interesting. I would think that, with all their opportunities to travel the world and to meet people, the guests wouldn't need anyone to make  them interesting.  But you know what?  They don't have an obligation to be interesting.  Not when they're off the clock.

Our fascination with celebrities allows them to indulge their worst impulses, but it also is an expression of our worst impulses.  Not only is it a poor way to add interest to our lives, but it blunts our own sensitivity and compassion as well.  We know that people shouldn't be subject to the relentless scrutiny, and invasion of privacy, which fuel the tabloids.  We know that it's wrong to constantly stick our nose in where it doesn't belong, or to pay someone else to do our snooping for us.

Charles Barkley says that he shouldn't be seen as a role model, but truthfully I think that Sir Charles, much like other celebrities, applies a double standard to fame.  If he misbehaves, then he rejects the job of role-model.  But he enjoys the attention and the opportunities that come with fame; he likes being able to give his opinion and have it carried in the newspapers and on the airwaves.  Other athletes just want the financial rewards; they want the paparazzi off their backs, but also want the big-money endorsement deals that come with having a high profile.  Unfortunately, in our society, you can't have your cake and eat it too.  The price of having publicity when you want it is to suffer from publicity when you don't want it.  To me, there's no way around the fact that if your actions and statements are widely publicized, then you're going to have an influence on people.  As a role model, you should behave in a way that others would do well to imitate.  When you decide on the values and principles that shape your actions, you need to ask yourself what kind of a world it would be if everyone shared your values and principles.  Would it be a world you would want to live in?  Personally, I would like to live in a world where Michael Jordan could go out with his family for dinner and a movie without being asked to sign something by anyone over 15.  I know I'll never live in a world like that, but I'm not going to ask him for his autograph.

"The cult of individuals is always, in my view, unjustified.  To be sure, nature distributes her gifts unevenly among her children.  But there are plenty of the well-endowed, thank God, and I am firmly convinced that most of them live quiet, unobtrusive lives.  It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few of them for boundless admiration, attributing superhuman powers of mind and character to them." - Albert Einstein, 1921

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