When Will I Be Famous.....

The title of a bad eighties pop song?
or the spread of an insidious infection which has slowly taken over society since pop culture and Andy Warhols famous "15 minutes of Fame" in the sixties.

The tragedy which occurred in Omaha threw up this disturbing aspect of modern culture - he did it because he wanted to be famous.....

This desire for fame without having worked for it or displaying any talent is a cancer which festers at the heart of modern society.
The cult of celebrity, where people are famous just for being famous.
A lifestyle of nightclubs, glamour and a picture in the paper.
Riches, fame, TV interviews, rubbing shoulders with the stars.

All without having worked for it and without displaying anything that sets them apart - except from a promoters vision as to what constitutes the current fad.

Of course some people have always courted the limelight - actors and musicians are examples of this, but they have to have talent or they quickly fall by the wayside.

I'm talking about the Jade Goody's and Paris Hiltons of the world - talentless nobody's who infest society, who are desparate to be in the spotlight in order to validate themselves.

So who is to blame for this?
Well, I put the blame squarely at the door of the media.

Let's take a look at a good example, that of the Big Brother (BB) show.
BB started as a social experiment, run by the Dutch TV company Endemol. It wanted to show the social aspects of a group of different characters locked together in a house, whose lives would be controlled by the unseen Big Brother.
Rewards, punishments, games and interaction dynamics could be watched by the public, with housemates being voted out of the house after being nominated by fellow housemates.
As the show was picked up across the world, we saw fairly normal people on it at first.
Now we have a show where dysfunctional people are paraded for the public and encouraged to make fools of themselves in return for a fleeting glimpse of the celebrity lifestyle when they were evicted from the show or went on to the final.
The reason for this?
The media created the myth of riches and fame for contestants if only they could catch the public imagination, only to delight in crushing them at a moment of their choosing.

The trend of fame for fames sake is not only down to BB though. BB is just a symtom of this sickness in western culture.

Unrealistic expectations of what the world is really like are also to blame, with school leavers totally unprepared for the world outside.
We now have a culture in the UK where it is unacceptable to tell a child they are wrong, where academic streaming and competetive sports are seen as elitist and excluding those who can't compete, and so are removed from the curriculum or discouraged in case a child who cannot compete in a particular arena feels excluded.
Todays buzzword is inclusion - no matter that it gives a child unrealistic expectations.

A tragedy occurred yesterday, and media manipulation and modern society are to blame.

I agree...The trend of fame for fames sake is stupid, ignorant and will not lead to anything eventually.

But can we blame the media only? No doubt they see big money in this and tries to control the watchers buying habbits, but...

In my opinion nobody forces you to watch the BB shows and all that hollywood crap, nobody forces you to buy a magazine about the life of the famous either.

As to the whole elite sports for children, i must say i feel sick by it. Sports are just Sports, but have been turned into a moneymaking, much like the "famous" people.

The true task lies in how we can move ourselfs away from this and teach our children not to fall into this trap of "fame for fames sake" and teach them to play sport for fun and exercise and not for the sake of "one day be famous".

Because the only reason there is money and fame in all this, is because the majority of people enjoy to watch theese socalled "famous" people.

reply to post by Bluess


Whilst I agree with most of what you say, don't underestimate the power of the media and their ability to manipulate.
Yes, people watch the shows, buy the mags etc but without the media hype I don't think they'd be as popular.
Also don't forget the number of people whose only input is TV, and how they believe what's on it and relate to it.
A 15 second soundbite has replaced real news for many and they believe what they see.
Sensationalist tabloid journalism must also take some of the blame, for constantly bombarding people with flashy images of out of reach lifestyles.

I agree that people don't HAVE to watch - but TV rules so many peoples lives that it has become a sort of surrogate for real conversation and interaction, often paid for by advertising of the worst sort.
We must also remember that many people do not understand (or want to?) how they are being manipulated - TV is their god and is infallible.

Good post Budski!

It amazes me how many people crave fame...look at what happens to most "celebrities" who get it-They are mostly far from happy with the media attention,and usually end up in and out of some form of rehab.
Being the center of attention may sound great to some people-until it actually happens to them and they realize its more like having a ball and chain attached.

I completely agree.... people and ecspecially young people are growing up with the idea that success in lifee is evaluated by how much money you make and how famous you become.... broadcasting is also taking full advantage of this by all these reality shows where they are exploiting and using people to make money. they lure people on their shows and play with their emotions and thoughts and then display them on tv... i watch some of these shows.. the bachelor, flavor flave, no deal, etc and think OMG do you people know you are on tv and being watched... woow.. very very sad... I think it all goes back to how the government uses the media to control people thoughts actions and feelings.. total brain wash..

As much as I can not stand hearing about and beeing flooded with images/'news' about these do-nothing celebrities, I am forced to disagree that our time is different than any other. The amount of exposure may have been exponentionally increased over time, but that is all.

Do-nothing's have been a staple of most any society. Born into a life of wealth and leading the life which that wealth affords them. The public loves to talk about them, get a real life glimpse at them and, most of all, watch them fall.

It has always been this way; albeit more pervasive now than before.

I agree with Spines to an extent. Socialites have always been admired, gossiped about, and put on a pedastal only to be ridiculed by the same people who put them there when they fall. The only difference now is that with the introduction of reality TV, the common man actually has a shot to live the fantasy. Some people just have more of a desire than others, even if that treads the waters of mental instability. Fame is not all that it is cracked up to be. I have seen this firsthand.

Yesterday, I drove by David Hasslehoff standing on the corner of Beverly and George Burns dr. He was wearing a dirty shirt with a hole in it, and he was talking to himself. Last week I was in an elevator with Pink in a medical building and got mobbed by literally 20 photogs. These are the sides of fame that you probably wouldn't believe unless you saw it. And trust me, it gets worse. Let's just say that I Totally understand how Britney Spears lost track of reality, it is what you make it out here, and if you don't keep it on a tight leash, it will get you. If our children aspire to be these people and continue to do so in the future, then we are in big do-do as a Country

reply to post by kleverone


Blimey Kleverone,you do bump into 'em don'tcha?

Tragic but somehow slightly amusing image of the Hoff there.
And being in a lift with Pink,hehehe.
I met a famous celebrity once here in the UK,and she tried to jump in front of me in the queue of a shop.
I said"excuse me,I was here first"-and I got the "don't you know who I am?"
treatment.
And I replied-"Don't you work in Macdonald's down the street?"
The celeb almost had a seizure on the spot,as she tried to explain who she was and why she is better that everyone else...
I won't say who it was,but she used to be in a really bad "girl band,"who I hear have recently reformed...
MAN was she furious...
Still wish I had my camera with me at the time!

reply to post by kleverone


I agree about celebrities, but I'm talking more about the Jade Goody's of the world who were nothing before they appeared on some reality show and who are devoid of talent, wit, brains and any kind of redeeming quality.
These are the kind of people that kids today aspire to be - they expect fame and fortune to drop into their laps without actually having to do anything for it, and end up thinking that somehow they are owed a living simply because of their false dreams and aspirations.

Socialites (rhymes with parasites) have always existed and probably always will - Paris Hilton for example - and yes some will aspire to that.

BUT there is a big difference between being an actor, musician, wealthy socialite than being plucked from obscurity because of an expoitative TV show.

This indeed was a tragedy- A young adult who suffered from depression. He had some troubles but who doesn't. Got thrown out of the house when he was 17 and a half. He needed his families love and support. Thats whats wrong with our society today! If they attempted to lift a finger to help him I promise you this wouldn't have happened the way it did.

Due to the hard headiness of his parents and a McDonalds manager firing him plus to add insult to injury his girlfriend broke up with him. A person isn't immune from pain and they can only take so much. No support at all for this young man- because of this 9 people are dead.

This makes me mad to no end -This didn't have to happen!!

Think before you act out of anger if you do be prepared for the consiquences- which could lead to a train wreck.

I agree wholeheartedly, but with one proviso - he didn't need to take others with him.
Also, the note he left suggests something deeper than depression.

My other point is that his mind has been poisoned by the modern media and their flawed view of the world and fame in particular.

i am probably about to catch hell for saying this, but...

i can think of no more useless or untalented group of individuals than those within the "Hip Hop" subculture. in my mind, these are the people whom truly embody and engender this disgusting sense of entitlement.

although i hate rap, my statement is not about the music. it is about a former roommate of mine whom was certain that he was going to break into the scene and be fameous regardless of the fact that he wasnt good at ANY aspect of the music-making process.

how can you blame him? look at his role models. the system that they have set up is sucking the vitality out of culture itself. vampires.

in the sense of the aristocracy, socialites have existed forever. but what we have here IMO is something totally different.

Originally posted by budski

I agree wholeheartedly, but with one proviso - he didn't need to take others with him.
Also, the note he left suggests something deeper than depression.

My other point is that his mind has been poisoned by the modern media and their flawed view of the world and fame in particular.

Perhaps but no one will know until someone investigates deeper.

Depression can destroy lives if not treated nor have support of their family. It could have been prevented I believe. Who knows what someone will do once they snap- and thats what happened to the gunman.

I agree and have a thread about this here which is a truly tragic story if you'd like to read it.
I've also posted in other threads on the issues surrounding mental health, as it's a subject I'm very passionate about

In this thread I'd like to concentrate on the social aspects and media manipulation that makes people want fame for it's own sake.

reply to post by budski


Some great posts my friend!

Just to add my 0.02, I don't see the famous that got there outside the reality game as being worthy of admiration either. However, we have always looked in the wrong direction for our role models and who can blame us when we are not subliminally but point blank told who is it and who isn't.

Unfortunately more and more children are answering the what do you want to be question with some sort of entertainer type answer. I wanted to fly jets in the USAF when I was a kid and if asked I know most wanted to be a Nurse, Astronaut, Policeman, Fireman, etc...Now kids want to be Brittany Spears or Victoria Beckam.

Seems reality is no more reality than it is fantasy anymore.....

Thanks jbondo, and nice to speak to you again.

While I was putting the thread together I came across this which pretty much sums up what you said.

This celebrity, wannabe culture has been a bugbear for a long time, I even got annoyed with my niece - when she was asked what she wanted to be when she left school she said "famous".
Of course I asked "famous for what" and she said "dunno, just famous"

She's 15.

Scary.

Well fame is really just like any other drug (or addiction if you prefer). I experienced on a local level in my teenage years. Fame has perks and drawbacks. I had control (somewhat) over my exposure but during the 1988 campaign I had a good long conversation with a state level politician on fame and exposure while quietly had lunch in an area away from the public eye.

Yeah I was a bit of an icebreaker for him in diferent situations so he could have opportunity to make an impression on people that had some influence. So he asked me about why it was that he kept running into me at various functions. I explained for the same reason he was there. Without controlled exposure, people tend to forget who you are and why they look up to you.

We discussed how to work a crowd. How to spot alpha people among the crowd that hold sway over others and how to scope how impress them so they tell eveyone how great you are. Leading questions to gage and feel out what they want to hear and what they don't want to hear. Things like that.

I have to say, that was an odd time. A 40-something politician that had a 17 year old handler in various social venues. As chance would have it, he was able to introduce me to Bush Sr. after a campaign stop.

I have to say it was interesting being introduced to the then US VP as "the yound man I was telling you about". Stranger still was the fact that I was not intimidated by being introduced to the VP and was in handler mode. I asked him if he already had plans for dinner or had another stop he had to hit. His reaction was as though I was inviting him over to my house so he declined by saying he hadn't thought about it but would mostlikely eat back at Wright-Pat (Air Force Base).

The local politician asked me about it a few weeks later and I told him that I was going to let Bush meet a few people back in Camden or somewhere else of his choice. Jim, just laughed at how Bush missed an opportunity which was my thoughts exactly.

But controlled exposure and impressing the ones that hold sway over others are how you become famous. It is like a lie, tell it enough and people believe it. Saddly, you also tend to believe as well. And that is where the addiction comes into play. As for me, I hung up that hat long ago. I miss it from time to time. And I do entertain people from time to time by being comedic and always get asked why I don't do an open mic night to break into stand up or do some community theater.

No, I made my choice to walk away from it before deeper addictions could creep in and make me a worse person.

A very good and interesting post, that backs up one of my original points beautifully.

These non entities who want fame but have no talent are at the mercy of the media manipulators and PR people simply because they lack the wit to take control of their "careers" - they are fodder for bottom feeders 100% of the time.

Originally posted by Ahabstar
But controlled exposure and impressing the ones that hold sway over others are how you become famous. It is like a lie, tell it enough and people believe it. Saddly, you also tend to believe as well. And that is where the addiction comes into play.

Great point!

It's actually just another form of advertising. I can remember working crowds in the very same fashion as you described. If you reinforce a conscious self perception you can gain popularity just about anywhere.

Does anyone remember the con artist that got everyone believing he was a French Rockefeller? Imagine gaining all the perks, money and notoriety by signing a name in a book and playing the game.

Originally posted by budski
Thanks jbondo, and nice to speak to you again.

While I was putting the thread together I came across this which pretty much sums up what you said.

This celebrity, wannabe culture has been a bugbear for a long time, I even got annoyed with my niece - when she was asked what she wanted to be when she left school she said "famous".
Of course I asked "famous for what" and she said "dunno, just famous"

She's 15.

Scary.

Yes, it's not great how people just want to be famous. It's not helped by the many different magazines that are around always going on about people who are famous for next to no reason at all. The people who actually do things and work hard for it seem to get less attention than those who don't deserve it. It's not helped by the way that those who get in those magazines tend to be people who are known for all the wrong reasons, (such as coming third in big brother or some other equally pointless program) and appearing repeatedly in magazines for the most useless of reasons as well. This compounded by the charts mainly dominated by music made to make a quick buck/pound/yen/whatever, not made to actually be a good song or about anything that could even be considered to be aired from most standpoints.

Bill Bailey was probably right when he said "There is more evil in the charts than an Al Qaeda suggestion box". Surprisingly true for a stand up comedy line.