Why do we still idolize the rich and famous?

reply to post by Anti - Government
We worship physical beauty almost above all else

We as a society will pay someone millions of dollars if they are beautiful and or can manipulate people (for good or bad).

Beyonce is worth 315 million dollars.

Britney Spears is worth 150 m

Nicole Kidman is worth 60m

Madonna 850 m

knowyournetworth.com...

We as a species also worship people who have the ability to manipulate other people (mostly through lies and cheating).

George W. Bush 20-26 m (they can't nail it down my guess is more)

Dick Cheney 21.3 m

Ted Turner 2.3 b

Michael Bloomberg 11.5 b

Want some interesting reading while you're looking for how to keep that roof over your head or keep that job of yours.

Try researching who has made money off of the "financial crisis".

reasonpad.com...

People idolize the rich and famous because they hope to become one themself or are living their dull mundane lives through these privledged people.

Every person that buys those Hollywood Gossip magazines or pays to see a movie or votes without researching is funding into this madness.

While the common man, the person who repairs your water pipes, makes sure you have electricity, researchers that are researching cancer treatments, the person who gets your McDonald Breakfast, all these common folks can barely make enough to put a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. We won't even get into medical care.

Our entire society is run in a most ludicris way and people either have bought into it or simply don't care.

Go to my profile and read about the health care our Senators and Congressional leaders get. Why don't we the American People demand this type of healthcare?

Actors, Politicians and CEO's are our "new royality".

That is why many worship them.

and the rest simply don't care about the injustice and stand around and let the madness continue.

Additional research: Look up who has profitted from the Iraq War.

This is how things are meant to be for now. We are fed bullplop to homogenise our opinions and to feed us with more instances of "this is what you should want in your life".

Media is a tool and it is misused. Once you can see the Not the News, then you can choose to turn it off and not be affected by any of it.

You cannot help those who choose to stay in the dream.

But you can be more awake, you can show it in your actions and shine more for others to see and wonder why you are calm, not speeding through life in the fast lane like the rest of the populations.

Ignore all the bullplop, it is only bullplop after all. The sooner you know that, the sooner you can choose your actions and thoughts more clearly.

I've always wondered the same thing. Authorities never really impressed me, and neither did famous people, besides athletes. It may be a grand plot of brainwashing but I doubt it's deliberately handled. It's more of the people accepting it blindly. I mean anyone could become famous if they wanted to.

I personally think it is pathetic the way some people idolize celebs and sports figures.
If you want to place someone on a pedistal it should be the men and women of the military that protect you and me each and everyday without the proper thanks and very little pay and benefits for their efforts.
When you see a person in the military or a veteran; stop them, shake their hand and say THANK YOU.
This act of kindness will not cost you anything but it will show them that someone knows what they do for each of us.

I don't think we do idolize rich and famous people, I think the media throws it in our face so we do idolize them and distract us for more important information.

I think of it this way:

For almost all of our time as a species, we lived in wandering groups of roughly 20 hunter-gatherers that were loosely related and spent most of their entire lives knowing few other humans. In genetic times its really only been a blink of an eye since we gave up hunting-gathering for sedentary farming, and even most of this time was spent in small villages or rural settlements where everyone pretty much knew everyone else. In such an environment, I am assuming EVERYONE would be known and (presumably) valued for something. Maybe you weren't the chief or the shaman, but you were the guy who could whttle the best spears, tell the best stories, or what have you. Its would be a cozy combination of belinging to a tight-knit group and yet also being recognized as unique in some way.

Fast forward to now and we are, in comparison, living extremely alienated lives from each other. That old combo of belonging and uniqueness is harder and harder to come by. Most of us rarely see our familes or friends, compared to even a a generation ago, and very few live the old extended families or villiage livestyles.

Now people move from anomymous suburb to suburb, drift through faceless malls and bars, change jobs and friends and cities at the drop of a hat. Few people are "known" for anything or have a sense of enduring value to a group the way they would have in a tribe or extended family. So what do they seek as compensation? The holy grail of FAME (or its cousin, wealth). To be famous (it seems) means to have a "reputation" in the global villiage or tribe, to both belong and yet to be known for something unique as an individual, the way people would have been in ancient days. And to be rich seems to be to buy that kind of admiration and reputation, at least on a smaller scale. Or so humanity tells itself. In reality, the rich and famous rarely feeel the kind of warmth and recognition they were striving for. But nonetheless, it seems almost everyone is striving for this feeling of recognition...a lost feeling of belonging to the group and yet being unique in some way.

Originally posted by Anti - Government
Why Do We Still Idolize The Rich And Famous?


Singers/musician’s

Now these guys are my favourite and the ones more worthy of idolizing because they actually have a talent but still IMO should not be idolized the way that they currently are. I mean im my opinion the people who we should be idolizing are the ones who save lives or the ones who are genuinely decent people those are the ones who I think we should be looking up to.

Hip Hop/Rap must not be as popular there as it is here...we actually idolize thieves/drug addicts/pimps/thugs/criminals that rap about how nothing matters except expensive jewelry/cars and how they smack their ho's and have sex with whoever they want.
Every time I see a young woman with a hip hop thug wannabe boyfriend I cringe...you just know she will wind up used, abused, and pregnant. And pull up your pants for crying out loud! This goes for all hip hop/rap thugs, be them black white hispanic whatever...rap is contributing to the deterioration of society IMO

reply to post by Anti - Government


Your not the only one that feels that why. I dont understand why people do that either, i think that idolizing stars and celebrities is like a drug, people get addicted. They wanna be like this star or this actress and sometimes become too skinny or becom a stalker. Not only that but then they forget who they are and what they really like.,

People who should be recognized in my opinion.

Voulunteers helping all over the world. They should be on the front page. People who find cures or break throughs that help out every day life. People that have nothing but acomplish great things.

This such acts or people are far greater than wearing LV, or Coach and having people admire you for that. I really hate when my co-worker tells me.."Have you heard what happened on the Bachleor, or have you seen what so and so was wearing" Im thnking to myself!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS! THE WORLD IS IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL AND YOU R WORRIED ABOUT A GUY DUMPING A GIRL IN NATIONAL TELEVISION!!! She seems so hepless.


But way off topic, sorry! Anyways I agree with you 100%


Peace!

Double post, sorry!


Peace!

[edit on 9-3-2009 by Armour For Victor]

I have never understood the fascination with celebrity itself, particularly with actors. I do have sports and musical idols but I don't know or care about everything they do. If you have to watch a sport, hockey is a good one. They get paid well but not outlandishly, it's not big here in the states so they are generally humble for athletes (although I bet they could get a free beer or two in Canada), and play a damn hard, fun game.
I am also probably a bit obsessed with Tool (the music itself although I can't ignore the talent of the band members).

We live in a world of comparing and competing.
We think they have all of the things that we want and/or need.
We've been led to believe that this is the definition of success.
It isn't true of course.

OP,your train of thought is exactly similar to mine..
I am fed up of those rich and famous who don't do anything positive for the society...it really hurts to see the worthy people go unappreciated...its like our minds are being trained by the media day in and day out...I don't understand why sport stars and celebs are paid fat checks for what they do while here in countries like India the farmers,who provide us with the vital nutrition don't manage a square meal a day or proper electricity and water supply while the rich just squander the resources...its sad really...It would be great if those celebs actually tried to make a difference because they are in the best position to do so !

I'm not totally against people getting silly paychecks for what they do. Fair enough, and good luck to them.

Where I have a problem is when (a) they are treated differently by the law, (b) when they strike for more pay, (c) they believe themselves to be superior, (c) people perceive them as superior.

"Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, you are somebody who is pretty good at dress-up and pretending. However, you still can't get a discount/free meal/free ticket etc. - besides, you should be able to afford it."

When the baseball players went on strike for more pay, the lowest wage was what? $500,000.00 a year perhaps?
Fire them, and find someone who will be grateful for half a million to play a game.

Commit any crime that any celebrity/sports(wo)man does.
Do you get the same treatment?
No.
Why not?

If people are willing to give them silly money, that's great.
If people are willing to treat them as special, good luck to them.
Let's just keep perspective.

_For almost all of our time as a species, we lived in wandering groups of roughly 20 hunter-gatherers that were loosely related and spent most of their entire lives knowing few other humans._

In Jose Arguelles' book Surfers of the Zuvuya, Tales of Interdimensional Surfing,
he has Uncle Joe Thirteen Zuvuya - a kind of spirit guide on his shoulder - end up saying tat we need to forms groups of 13 creating the Crystal Earth Home Improvement Associations, the activities of which are left to the reader's imagination.

Perhaps this is an echo of the Hopi admonition that the time of the lone wolf is over.

[edit on 10-3-2009 by EarthShine]