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by Crumb Eye on January 20th, 2005

Crumb Eye

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Why do people get so excited about seeing celebrities when they are just normal people?

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  • by Alonzo Garbonzo on November 16th, 2005

    Alonzo Garbonzo

    Celebrities are just normal people in the sense that outsized talent or exceptional beauty does not make one god-like. With the exception of those who are famous just for being famous, celebrities work just like anyone else. It's just that they have really great jobs. Is that a reason to go ga-ga over them?

    Those who get excited about celebrities tend to objectify their fellow humans.
    http://changingminds.org/explanations/preferences/empathy_object.htm
    "When we objectify others, we strip them of their humanity and their individuality..."

    Objectifying a celebrity lets the worshipper feel entitled to harrass or even stalk the object of their rapture. To the worshipper, it's not harrassment, it's a heartfelt show of adoration. The celebrity should be grateful for the attention.

    From
    http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2004/06/20040607_b_main.asp
    "Anthropologists suggest that our love affair with luminaries is just an extension of a centuries' old instinct to imitate successful people. If our prehistoric predecessors worshipped the hunters, today's celebrity seekers hunt the worshipped."

    http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/14/1060588497208.html
    "A third of people reportedly suffer from Celebrity Worship Syndrome, a fascination in the lives of the rich and famous that can become a dangerous addiction.

    "[University] psychologists...interviewed more than 600 people about their personality and interest in celebrities.

    "They were asked to rate statements such as:
    - I am obsessed by details of my favourite celebrity's life.
    - I consider my favourite celebrity to be my soul mate.
    - If he/she asked me to do something illegal as a favour, I would probably do it.

    "The responses cast doubt on the conventional view that celebrity worship is categorised into pathological and non-pathological cases -- in other words, harmless fun and obsession.

    "Instead, the replies pointed to a "sliding scale" in which the celebrity devotee becomes progressively more fascinated with his or her idol.

    "In addition, celebrity fans are significantly likelier to suffer from anxiety, depression and social dysfunction than non-worshippers."

    The proliferation of tabloid TV shows and scandal sheets has brought about a golden age of celebrity worship. Or, as social critic Bill McKibben puts it, "The Age of Living Vicariously."

    Worshippers offset the emptiness of their lives by living vicariously (substituting secondhand experience for actual living) through their idols.

    "The TV, and the consumer society it anchors," McKibben says, "constantly teach us not to look to the simple, the easy, the obvious sources of pleasure."

    http://www.urielw.com/mckibben.htm
    http://www.billmckibben.com/books.html

    Comments

    • Thorough, well-written answer, good links. Nice job,as usual, AG!!.

      Jodie44

      by Jodie44 on November 29th, 2005

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