|
 Celebrity
Worship
The
public's insatiable appetite…
[Doug Gamble] 8/257/05
Despite
high-profile events such as terrorist bombings, the war in
Iraq, record high gasoline
prices and others, figures recently released by The Audit Bureau
of Circulation for the first half of 2005 show a drop in readership
of news magazines, while celebrity magazines’ circulations
are booming.
The statistics are revealing. Circulation of “Time” remained stagnant
at 4.5 million with newsstand sales falling 3.4 percent. Sales of “Newsweek” at
newsstands plunged 14 percent, although total circulation went up slightly to
3.2 million.
Contributor
Doug Gamble
Doug
Gamble is a former writer for President Ronald Reagan
and resides in Carmel. [go to Gamble index] |
But “People” magazine’s circulation rose
to 3.8 million and it was the number one magazine seller on newsstands,
averaging 1.49 million copies. “In Touch” boosted
its circulation by 49.7 percent; “People” wannabe “Us
Weekly” was up 23.9 percent and American Media Inc.’s “Star” jumped
20.9 percent.
I suspect these results
are not so much a desire to escape from the day-to-day drag
of grim reality as they are a symptom
of a culture that increasingly worships at the alter of celebrity.
Another symptom is television’s fascination with celebrity
news, as spotlighted on such shows as “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,” “The
Insider,” “Showbiz Tonight” and “Celebrity
Justice,” to name a few.
What’s next? Why not celebrity medical news with intimate
details of the stars’ proctological exams?
So how did our culture descend from the World War II era when
celebrity-watching was a welcome distraction to now when it’s an obsession? It’s part
of the continuous dumbing-down of America, the re-shaping of a society that
would rather follow revelations of who’s sleeping with whom in Hollywood
than wrap its mind around issues of substance, even at a time of peril to our
country.
Comedian Kathy Griffin,
whose hilarious rants tearing strips off celebrityhood are
ironic in that she relies on the existence
of celebrities for her bread and butter, says, “When I
was growing up in Chicago dinnertime was for political discussions.
We knew every congressman that did this or that and every alderman
who was on the take. Dinner conversation now is people talking
about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston like they’re friends.”
Another change from
the time of Ms. Griffin’s childhood
is a culture so vapid it creates celebrities such as Paris Hilton
who have accomplished absolutely nothing of merit and are famous
only for being famous. While some might say the same of Zsa Zsa
Gabor from an earlier generation, the woman at least had some
intelligence and a quick wit.
Celebrity worship has elevated some of them to an undeserved
status in the public forum. Pronouncements on foreign policy
by the likes of Sean Penn or Susan Sarandon are reported by the
media as though they actually matter, as if their ability to
memorize lines and deliver them before a movie camera gives them
insights worthy of note.
The fact is, only two actors in U.S. history have had a real
impact on the country, one for worse and one for better -- John
Wilkes Booth and Ronald Reagan. But so powerful has celebrityhood
become that Arnold Schwarzenegger parlayed his fame into the
California governorship, and names mentioned as his possible
opponents in 2006 include Warren Beatty, Rob Reiner and, incredibly,
Robin Williams.
President Franklin
Roosevelt said, “The only thing we
have to fear is fear itself.” President John F. Kennedy
said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what
you can do for your country.” Singer Mariah Carey said, “Whenever
I watch TV and see those poor, starving kids all over the world,
I can’t help but cry. I mean, I’d love to be skinny
like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.”
Which statement best
represents the mentality of U.S. culture today? I think you
know. And what’s more frightening is
that should Ms. Carey or someone like her enter politics and
compete with a serious candidate lacking her fame, she would
probably win. tRO
California-based Doug Gamble contributed speech material to
Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and writes a twice-monthly
column for the Orange County Register and CaliforniaRepublic.org.
Copyright
2004 Doug Gamble
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