Why the hell do I hate this kid so much?
Honestly, what reason do I have to receive even the slightest sliver of joy or satisfaction because a poor kid got in over his head? How does this improve my lot in life? Did his existence cause me a detriment in some way that has now been lifted?
Of course not.
No, my life is the exact same as it's always been, and this bit of media frenzy will in no way alter or affect me in the slightest. So what's the deal? Why are there thousands of people who (like me) had a smug smile on their face when they saw that mugshot? I consider myself a good person, so why the sweet-fuck should I derive any kind of joy from this incident? It's pretty horrible when you think about it, and I've thought about it plenty over the last few days.
This, I believe, is the fallout from an over-saturation of celebrity culture. With the rise of social media and an utter fascination with the way celebrities live their lives, our culture gave birth to reality shows and tabloids and everything else that completely removes the barrier between us and them. It gave us the Kardashians. It gave us Paris Hilton. It showed the world a face of Gene Simmons that wasn't covered in freaky-ass clown makeup. There was a time when being a celebrity meant you had talent (and being renowned for that talent) but now it just means being famous. This form of entertainment has become a level of media all its own. Fifteen years ago movie stars were only famous for the films they were in, and now they're famous for everything else. Ask anyone what Tom Cruise is known for; ten years ago it was Top Gun, now it's all the Scientology bullshit.
And now there's Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and before that Michael Jackson. Now the public has a window into the lives of absolutely everyone. There are now reality shows from people who failed in other reality shows. We just can't get enough of it.
There is still a notion of "other" when it comes to celebrities, and those that we don't like or that don't entertain us personally fall into an almost "non-person" category, and thus we become conditioned to hate them because we are not benefiting from their talents. Justin Bieber's fans are rallying to his defense like a mother panther to her cubs, while I've read Facebook posts from non-fans who've said they hope he gets raped in a prison shower. That's quite a divide, isn't it? How could you possibly wish for someone you've never met and who has never affected you in the slightest to be sexually assaulted in such a setting? Why do we turn against the celebrities we don't like?
I'm going to blame half of it on jealousy and half of it on the media. I realized that personally I was annoyed with Bieber, not because of what he's doing, but because I can't go online or watch TV or turn on the radio without hearing absolutely-goddamn-fucking everyone talk about him twenty-four hours a day. It gets annoying to constantly hear about someone whose art I'm not a fan of and who has more money than me.
And that's not his fault. The poor bastard can't help that he's at the center of all media. The blame for that is on the media alone, and thus on us. I always found blaming the media for things like poor body image kind of a cop out because it's a convenient way of not blaming ourselves. It's like blaming Walmart for being a corporate monster; yeah, it's true, but it wouldn't have any power if we didn't shop there. The same goes for media. The media only produces what it's audience consumes, so the hard fact is this onslaught of celebrity entertainment over-saturation is the fault of everyone clambering for it.
Obviously I can't excuse whatever crimes Justin Bieber has been arrested for (drunk driving is inexcusable) but what I can do is insist that we pull back our collective hatred of people like him who haven't done anything to deserve the ire of the public except that they live at the center of a culture that puts them on a pedestal only so the rest of us will have an easier time slinging mud at them. And yes, I think his music is shit, but there's obviously enough fans who would disagree with me that I can't go around saying he has no right to be a musician. I ain't God, and I don't have the moral authority to go around making calls like that, and frankly, neither does anyone else.
Let's just all calm down instead, and get back to worrying about our own lives and the lives of those immediately around us. That's far more important, in the end.
No, my life is the exact same as it's always been, and this bit of media frenzy will in no way alter or affect me in the slightest. So what's the deal? Why are there thousands of people who (like me) had a smug smile on their face when they saw that mugshot? I consider myself a good person, so why the sweet-fuck should I derive any kind of joy from this incident? It's pretty horrible when you think about it, and I've thought about it plenty over the last few days.
This, I believe, is the fallout from an over-saturation of celebrity culture. With the rise of social media and an utter fascination with the way celebrities live their lives, our culture gave birth to reality shows and tabloids and everything else that completely removes the barrier between us and them. It gave us the Kardashians. It gave us Paris Hilton. It showed the world a face of Gene Simmons that wasn't covered in freaky-ass clown makeup. There was a time when being a celebrity meant you had talent (and being renowned for that talent) but now it just means being famous. This form of entertainment has become a level of media all its own. Fifteen years ago movie stars were only famous for the films they were in, and now they're famous for everything else. Ask anyone what Tom Cruise is known for; ten years ago it was Top Gun, now it's all the Scientology bullshit.
And now there's Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and before that Michael Jackson. Now the public has a window into the lives of absolutely everyone. There are now reality shows from people who failed in other reality shows. We just can't get enough of it.
There is still a notion of "other" when it comes to celebrities, and those that we don't like or that don't entertain us personally fall into an almost "non-person" category, and thus we become conditioned to hate them because we are not benefiting from their talents. Justin Bieber's fans are rallying to his defense like a mother panther to her cubs, while I've read Facebook posts from non-fans who've said they hope he gets raped in a prison shower. That's quite a divide, isn't it? How could you possibly wish for someone you've never met and who has never affected you in the slightest to be sexually assaulted in such a setting? Why do we turn against the celebrities we don't like?
I'm going to blame half of it on jealousy and half of it on the media. I realized that personally I was annoyed with Bieber, not because of what he's doing, but because I can't go online or watch TV or turn on the radio without hearing absolutely-goddamn-fucking everyone talk about him twenty-four hours a day. It gets annoying to constantly hear about someone whose art I'm not a fan of and who has more money than me.
And that's not his fault. The poor bastard can't help that he's at the center of all media. The blame for that is on the media alone, and thus on us. I always found blaming the media for things like poor body image kind of a cop out because it's a convenient way of not blaming ourselves. It's like blaming Walmart for being a corporate monster; yeah, it's true, but it wouldn't have any power if we didn't shop there. The same goes for media. The media only produces what it's audience consumes, so the hard fact is this onslaught of celebrity entertainment over-saturation is the fault of everyone clambering for it.
Obviously I can't excuse whatever crimes Justin Bieber has been arrested for (drunk driving is inexcusable) but what I can do is insist that we pull back our collective hatred of people like him who haven't done anything to deserve the ire of the public except that they live at the center of a culture that puts them on a pedestal only so the rest of us will have an easier time slinging mud at them. And yes, I think his music is shit, but there's obviously enough fans who would disagree with me that I can't go around saying he has no right to be a musician. I ain't God, and I don't have the moral authority to go around making calls like that, and frankly, neither does anyone else.
Let's just all calm down instead, and get back to worrying about our own lives and the lives of those immediately around us. That's far more important, in the end.
