Time to Dismantle The Pedestals Of Celebrity Culture

A Re-evaluation of Mankind’s distorted perspective

Many would agree that there is something in mankind’s makeup which propels us towards idolatry. In the main, the focus of this outward attention is normally some Godhead. Since most people are, from a very early age, indoctrinated into one religion or another, the worshipful reverence towards a Deity is, to most of us at least, understandable, and universally accepted as the norm. Since time immemorial, this has apparently been the way of the world.

However, within the last seventy or eighty years, a new form of idolatry has reared its ugly head, that being the phenomenon of celebrity worship. From Frank Sinatra, to Elvis, Cliff Richard to the Beatles, Madonna to Ariana Grande, Pele to Lionel Messi, people have created vast pedestals on which to place certain public figures, be they musicians, writers, artists, sportsmen or even politicians.

Taking nothing away from these people and their perceived skills or talents, if they bring pleasure into the lives of their devotees, then all credit to them.

But there are questions begging to be asked: Why do we value celebrities so highly? Are our own existences so mundane that this adulation in some way acts as a form of anaesthetic?

Well, there are many aspects of modern living which could potentially be responsible for this relatively recent development in human behaviour.

Throughout our childhood years, we are exposed to social conditioning, be it via our education system, television, cinema, literature and, yes, even apparently innocuous fairy tales.

From our first day at school, we are told that the amount of money you will earn as an adult is inextricably and directly linked to your ability to first learn, and then regurgitate ad hoc all the information presented to you in the classroom, or in the literature you are given to read. We are drilled into believing that only extremely talented people make it in their chosen profession, and that only certain gifted souls can be creative.

We are conditioned to believe that success can only be measured by the amount of money you earn. The general consensus seems to be that high earners are far cleverer than the lower paid, and that they must have worked far harder to get where they are. In some instances, it might be the case that they are more academically gifted, or possess a stronger work ethic. But to automatically assume this of everyone who has apparently “made it” is both misguided and inaccurate.

In order to explore this further, we need to examine in depth what these successful celebrities do, and whether the vast sums of money they “earn,” not to mention the public attention they receive, are actually justified. To get things in perspective, let’s look at things from a few different angles:

1. Imagine that a catastrophic natural event has devastated the world as we know it, and mankind is technologically all but cast back into the dark ages. There are a few survivors. In a scenario such as this, who are you going to value as indispensable members of your tightknit community? Well, the primary necessities are going to be food, water, shelter and preferably someone with a medical background. So, logically, you are going to value anyone with a grounding in agriculture, construction, engineering and health.

In this situation, it’s hard to imagine anyone seeking with any enthusiasm the services of a man who can run 100m in 9.3 seconds, dance the Nutcracker Suite, paint like Van Gogh, net a basketball from 50 feet, or who can sing a top C whilst juggling five cricket balls. So, for this community to thrive, the farmer, the builder, the engineer and the medic are the ones to value.

2. You have a secret alien friend named Phlarg. Phlarg is Arcturian, and from time to time pops by to visit. This cosmic chum is keen to learn of our ways, and asks you many questions about our culture. One day, you’re both sat watching a sports programme on television, and a very famous person is being interviewed. Intrigued, Phlarg has some questions to ask. The dialogue goes like this:

Phlarg - What does this man do?

You – Oh, he’s one of the top tennis players in the world.

Phlarg – What is tennis? I take it it’s some sort of game?

You – It’s a sport. The objective is to outsmart your opponent by hitting a small yellow fluffy ball over a net, and try to make it bounce on their side of an area we call a court, without him being able to return it to your half.

Phlarg – Really? And I take it this is important to you humans?

You – To some, yes.

Phlarg – And is it, as you would say, lucrative. It attracts a lot of your exchange tokens?

You – You mean money? Hell, yes. They receive a lot of money for doing what they do.

Phlarg - I’m puzzled. Does this tennis in some way heal, or save the lives of those observing?

You – Ha ha ha! No, not exactly, but it sure does entertain the fans that follow it.

Phlarg – So, people in the medical profession are rewarded more highly than these players for taking care of humanity?

You- Actually, no, these top tennis players make a lot more money in the main.

Phlarg – You humans have some very strange ways. You appear to value a man, who makes his living by hitting a fluffy ball over a net to his opponent, above someone who could improve a person’s health? I’m beginning to understand why your world is in such a mess!!

3. The people who are the target of our admiration are in jobs that they absolutely love doing. How many of us can say the same? And how many of these stars would still be in their profession if they were paid a miserly £10 per hour?

Not content with earning way above the average wage, many fields of the arts hold annual award ceremonies. These vacuous events, where red carpets become the backdrop for what is in effect a glorified fashion show, serve only to reinforce the perception that these are very special people indeed, and the man in the street is not worthy of their attention. And while these ceremonies take place, millions of people are starving and struggling to scrape a living.

Now try to imagine nurses, firefighters, policemen, paramedics or the armed forces, dressed to the nines, preening themselves and strutting their stuff at an awards ceremony. It would just never happen. Why? Because these are men and women who, if praised for their services, would modestly reply that they were merely doing their job. In reality, they are the ones truly deserving of plaudits.

At this point, having been seemingly so scathing of the stars we know and love, it is probably a good time to reiterate that in no way is this article intended to demean or devalue what these celebrities bring to the masses. It’s perfectly natural to admire someone for what they can do. But raising them to Godlike status is both unhealthy and self-defeating.

We must face facts; when it comes to choosing the ones worthy of praise, mankind has completely lost its way. A combination of social engineering and an elitist education system have seen to that. How can the situation be fixed?

Well, we could start by asking teachers to refrain from conditioning their pupils to believe that the only measure of success is the salary we earn. Perhaps if that were to happen, our future generations may learn the true values in life, and that service to others is a far more rewarding ambition than mere acquisition of lucre. In conclusion, it’s high time we brought down not so much the false idols themselves, but more the golden, jewel-encrusted pedestals we have so naively placed them upon.

The final message I would like to convey is that everyone is good at something. Remember you are good enough. Many are failed by an “every-size-fits-all” education system which, rather than attempting to discover a child’s strengths and interests, instead treats everyone as though they were androids, devoid of any preferences, desires or dreams. The time for change is here.