The Cult of Personality

It’s understandable not to want the burden you are saddled with.  Celebrities, however, how few and far between in regards to burden.  So much so they have forgotten what is was like to be normal.  They can no longer relate to the average working man or woman.  The one burden they carry is that of role model.  The tired excuse of not asking to be a role model is just that, an excuse.  People look up to them, regards of their worth or talent.  Magazines and industry are built of this cult of celebrity.  And it is their responsibility to in some way show proper etiquette and decorum.  Or at least, you know, not drug up, abuse your significant other, spout of racial epithets and run from the cops. Normal sane adults are swept up in this nonsense.  Offenses truly heinous are swept under the carpet due to celebrity status, good looks and little bit of charisma.

I mentioned this next part in a previous post but it’s worth revisiting.  When I lived in Philadelphia I followed the football team, the Philadelphia Eagles.  They were good but always the underdogs.  I left a few ago and moved back to Connecticut.  I never liked the Patriots but I went to a few games with some fans.  I refuse to root for the Eagle anymore after they hired on Michael Vick.  It’s far too soon for me to forgive him.  I’ve heard arguments from people, some even persuasive, that I shouldn’t let that get in the way but I have refused.  I can’t abide getting behind a team with an asshole like that as a star player.  I can’t so easily forgive.  One of the kids I work with at the dojo told me it’s in the past and he did his time.  Like that debt he had was washed away clean.  I thought heavily on that.  Jails in general as a premise are built on the idea of rehabilitation.  I find this flawed when the prison system breeds crime and rape.  Jails often turn minor criminals even meaner because they are plunged into a world o depravity.  Jail isn’t about fixing people it’s about forgetting them, tucking them away for a time to be ignored.  A very violent and ugly time out but without the warmth or a parent and no real lesson learned.  Yes, I understand there is always a need for repercussion and punishment but I find that prison is only about that.  Prison should be about modifying the behavior that brought the person there in the first place.  You can’t rationally say that a person is so bad they had to be removed from society as a whole and expect time alone to heal that personality flaw.

So should I just get over my anger and root for the team.  Not really.  He was out of a job for a while and then returned to a cushy lifestyle after a few dozen apologies.  Not good enough for me.  I don’t blame Vick for this I blame the Eagles.  Fuck them for hiring him.  The image of the team is more important than wins and losses.  But he’s talented so they hire him anyway.  And this is the team that had enough of T.O. bad behavior.  To borrow someone else joke this is the guy that got angry he could only receive the ball once on a touchdown.  How many scumbags do we need on this team?

The other argument I had for Vick was a bit more scary.  It involved the cultural background of the behavior, in this case dog fighting.  Much like Mexican Cock fighting, or Spanish bullfighting or the dozens of other cruel for sport abuses of animals, dog fighting is part of a culture.  So to that culture it isn’t inherently cruel.  And Vick was a part of that culture even after he had transcended the barriers with his wealth and fame.  But this though means we can never elevate ourselves past our start.  It would validate that caste system.  I just can’t abide that form of predestination.  I know too many people who defy this flawed logic.

But the point I was getting at is that famous people have a responsibilty to the public.  We made you famous and filled you pocket with money.  It’s very easy to pick on Chris Brown and the reason is he deserves it.  Now I won’t be so old fashioned in saying you never hit a defenseless woman.  Gender has nothing to do with it.  There a plenty of women out there who would beat me to a pulp.  They are in no means defenseless.  But you shouldn’t hit someone smaller and weaker than you.  You shouldn’t hit period.  And you shouldn’t hit you partner.  This is the person you have to be vulnerable with, show bare emotion and trust.  They do the same for you.  You are supposed to be safe and secure.  But then if you are some punk manboy like Brown you do as you please and expect to get away with it.  He seems so righteously indignant over his antics.  He genuinely feels wrongly accused when someone antagonizes him for beating bloody his girlfriend.  Like we should all just forget because he said he’s sorry.  And what’s worse is his legion of fans constantly make excuses for him.  They adore him.  That’s scary.  I turn the channel if Chris Brown is signing.  Which is too bad because I do think he is talented.  It’s just overshadowed but his incredible doucheyness.

Now I had heard, as apparently celebrity gossip travels reasonably close to the speed of light, that Rihanna’s father has weighed in on some of the nonsense.  Now you would expect the man to have some strong feelings.  But not when those feeling are for her to lose weight and get back with Chris Brown.  I haven’t verified this rumor as it would only make me angrier than I already am.  I have many problems with this.  Firstly I think we need a few more not twig but pretty women celebrities.  We have a thousand skinny famous women.  Give me a few more not so skinny ones.  We have Queen Latifa, Kirstey Alley and like three others.  We don’t need as many skinny bitches.  I might have to start force feeding some of Hollywood already.  Angelina is already past hope.  I seriously think she may be a lich at this point.  But worse than weight issues (and don’t women are alone in this men are growing much more acutely aware of body issues) is the idea of getting back with an abusive partner like he deserves a chance.  No, we don’t forgive and forget savage beatings.  If it was one angry strike I understand.  That’s a really bad thing to do but you emotion flared and you would, hopefully, regain your senses.  But after that one strike and you continue you have crossed a threshold into place where there is no forgiveness.  That manboy needs to learn his actions have consequences.  Sadly he is too busy getting awards and getting into twitter battles.  If Rihanna actually gets back with him that is sending the worst possible message to little girls.  I cannot stomach the idea of an abusive relationship coming to fruition because of her stupid choice.  And, yeah, you can say it is her personal choice and she has that right but she still has to accept the responsibility that her choice affects millions.  Her choice will be echoed by many others.

I am extremely frustrated when the people we have elevated to fame do not repay us with some consideration.   It is unsurprising when they ignore us.  But if we keep making excuse for them and buying their music can we expect them to change.  I read an article a little while ago blasting Chuck Norris for forcing Expendable 2 to a PG-13 rating instead of an R as he felt it would be inappropriate for his fans.  He stuck to his gun and wouldn’t play the part with the R script.  They changed the movie for him.  I honestly think the article had it wrong.  Ignore Chuck’s possible ego but he wasn’t trying to stop the movie or ruin it just not helping if they didn’t coincide with what he felt was his moral obligation.  And yeah they did mention his R work earlier which does point to hypocrisy but Chuck has grown more religious and conservative over the years.  He has stuck to this and while my belief don’t convinced with his I respect his action.  I read nothing of underhanded tactics, no name calling, just a simple demand.  And not an entirely unreasonable one.  They didn’t need Chuck for the movie, they have like fifteen action stars.  And probably a big enough budget to digitally reanimate Bruce Lee.  And sorry Chuck Bruce kicked your ass.  I don’t care how many Chuck Norris facts there are you still lost on film.  Oh, and his favorite kick isn’t the roundhouse it’s a spinning wheel kick/reverse crescent.  One of the favored kicks of Korean styles, which he studied when in the service (Korean arts being the first to really penetrate the states).

But for every celebrity like George Clooney who gets arrested while protesting human right violations we have vapid celebutards twitters blowing up with infighting, bickering, meanness, and conduct unbecoming a public figure.  And it is our fault for supporting these people still.  And our kids are suffering for it.  So either the celebrities start acting better or we have to just stop spending money on the assholes.  Nothing makes a person change their behaviors like money suddenly disappearing.

Ben