2 of 76

Write now Article Tools

Apparently, we're not sick enough of celebrity news. The media continues to pump it out and the Paparazzi still seem to be making a decent living stalking celebrities. The fascination with celebrity foibles and meltdowns appears to me to be related to why people slow down to look at an accident. It is a kind of morbid fascination.

With the many really important things going on in our country today, the juvenile behavior of a handful of rich brats really doesn't seem that important. Celebrity-watching is a sport for the young and/or the terminally bored. With millions experiencing real crises in their own lives, lost homes, lost jobs, and worse, the pseudo-crises of the stars just don't seem to be that important.

The fascination with celebrities, especially the most shallow of celebrities, has gotten to the point where it is almost pathological. The morbid curiosity about the death of Anna Nicole Smith is just one of these over-the-top obsessions with celebrities. When did it become newsworthy to see some celebrity make a fool of herself?

Even sports celebrities are making the news more for their crimes than for their playing abilities. When did we start focusing on the personal weaknesses of our celebs and not on how well they do what they do?

I think this must be part of America's bread and circuses, shallow and meaningless fluff news. The purpose seems to be to keep our minds off the fact that our nation is going the way of the Roman Empire, burning to the ground while we fiddle around with celebrities and their uninteresting lives.

The other problem is that this passion about other people's lives suggests a serious problem in our culture. Would I be so spellbound by the lives and antics of the rich and stupid if I had a life of my own? Too many people are trying to have an interesting life by following what they think are the interesting lives of celebrities. They identify with these larger than life figures. Are these models we want for our children?

I'm far more interested in my friends and family. If I had the choice of sitting down with my sister or brothers or some of my friends and sitting down with some flaky celebrity, it would be no contest. You probably have friends who are more interesting than many celebrities. You may be more interesting than many celebrities.

Just because someone is famous doesn't mean they would be interesting to talk to or fun to hang out with. I knew a famous child TV star in the 50s. He was a jerk. He did have a cute sister though. Most celebrities are probably very nice people and would be interesting to talk to. But it seems to be the most messed up ones that get all of the attention.

Getting sick of celebrity news is one of the healthiest things that could happen. Then we could pay attention to what is really important in life. Maybe we can work on making our own lives more interesting and more meaningful. It would certainly be worth the effort.

Learn more about this author, Bob Trowbridge.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Celebrities: Why we're completely sick of celebrity news?
We want to hear your view. Write now!