Ha, fooled you! It's not a post about Michael. That's been covered enough, don't you think? No, I'm writing about us, the people we see reflected every day, because I really want to know what the hell is wrong with society. The endless celebrity worship is getting a bit scary.
I know it's always been here - movie rags have been printed almost as long as movies themselves - but it seems to be rising into a fugue of idiocy. Jackson - okay, I admit, this post is partly about him - has been nothing but a tabloid punchline for years, but now we're declaring a day of world mourning, dominating all media in way he could only have dreamed of while he was still sucking wind.
There's a disconnect somewhere. It used to be, celeb worship was based on the public persona (it used to be more tightly managed by stars and studios, to avoid career meltdowns like Tom Cruise on Oprah) of stars, who appeared rich, glamorous, usually happy, and always, always, passionate. In other words, we worshiped the idea that these stars had licked all the problems mere mortals struggled with: bills, depression, romantic longing. But now, look at who we're fixating on: Jackson has been the center ring of a circus of freaks for the bulk of his life. Is this really the guy we idolize and aspire to? Add to this the endless parade of pro athletes with mug shots, political figures with well-greased zippers, and movie stars who have no off-camera life, and I wonder who were supposed to strive to be. Actually, I wonder who kids are aspiring to be these days.
Am I cynical and old? I suppose, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong, either. Get a grip on yourselves, people. You decide who you want to be, not based on celebrities, because you know what, they're as fucked up as we are... except with more money... and cameramen.
I won't lie to you here. I'm reading your blog because you actually update it, and I want you to read my posts, too, if you...have as much time to spare as I do at 5:30 in the mo[u]rning (an obit joke). One day, I will have an awful fight with the goddess Insomnia.
ReplyDeleteAre you a fan of the Venture Brothers? Have you ever stayed up late, flicking through the crapload of programming on Adult Swim? Watch those warm, second-rate movies being put out by the REAL artists in Hollywood (read: for example, "I Love You Man," which had problems, sure, but a lot of heart)?
There are so many people in this world that the ones growing up in it, coming of age, are learning to settle for failure and mediocrity. We compete with so many others, and realize that the niches created by Odysseus, Shakespeare, the Confederate Army, Bogart, Keith Richards, and even Bill Gates are no longer niches that need to be satisfactorily refilled. Us smart kids know that the we are a generation or three in a post-immortal world, one in which even the King of Pop himself is a disposable news bit that CNN thanks for providing a week of different, "interesting" programming. I tend bar some days of the week, and have those heads citing news bulletins over my shoulder for hours on end: I can't tell you how utterly sick I get of hearing about Swine Flu, politicians' sex scandals, and now even the unfortunate and tragic death of a [partial] man whose death is the only internal peace he's had on this earth for many, many years.
How can you feel like you belong on a planet where somebody else is there to readily take your place? There are no heroes anymore, Jackson was the last of them, and it seems even he can't hold out.
Please, though, tell me I'm wrong.