Five thoughts, ideas, insights, or quotes to power up your mind to think differently and creatively about life and who we are. Put all previous thinking away and open up a brand new world of the Supermind. YOUR SuperMind.
This week – Celebrities.
You can’t move these days without hearing the term celebrity. It seems people who do anything small or were once on a TV show are classed as celebrities. So much has this sub industry exploded it even has it’s own name….Celebrity Culture. As we can’t get away from celebrities then, SMS takes a good look by asking questions about them and their existence in our lives.
1. What does celebrity mean?
Let’s cut to the chase and start big. The label ‘Celebrity’ appears to be attached to virtually anyone these days and not for something momentous or record breaking. Typically until social media arrived a celebrity was a world figure at the very top – THE best actor/actress in the world, a person famous in history, etc. Not anymore. It truly has been dropped many levels. The dictionary definition of a celebrity is ‘The state or fact of being well known, widely discussed, or publicly esteemed’ Which leads to the first question….
Consequently, are current celebrities truly ‘well known’ or simply promoted as that so they will be?
2. Dumbing down or lifting up?
Modern society has been accused of being a cotton wool one. Particularly that every tiny risk or effort or activity is prevented due to worry over minor hurt or damage. The phrase attached to this is ‘dumbing down’. The ‘fall’ of society to this effect has been matched by the rise in numbers of so called celebrities. We used to be as tough as nails as people and celebrity was for the very few. Now we are soft as tissues and celebrity is for the many. Which begs the question…
Are we dumbing down celebrities and their hard endeavours to get there, or elevating ordinary people to think better of themselves?
3. Setting the wrong standards?
Historically celebrities were good for us. They were a small band of pinnacle people at the peak of certain professions. The very best of the very best. World beaters and world winners. They were figures to look up to, to admire, to be in awe of. People who had started like one of us and tirelessly and diligently fought and struggled to get where they are. Presently I’m sure that can’t be said of the current crop of ‘celebrities’ overall, many only barely working for less than a decade and often far less. Celebrities before were standard bearers for never ending determination, persistence, and sheer hard work.
As it takes far less time or effort to be called a celebrity, does that set good or poor standards ? What are they??
4. How many celebrities?
Since the start of the 21st Century the media has been busy making more and more people celebrities. The figure goes up every single week. Truth is, celebrity status was confined to a small group. This protected the very ideal of an exalted person who had achieved something of an elevated nature. This inspired people of all ages. Times have most definitely changed. Celebrities exist across the board, supplied with the title for a fraction of the level or results past celebrities reached. Where there were a handful, now it’s chocked full.
Do we need so many celebrities? Why do we require that many at all?
5. Finally, is it all real anyway?
French musician and record producer, Thomas Bangalter observed this about celebrity, ‘Usually the…celebrity lifestyle can disconnect people from reality’. Perhaps he has spotted something others never have. This whole celebrity thing is merely a bubble that people want to live in with lots of nice things, attention all the time, money to do what they want……and mainly to escape how hard real life is. A bubble life which protects them from the harsh struggles and mental pressures everyone goes through to live.
Is being a celebrity nowadays just a desire to escape from reality?
Ok, that’s another SuperMind Saturday done. Thank you for being here for the SuperMind time. Keep thinking about these. We need more minds thinking about this issue and the others issue on SuperMind Saturdays. Why? Because it’s needed. Because the world requires new thoughts and ideas. Ones from people like you!!
See you next time for more super thinking.
References – Oxford English Dictionary – Celebrity.
Photo attribution – Free to use under Pixabay Content License by OmarMedinaFilms.
