Not really.
I find it odd that when I go onto a news website, there's several links trying to direct me towards some celebrity news or another that is even more emotionally devastating to the common housewife than the fact that there are hundreds of people dying from treatable diseases, there are thousands of people who are living without things we in America can't live without, and there are probably millions who have to survive in a country that denies them their basic rights.
What is with our fixation on celebrities? When they are perfect little plastic dolls, we feel safe. When we find out that they have faults, cracks, chips in the paint, LOOK OUT! And when one dies, thousands must roam the streets in mourning. Yes, it is sad that a 20 something guy who has been on a few block buster hits has passed away. But what of the many children who are stolen in Africa and the Middle East to be made into soldiers? What of the women living in hostile countries who are raped and killed daily?
What about the fact that a lot of this goes on in our own country? Child soldiers have been used in gangs, women are captured and killed, gays are killed just because of their love, Jane and John Does are found and are never named, their families forced to live without the knowledge of what happened to them... the list goes on and on.
People can ask, "what can I do? that's happening miles away, things like that can't happen to me!" or "I don't want to think about that, I just want to sit in front of the tv and pay attention to my celebrities". But there is a lot one person can do, from volunteering, to giving money, to just being there for their neighbor. And if all a person can do is give money instead of giving time, they might object and say that they don't have enough money to give, they could think of all those movies they have in their dvd case, the amount of money they spend on tv and internet, and how much junk food they stuff down their face, adding to their gut. Most places that ask for money don't ask for a lot. Sure, I don't do anything but make this information known to those who ask, but I'm hoping to do more in the future.
Keeping those who need help in mind are better than forgetting them altogether.
Bah, Celebrities.
ReplyDeleteThe only ones I give a flying monkey's arse about are the ones who directly effect my life, my personallity, my emotions and people who entertain my boring overweight ass.
Heavy metal artists, for example, Dave Mustaine, KISS and Jeff Wayne Etc.
I mourne the passing of those who have effected me, Ronnie James Dio, Cliff Burton, Dimebag Darrel, Freddie Mercury etc.
I also enjoy Wrestling (YES: The outcomes are fake, but the in-ring athleticism is real). And I mourn when a wrestler dies. (RIP Eddie Guerrero.)
In essense: I am the essense of a moron consumer, but I know it, I accept it and I use the knowledge to direct me further.
Doesn't mean I don't mourne the deaths of the untold, uncounted masses dying every day, but I would lose my mind if I thought about EVERY SINGLE statistic. They died, it's a tragedy, I mourne, but they are people who effect me on an emotional level.