Pages: 1 2 3

 

2009-06-26 19:55:45
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

lowing wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

Air France was in the news a lot. What about John Smeaton? His actions were extraordinary. The NEWS reports on changing and extraordinary events. Thats what makes it news.

This is very simple.. we watch, read, and listen to things that entertain us. Why do you think this equates to appreciation? Actually, the attention that celebrities get is often the entertaining part. That doesn't mean you don't appreciate the millions of people who improve society everyday. When there is a major medical breakthrough or scientific discovery it does make the front pages.
John Smeaton?
Page A1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1183764 … us_pageone
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 20:02:05
lowing
Banned
+1,662|6956|USA

Kmarion wrote:

lowing wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

Air France was in the news a lot. What about John Smeaton? His actions were extraordinary. The NEWS reports on changing and extraordinary events. Thats what makes it news.

This is very simple.. we watch, read, and listen to things that entertain us. Why do you think this equates to appreciation? Actually, the attention that celebrities get is often the entertaining part. That doesn't mean you don't appreciate the millions of people who improve society everyday. When there is a major medical breakthrough or scientific discovery it does make the front pages.
John Smeaton?
Page A1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1183764 … us_pageone
and when he dies, how much media attention will he get? How many vigils with claims of his ability to change their lives forever will there be? How many sand sculptures will be created or paintings, or how will his t-shirt sales be?

Last edited by lowing (2009-06-26 20:04:33)

2009-06-26 20:11:46
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

lowing wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

lowing wrote:

John Smeaton?
Page A1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1183764 … us_pageone
and when he dies, how much media attention will he get? How many vigils with claims of his ability to change their lives forever will their be? How many sand sculptures will be created or paintings, or how will his t-shirt sales be?
Dunno.. but they sure pushed the merchandise when it happened.
In the past week, Mr. Smeaton's image and deeds have begun spreading around the Internet. His head is superimposed onto the body of Superman, Rocky Balboa and the "Star Wars" character Obi-Wan Kenobi. Faux-movie posters depict him as the hero in "Shaft" and "Braveheart." He has become the subject of heroic verse, some written in the style of Scottish poet Robert Burns. T-shirts with his photo and the message "What Would John Smeaton Do" sell for £15 (about $30) on eBay.

The Scottish edition of the Sun tabloid newspaper has started a petition among readers to call on politicians to award medals to Mr. Smeaton and the other airport responders. During debate in Parliament this past week, MP Pete Wishart asked the government to honor those on the attack scene with awards and "to pay tribute to John Smeaton, the one-man scourge of international terrorism at Glasgow airport."
MJ entertained people for decades. His music was played at weddings, dances, and other life celebrating social events. It's familiar, it's nostalgic... people are appreciating his music.

A job saving lives is also appreciated on a personal level. Because it does happen a lot it is not news. Still, it is appreciated.

Btw I totally agree that people take it too far. Crying at concerts.. fighting over tickets. But for the most part they are either kids or have meaningless lives.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 20:14:59
Hurricane2k9
Pendulous Sweaty Balls
+1,538|6007|College Park, MD
I agree lowing it is ridiculous. But in the end, regardless of how much attention I get, if I know I've made a meaningful contribution to society then I can die happy.
https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/36793/marylandsig.jpg
2009-06-26 20:19:58
lowing
Banned
+1,662|6956|USA

Kmarion wrote:

lowing wrote:

Kmarion wrote:


Page A1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1183764 … us_pageone
and when he dies, how much media attention will he get? How many vigils with claims of his ability to change their lives forever will their be? How many sand sculptures will be created or paintings, or how will his t-shirt sales be?
Dunno.. but they sure pushed the merchandise when it happened.
In the past week, Mr. Smeaton's image and deeds have begun spreading around the Internet. His head is superimposed onto the body of Superman, Rocky Balboa and the "Star Wars" character Obi-Wan Kenobi. Faux-movie posters depict him as the hero in "Shaft" and "Braveheart." He has become the subject of heroic verse, some written in the style of Scottish poet Robert Burns. T-shirts with his photo and the message "What Would John Smeaton Do" sell for £15 (about $30) on eBay.

The Scottish edition of the Sun tabloid newspaper has started a petition among readers to call on politicians to award medals to Mr. Smeaton and the other airport responders. During debate in Parliament this past week, MP Pete Wishart asked the government to honor those on the attack scene with awards and "to pay tribute to John Smeaton, the one-man scourge of international terrorism at Glasgow airport."
MJ entertained people for decades. His music was played at weddings, dances, and other life celebrating social events. It's familiar, it's nostalgic... people are appreciating his music.

A job saving lives is also appreciated on a personal level. Because it does happen a lot it is not news. Still, it is appreciated.

Btw I totally agree that people take it too far. Crying at concerts.. fighting over tickets. But for the most part they are either kids or have meaningless lives.
meaningless lives, I'll go with that.
2009-06-26 20:22:30
lowing
Banned
+1,662|6956|USA

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

I agree lowing it is ridiculous. But in the end, regardless of how much attention I get, if I know I've made a meaningful contribution to society then I can die happy.
I agree, but it is pathetic that if you did make a meaningful contribution to society, it will go largely un-noticed. Unless of course your contribution is a home run, a hit song, or a tv show.
2009-06-26 20:26:12
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

I agree lowing it is ridiculous. But in the end, regardless of how much attention I get, if I know I've made a meaningful contribution to society then I can die happy.
A poster I have had for years.. means a lot to me

https://i39.tinypic.com/e0pohd.png

https://i41.tinypic.com/2zjhqvo.jpg
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 20:34:03
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

lowing wrote:

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

I agree lowing it is ridiculous. But in the end, regardless of how much attention I get, if I know I've made a meaningful contribution to society then I can die happy.
I agree, but it is pathetic that if you did make a meaningful contribution to society, it will go largely un-noticed. Unless of course your contribution is a home run, a hit song, or a tv show.
It will be noticed by the people that he directly affected. I can't imagine any major news outlet being able to cover these things every time they happen. Life saving/changing events happen a few hundred thousand times a day.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 20:34:27
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6710|North Carolina

lowing wrote:

Now that MJ is dead and the media will be filled, for the next 2 weeks, everything Michael the question beckons to be asked:

What is it that makes us obsessed with celebrities? Why is appearing on TV or radio instantly make you famous? Hit a ball far, drive really fast, shoot a lot of baskets or start a reality show about your 8 kids and you are the subject of obsession. Cure cancer, or the common cold and no one will give a shit or even remember your name.


What does this say about our priorities as a society. MJ wrote music and sang and danced, and this, according to the fans, has changed their lives or touched them in some spiritual way.  All of this celebrity worship makes me sick and makes those of you who obsess over these people look like fools.

Rescue children from a burning building, no one gives a shit, be in a movie, or sing a song,  and you are a hero. It is time to let these celebrities go and start worrying about ourselves. They are not worth our attention.
We see the same with politicians and other government leaders.

One way or another, people need someone to look up to.  It's what superhero stories are based around as well.

And you can even analogize it with religion...  the ultimate case of looking up to someone/something.

Why do people have this need?  The reasons are varied, but it can be boiled down to a few key things....

1) low self-esteem

2) fear derived from daily troubles

3) a strong desire to be famous or wealthy

4) a strong interest in the person's art form

or...

5) a strong desire for having a purpose and someone to represent that purpose (and in effect, lead people as a role model)

Celebrity worship is usually #1, #3, and/or #4

Politician worship and religion are usually #1, #2, and/or #5

Personally, I don't worship anyone or anything.
2009-06-26 20:35:04
Hurricane2k9
Pendulous Sweaty Balls
+1,538|6007|College Park, MD

lowing wrote:

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

I agree lowing it is ridiculous. But in the end, regardless of how much attention I get, if I know I've made a meaningful contribution to society then I can die happy.
I agree, but it is pathetic that if you did make a meaningful contribution to society, it will go largely un-noticed. Unless of course your contribution is a home run, a hit song, or a tv show.
Yes, what a lot of Americans worship isn't exactly worship-worthy material. I think one thing of note (and this ties in to Kmarion's poster) is that we've always sort of worshipped celebrities (it's just more pronounced with 24/7 news and the internet etc), but despite that we still have real heroes who invent new great things, who find cures and treatments for diseases, who give selfless service to their communities. It seems that the greatest contributions to society are made by people who don't care if they're remembered for it.
https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/36793/marylandsig.jpg
2009-06-26 20:39:57
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

I know of no one over the age of 18 that worships any celebrity. Sure they are out there.. but I hardly think it's the norm. Like I said, for the most part it's just entertaining. .. sometimes it entertaining just to watch people react. That is NOT worship.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 20:42:58
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

It seems that the greatest contributions to society are made by people who don't care if they're remembered for it.
One hundred percent agree. .. and tbh there are some artist who despise their celebrity status.. Johnny Depp.

Comes with the territory though.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 20:43:07
Hurricane2k9
Pendulous Sweaty Balls
+1,538|6007|College Park, MD
There's obviously enough of an audience for a network like CNN to fawn over them.
https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/36793/marylandsig.jpg
2009-06-26 20:48:52
jsnipy
...
+3,277|6827|...

lowing wrote:

jsnipy wrote:

lowing wrote:


People look at car wrecks because it is something out of the ordinary that you do not see everyday.

Following a celebrity's every move and getting involved as if it was your business or even really concerned you when the celebrity you are obsessing over does not know you exist or even really cares is something entirely different.
no, everything maps back to something primal. You see success, you want to emulate it, you see catastrophe you want to avoid it. Don't somehow think that "society", "culture", and "intellect" somehow circumvent or shortcut what we are.
Then what separates people like me who do not celebrity worship movie stars or sports figures from those that will buy a pair of shoes because Michael Jordan said so or buy the laundry detergent that their favorite driver is sponsored by?
Everyone takes their cues from different sources
2009-06-26 21:03:03
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6906|132 and Bush

These people are entertainers. There main goal in life is to get an audience. Why is the attention they get surprising? People that lose track of reality should have had parents that taught them how to prioritize. It is certainly not the fault of the artist or even the network that covers them. They are delivering what the consumer ask for. .. if they don't they disappear.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
2009-06-26 21:14:24
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,984|6937|949

Kmarion wrote:

I mean no disrespect.. but who cares? .. and the bit about no one giving a crap if someone rescues a child? That's not my experience at all.
Exactly - who cares what other people are entertained by?  It doesn't hurt you or negatively affect your life.  I don't go around sulking because people like Science Fiction or play WOW to entertain them, why should someone give a fuck what I do to entertain myself or who I look up to.  Why are you so interested in what "touches" people?  From the sounds of it you don't like the media coverage, so change the channel, turn of the TV, read a book, listen to music, play a video game, play with your kids, whatever.  The mainstream media does go apeshit over random acts of generousity or kindess, but there's a short attention span.  Michael was a fixture for at least 3 decades - he probably was the most popular person (not athelete, not pop star, not entertainer - the most popular person) in the world for a time.
2009-06-26 21:28:57
lowing
Banned
+1,662|6956|USA

Kmarion wrote:

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

It seems that the greatest contributions to society are made by people who don't care if they're remembered for it.
One hundred percent agree. .. and tbh there are some artist who despise their celebrity status.. Johnny Depp.

Comes with the territory though.
Yeah Johnny Depp is an exception I would guess, also Ed Norton would be another.

It really isn't the problem of the famous, it is a sad mark against our society.
2009-06-27 02:55:25
DeathBecomesYu
Member
+171|6484

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Kmarion wrote:

I mean no disrespect.. but who cares? .. and the bit about no one giving a crap if someone rescues a child? That's not my experience at all.
Exactly - who cares what other people are entertained by?  It doesn't hurt you or negatively affect your life.  I don't go around sulking because people like Science Fiction or play WOW to entertain them, why should someone give a fuck what I do to entertain myself or who I look up to.  Why are you so interested in what "touches" people?  From the sounds of it you don't like the media coverage, so change the channel, turn of the TV, read a book, listen to music, play a video game, play with your kids, whatever.  The mainstream media does go apeshit over random acts of generousity or kindess, but there's a short attention span.  Michael was a fixture for at least 3 decades - he probably was the most popular person (not athelete, not pop star, not entertainer - the most popular person) in the world for a time.
I disagree a little bit. It does affect people's lives on occasion. There was a flash mob in London that halted traffic and brought police in. So it cost the city money to watch over a bunch of idiots using MJ's death to act like idiots. It affected the hospital where MJ was taken to the point, again police were brought in to keep people out of the hospital....pretty sick people to actually go to the hospital to try to get a glimpse and basically disrupt normal operations. Not only that, people were gathering around the wrong MJ star on the walk of fame, people brought chairs and sat in New York's square where the big sign was telling people about the death. People are actually camping outside of MJ's house right now!!!!!

Now, you can grieve and feel sorry for MJ, but some of these people are in need of serious help to go as far as they go, camping outside his house??? Right now there are kids being kidnapped, people murdered or dying in hospitals who gave more to society than MJ. MJ is famous, but some of this stuff is ridiculous and borders on lunacy. I would rather have people take the effort and be protesting about the energy bill, organizing protests at your state capital or maybe taking that effort and rallying for the Iranian people at the Iranian embassies. Seriously, get a life. Grieve and feel sorry, fine...spending your energy disrupting a hospital, a coroner's office and other people's lives..get mental help.
2009-06-27 03:41:08
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6411|eXtreme to the maX
The whole celebrity thing is a shitty construct.
Don't go to films, buy music or trashy magazines if it bothers you.
Reckon it looks like the last days of Rome the way society is going.
Fuck Israel
2009-06-27 03:44:11
usmarine
Banned
+2,785|7066

Dilbert_X wrote:

Don't go to films, buy music or trashy magazines if it bothers you.
i dont tbh.
2009-06-27 04:03:40
lowing
Banned
+1,662|6956|USA

Dilbert_X wrote:

The whole celebrity thing is a shitty construct.
Don't go to films, buy music or trashy magazines if it bothers you.
Reckon it looks like the last days of Rome the way society is going.
Listening to music or going to movies is not celebrity worship. THAT is what entertainment is supposed to be. What these people do in their own personal lives is of no concern to me.

MJ wore a single glove over 20 years ago, all of a sudden it became the thing to do for fashion. As rediculous as it looked and sounds the sheep followed suit.

Leg warmers, head bands, bandannas around your leg all started as fashion because some dumb fuck celebrity showed up like one day. Time to get a life.
2009-06-27 04:16:51
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6411|eXtreme to the maX

lowing wrote:

Listening to music or going to movies is not celebrity worship. THAT is what entertainment is supposed to be.
The problem is these jokers are grossly overpaid, which gives them the status to be celebrities. Musicians maybe an exception, although a lot of it is from merchandising.
I guess narrow it down to stop buying 'Hello' and any paper which publishes similar crap, and any kind of merchandising.

Or set a few papparazi on fire.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2009-06-27 04:17:50)

Fuck Israel
2009-06-27 04:21:46
Bertster7
Confused Pothead
+1,101|6886|SE London

lowing wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

The whole celebrity thing is a shitty construct.
Don't go to films, buy music or trashy magazines if it bothers you.
Reckon it looks like the last days of Rome the way society is going.
Listening to music or going to movies is not celebrity worship. THAT is what entertainment is supposed to be. What these people do in their own personal lives is of no concern to me.

MJ wore a single glove over 20 years ago, all of a sudden it became the thing to do for fashion. As rediculous as it looked and sounds the sheep followed suit.

Leg warmers, head bands, bandannas around your leg all started as fashion because some dumb fuck celebrity showed up like one day. Time to get a life.
I totally agree. All this celebrity culture is ridiculous.

It is one thing to enjoy someones work, whether they be an actor, musician, presenter - whatever, but it is another thing entirely to obsess about that person.

Who cares where celebrities are going out to? Who cares who they're going out with? Who cares about what they wear?

Unfortunately, millions of people do. It makes no sense whatever to me. It's just people with so little self esteem that they have to live in the shadow of celebrities. The worst sort of this, if you ask me, is when celebrities are hounded by the media just to make these pitiful celeb-obsessed losers feel just a little bit better about their own lives - like Britney for example.

I don't blame the media or the paparazzi for any of this. I blame those who are so keen to lap it up. Those who create the demand for this crap and create a market for celebrities who are simply famous for being famous not for doing anything!
2009-06-27 04:28:41
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6411|eXtreme to the maX
I think the media have created the whole 'celebrity' thing as a way of filling airtime cheaply and easily, compared with investigative reporting for example.
Morons will consume whatever they are shovelled, 'the media' has a responsibility to educate and inform - not just entertain.
Fuck Israel
2009-06-27 04:40:43
Bertster7
Confused Pothead
+1,101|6886|SE London

Dilbert_X wrote:

I think the media have created the whole 'celebrity' thing as a way of filling airtime cheaply and easily, compared with investigative reporting for example.
Morons will consume whatever they are shovelled, 'the media' has a responsibility to educate and inform - not just entertain.
No they don't.

Some media outlets do, certainly not all. It's very difficult to make any sort of case that a magazine like "Hello" has any sort of responsibility to inform or educate, these are magazines dedicated to the cult of celebrity. It's not just a case of padding news out, they have their own dedicated publications - loads of them, maybe 10-15% of all magazines.

 

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