Andy Warhol was obsessed with celebrity culture and the world's attempt for their 15 minutes of fame. Little did he know where this obsession would actually go.
To the sky, along with your 6 year old apparently.
The BBC recently put out an article about the reality TV parents (they had a lot of experience in it) who "sent up" their little boy in a balloon, (but not really) just for the media attention.
The desperation seems pathetic and awkward, but the self in the eyes of the other is stronger than ever. Facebook. Twitter. Linked in. All of these networking sights are tickling our self obsessions by "Making us famous to 15 people," according to David Weinberger, American Technologist and professional speaker. Mr. Weinberger, I have 1,196 friends on Facebook. I think your statement is false.
Talk about self-obsession.
Regardless, I am not as interested in the self-obsession as I am the media coverage itself, why people convene around things like STAR or PEOPLE, or even Entertainment Tonight or Inside Edition. Self-obsession is only fueled by the fact that people are willing to indulge that person (or couple). Most people say, "Well those people who watch those shows have no lives or nothing special about themselves." I disagree. The people who watch these shows watch them, in my opinion not just to be "In the loop" of "current events" but also because they find something analogous to those absurdities in their own lives. The fear of having a child carried away by a hot air balloon makes the housewife look nervously for her toddler as he is actually eating glue (while mommy figures out who Brad Pitt is fucking). The reality TV shows like Big Brother makes the college roommates reflect on their own drama, after they have just walked in on their boyfriend with another suitemate.
These shows about stars or novelties just remind us of ourselves. We see that people can get famous for the most absurd of reasons, perhaps because we can see ourselves in them.... and maybe the hope remains... we too can be on TV.
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