celebrity rant

[johncomic]

What brought this on is another report of another celebrity being caught out in infidelity, and the reaction to said event. I feel like throwing in my own curmudgeonly two cents, for whatever difference it may or may not make:

- I am baffled by the expressions of disappointment, as if Mr. Celeb has “let you down” somehow. First off, what he does in his private life, right or wrong, is none of your business. You have no right to know what he does and no right to pass judgment on it. (I will draw the line somewhat at criminal activity. If a celebrity breaks the law, I think the public has a right to bring him to justice, the same as anyone else.)
The way I see it, none of us are truly fans of a celebrity. We are fans of their work, of their creations. (Assuming that most celebrities are celebrated for actually doing something.) Their work is all we know of them. We don't know them. If you choose to base your evaluation of someone's work on how they conduct their private lives -- if you're “no longer their fan” because they “did something wrong” -- well, I suppose that's your prerogative but it doesn't make any sense to me.

- celebrities have no obligation to set a moral example any higher than anyone else. It isn't more shocking if a celebrity exhibits moral failure. The only thing a celebrity “owes” us is their work, offered for our consumption if we choose. We have no further claim to them, we have no rights to them or their lives.

- those celebrities whom we think we know, through interviews and whatnot... or those whom we think set a superior moral example, through supporting charities or espousing virtue... well, those interviews and charitable acts and all are part of their public image, which is just as much one of their creations as their art or talent or sports prowess or what-have-you. Again, all we have of them is their work. We don't know them. We're kidding ourselves if we think we do. And we really have no right to know them, other than what they choose to present.

- celebrities are real people. Some of them are nice, some of them are immoral bastards, all of them are flawed, none of them are perfect. To be entertained by their imperfections, to delight in hearing about them, is bad enough (never mind that human society has a long history of such dubious entertainments). But to feel entitled to quasi-divine behaviour from them at all times is perhaps worse. For those who judge them by saying “I would never do such a thing”, well.... maybe you wouldn't. But you'd do something. And you have.

Enough tut-tutting about these famous folx doing things that people do every day. Enough double standards. Our consumption of celebrities should be limited to “Do I enjoy their work or not?” and leave it at that. IMCO.